TWIN2SUSTAIN Stakeholder Meeting on Sustainable Development to be held in Nicosia, 15–17 October 2025

Click for the Agenda

TWIN2SUSTAIN Stakeholder Meeting on Sustainable Development to be held in Nicosia, 15–17 October 2025

The TWIN2SUSTAIN consortium is pleased to announce the upcoming Stakeholder Meeting on Sustainable Development, which will take place in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 15–17 October 2025. The event, hosted by the University of Cyprus (UCY) in collaboration with the Municipality of Strovolos and the Cyprus Institute, brings together leading stakeholders from academia, municipalities, policy, and civil society. The meeting marks an important milestone in the Horizon Europe-funded TWIN2SUSTAIN project (GA 101159116), reinforcing its mission to build excellence in research and innovation for sustainable development.

👉 Please follow the link to register: https://forms.gle/oeADDTSGoHg1oUkk9

A three-day programme of collaboration and exchange

Over the course of three days, participants from Cyprus, Belgium, and the Netherlands will work together to advance the project’s objectives in knowledge valorisation, citizen engagement, and interdisciplinary research:

• Day 1 (15 October 2025):
  The programme will open with an international conference titled “Shaping a Sustainable Future in Urban Environments Through Citizen Engagement and Local Hubs”. The event will gather academics, hub professionals, and policymakers from Nicosia and Antwerp to discuss the role of innovation hubs in metropolitan sustainability, citizen science as a model for public participation, and lessons learned from ongoing projects in both cities.

• Day 2 (16 October 2025):
  A working meeting will take place with a focus on sustainability priorities at the municipal level, particularly in Strovolos and the wider Nicosia region. Discussions will address governance models for local hubs, strategies for deepening citizen involvement, and opportunities for integrating European best practices.

• Day 3 (17 October 2025):
  The visit will conclude with scientific team meetings at UCY, consolidating research collaboration across TWIN2SUSTAIN’s thematic pillars:

  • Innovation Law and Sustainable Development

  • Gender Equality and Sustainable Development

  • Economic Development and Intergenerational Altruism

  • Science Communication and Diplomacy

These sessions will advance joint multidisciplinary work, including the development of methodologies, datasets, joint publications, PhD co-supervision, and future grant applications.

Strategic significance for the Sustainable Development Hub

The meeting is a decisive step in shaping the Sustainable Development Hub in Cyprus, one of TWIN2SUSTAIN’s flagship initiatives. Conceived as a hybrid space—both physical and virtual—the Hub aims to become a driver of citizen science, co-creation, and knowledge transfer. By connecting local actors with advanced European partners, the Hub will foster collaboration between universities, municipalities, research institutes, and civil society to address sustainability challenges in Cyprus and the wider Mediterranean region.

The presence of colleagues from the University of Antwerp (UAntwerp) and Maastricht University (UM) underlines the project’s commitment to international partnership. Building on prior exchanges and best practices, the meeting will enable participants to jointly reflect on short-term actions while defining long-term pathways for sustainable urban governance.

TWIN2SUSTAIN in context

TWIN2SUSTAIN (Twinning for Research Excellence in Sustainable Development) is a Horizon Europe project (2023–2026) coordinated by the University of Cyprus with advanced partners from the University of Antwerp and Maastricht University. The project’s aim is to strengthen research excellence at UCY in the field of sustainable development through:

• Capacity building and knowledge transfer

• Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scientific collaborations

• Creation of a Sustainable Development Hub in Cyprus

• Training and networking for early career researchers

• Dissemination, communication, and citizen engagement

By connecting local priorities with European expertise, TWIN2SUSTAIN aspires to contribute to the European Green Deal, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to position Cyprus as a regional actor in sustainability research and innovation.

Looking ahead

The October Stakeholder Meeting will serve as both a knowledge exchange platform and a launchpad for the Sustainable Development Hub. It reinforces TWIN2SUSTAIN’s integrated approach: combining scientific excellence, citizen participation, and European cooperation to shape sustainable futures.