Students represent UCP at Transform4Europe Bootcamp in Burgas, Bulgaria

Julia Weston, a PhD student at the Faculty of Law - Lisbon School, and Sara Cunha, a PhD student in Biotechnology at the Faculty of Biotechnology, represented the Universidade Católica Portuguesa at the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Bootcamp, which took place between 9 and 13 September 2024 in Burgas, Bulgaria. This event is part of Transform4Europe, a European university alliance that promotes collaboration between students and researchers from different scientific fields. 

The Bootcamp focused on developing practical skills related to climate change, climate adaptation and nature-based solutions, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between young researchers and students from the various participating institutions. During the event, key topics such as sustainable urban planning, geospatial technologies (GIS, satellite monitoring and navigation systems), and means of adapting to the impact of climate change on cities were addressed. 

To achieve these goals, the Bootcamp included a diverse set of activities, from classroom lessons on climate change and geospatial technologies to field visits to places of interest in Burgas. These visits were crucial for gaining a deeper understanding of the local ecosystem, enabling the development of nature-based solutions and highlighting the importance of community participation in the preservation of public spaces. 

One of the highlights of the experience was the fieldwork and practical case study in Burgas: designing a sustainable solution for an abandoned urban space in the city, known as ‘The Hole’. The participants were organised into interdisciplinary groups, made up of students from a variety of fields, from the natural sciences to the social and applied sciences. Each group was responsible for presenting a final project for the area, the proposals for which will be used by the urban planning department of the city of Burgas. 

Participation in this Bootcamp provided the opportunity to strengthen collaborative networks with other researchers and professionals from multiple fields, creating potential partnerships for future initiatives within the Transform4Europe alliance. The focus on interdisciplinarity and topics as topical as climate change reinforces the commitment of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, as well as the other partner institutions of the alliance, to seek innovative solutions to humanity's current and future challenges.