Lista de Projetos

Over the last decades, social and emotional learning (SEL) has been increasingly acknowledged to impact on competency areas such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills, and responsible decision-making. Mindfulness training is a multimodal intervention informed by the principles of positive psychology, with a central focus on skills that enable more effective coping and stress reduction. The application of mindfulness-based practices (MBP) has been strengthened by the results of evaluation studies that typically report on the positive effectiveness of MBP in terms of SEL. In parallel, research results show that exposure to natural environments arouses positive emotions and stress recovery, and improves compliance to mindfulness training, making it more effective. As such, the role of nature in the workplace is receiving increased attention, and existing theory and research suggest that nature contact can be considered as a workplace strategy for reducing stress, while at the same time enhancing performance and overall well-being. Therefore, Mindfulness-in Nature-based practices (MiNBP) joins together the healing effect of nature and the distressful effect of MBP, with greater benefits. It is therefore essential for company’s managers to understand how MiNBP has the potential to benefit their staff towards a systematic approach to SEL, in particular when considering the perspective of the five-competency-area framework. 

Population growth, increased prosperity and rapid urbanization are bringing global demand for natural resources to a point increasingly beyond the Earth’s carrying capacity. Together with climate change, those pressures are causing significant environmental degradation in many parts of the planet. Latin America is particularly vulnerable. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute urgent calls and drivers for higher education to be part of future generations of engaged citizens aware of their role in creating fair and healthy societies. The Change the Climate project addresses three main needs: environmental management at all levels of higher education activities, integration of environmental management with sustainability strategies and institutional quality management, and customized strategies for sustainability in education. The project’s main goal is to increase Latin-American University’s contribution to Sustainable Development, through the implementation of environmental systematic practices and quality processes in alignment with the UN SDGs, improving the management and operations of higher education institutions.  The project will deliver tools and guides for environmental impact analysis and SDGs mapping in campus operations and educational activities. An environmental management system will be implemented in each partner university decreasing their environmental impact; sustainability awareness will be assessed thoughout the academic communities; strategies for sustainability in higher education will be developed for curricula improvement; and a common open online course on sustainability will be created in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The project’s impact will reach stakeholders beyond the project partnership at local, regional and national levels contributing to behavioural change for sustainable futures.

Projecto internacional (envolvendo 5 países: Estónia, Portugal, Finlândia , Polónia, e Itália), “Be Competent in Entrepreneurship: Knowledge Alliances for Developing Entrepreneurship Competencies for the Benefit of Higher Education and Business(BeComE)” (612582-EPP-1-2019-1-EE-EPPKA2-KA), no âmbito da Call Erasmus+, KA - Knowledge Alliances, 2019 - EAC-A03-2018 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, financiado pela Comissão Europeia e coordenado porUrve Venesaar (Tallinn University of Technology, Estónia).

In spite of a recent slowdown foreign direct investment from rising China in to Europe has been growing exponentially over the past decade. It ranges from manufacturing, energy, utilities and transport, to financial services, real estate and sports and has been expanding from acquisitions of European firms to greenfield and portfolio investment. The perceived challenges posed by these investments has led to increasing political and media attention, including calls for EU vetting and regulation of acquisitions.   Academic research on the phenomenon is however lagging behind these developments. Existing studies moreover tend to have a mono-disciplinary, national or sectoral focus. Over-arching conceptions of the interconnections between investments in multiple sectors and the often cross-European nature and intent of Chinese investments, as well as their (geo)political implications, is almost entirely absent. This does not augur well for the formulation of appropriate policy responses direly needed to engage constructively with rising China.   In the light of these scientific gaps and policy needs and by bringing together the leading and pioneering researchers from across Europe and beyond (e.g. China, USA), the aim of this Action is to:(a) pool current and stimulate further research on China’s deepening economic engagements with Europe (b) develop an interdisciplinary, holistic, cross-sectoral and pan-European understanding of the variegated impacts and strategies associated with these engagements; (c) comprehend the likely political and geo-political consequences of these; and (d) generate input on the policy implications of these issues involving relevant agencies from the EU, member countries, business, trade unions and other interested parties.