European Projects

 

AI-COMP - Artificial Intelligence and Competition

Head: Emilio Calvano

AI algorithms are increasingly being used in markets. It is generally agreed that they create a wealth of value by facilitating economic interactions. However, there are also concerns that when applied to market environments, they could lessen competition and harm consumers. This proposal sets forth an important first step of an articulated research program on AI and Competition. The proposal is structured as three organic projects focusing on two important classes of AI algorithms: 1) The first class, price-setting algorithms, are tools that are used by online merchants to set retail prices; 2) The second class, recommender systems (RS), are ubiquitous online algorithms that suggest products and content to consumers that are based on their current and past behaviour. 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101084245.

AWARE - Aquaponics from WAstewater REclamation

Head: Fernando Christian Iaione

AWARE, "Aquaponics from WAstewater REclamation", aims to remove the barriers preventing reclaimed water aquaculture from becoming a European reality. By demonstrating the seamless integration of our solutions in an aquaponic recirculation system (RAS) with IoT monitoring and automation technologies to improve its operation and overall sustainability metrics. Constituting itself as the first European case study for reclaimed water aquaponics in the town of Fasano (Puglia, Italy), the project pursues the following objectives: 1) illustrate technical solutions for efficient and sustainable aquaponics from reclaimed wastewater; 2) increase the circularity of wastewater as freshwater resource to be exploited where it is generated; 3) create a new farm-to-fork value chain, contributing to European economic growth and to urban KM 0 farming; 4) lay the ground for a new regulatory and policy framework in support of European aquaculture.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101084245.

BETKONEXT - Better Knowledge for the Next Generations

Head: Aldo Sandulli

BETKONEXT aims to explore thematic clusters for the protection of the EU’s financial interests (FI) under the umbrella term “coordination”. It does so thanks to the state of the art presented in the previous Hercule III programme, “Better Knowledge for Better Solutions (BETKOSOL)”. Across the different phases of the work, BETKONEXT intends to investigate the potential of institutional cooperation, through the study of different normative contexts and concrete cooperation practices. The comparative study focuses on four selected Member States (Spain, Italy, Belgium and Poland). On the one hand, it outlines the future of the national anti-fraud contact points network. On the other hand, the work of the new European prosecutor’s office for the protection of the EU’s FI is addressed, as its activity raises several questions in terms of institutional coordination, to be further addressed one and a half years after it came into operation. The project also focuses on institutional cooperation between the various EU bodies involved in the sector. 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s EUAF Programme, under the grant agreement No 101140537.

BRIDGEGAP - Bridging the Gaps in Evidence, Regulation and Impact of Anticorruption Policies

Head: Alina Mungiu-Pippidi

BRIDGEGAP, "Bridging the Gaps in Evidence, Regulation and Impact of Anticorruption Policies", is a multidisciplinary project that continues the research initiated by ANTICORRP, focusing on the analysis of public accountability and anti-corruption regulation to identify regulatory and impact gaps, thus addressing the academia–policy gap in corruption studies. BRIDGEGAP's main objectives include assessing the extent and evolution of corruption over time, as well as the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies. The project aims to fill knowledge gaps regarding the extent and mechanisms through which corruption creeps into open societies, including at the transnational level, and aims to examine gaps related to the understanding of digital transparency. By assessing the state of transparency in EU and candidate countries, as well as the use and misuse of technology in combating corruption, the project also aims to provide solutions to the highlighted gaps.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101132483.

CATALISI - Catalysation of institutional transformations of Higher Education Institutions through the adoption of acceleration services

Head: Irene Finocchi

The overall aim of CATALISI is to help and support Higher Education Institutions to successfully implement a strategy and individual pathway for institutional transformation through the adoption of acceleration services. These are designed to facilitate and accelerate institutional transformations in the field of Research and Innovation which will strengthen European Universities collaborations and alliances as lighthouses of European values. CATALISI will analyse how the governance of Higher Education Institutions can be changed, considering the governance as a way in which societal and state actors intentionally interact in order to transform Science Technology and Innovation systems, by regulating issues of societal concern. CATALISI is carried out by a consortium integrating 11 partners from 8 EU Member States.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101094917.

DCS - Dynamic Cross Sections and Heterogeneity in Macroeconomics

Head: Francesco Lippi

One of the main challenges for modern macroeconomics is to understand the consequences of the remarkable heterogeneity between households and firms, a feature ignored by the representative agent models in textbooks. Important questions arise on the role that such heterogeneity plays in the functioning of the economy and on its ability to respond to shocks in the presencce of friction and irregular behavior (rare large adjustments), as in the case of durable purchases, the adoption of technologies, adjustments portfolio, investment and price redefinition. The DCS, "Dynamic Cross Sections and Heterogeneity in Macroeconomics", project aims to detect and develop new methods to identify the economy's response to shocks as well as to conduct a rigorous analysis of dynamic strategic complementarities and network effects, with applications in various macroeconomic contexts.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the European Research Council grant agreement No 101054421.

EINST4INE - European Training Network for InduStry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems

Head: Henry William Chesbrough

The success of the digital transformation of industry hinges on the capabilities of creative, multidisciplinary, open minded and highly skilled individuals. The EINST4INE project, "European Training Network for InduStry Digital Transformation Across Innovation Ecosystems", aims to provide cutting-edge training to a cohort of 15 PhD candidates and to equip them with broad-ranging skills and capabilities to successfully embrace the challenges of contemporary and future industrial systems. Drawing on world-class research and practice on open innovation, industry 4.0 and innovation ecosystems, this interdisciplinary and intersectoral project develops a unique knowledge base on the human side of digital transformation, coordination and decision-making, enabling technologies and new value creation logics as well as the orchestration of innovation ecosystems.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956745.

EUARENAS - Cities as Arenas of Political Innovation in the Strengthening of Deliberative and Participatory Democracy

Head: Fernando Christian Iaione

In Europe, populism and political disaffection on a more general level are being met by counter currents of local political activism and an increasing consciousness of the political role of social movements in cities and urban areas. Based on several case studies and pilots of governance innovation initiatives the project EUARENAS aims to investigate the ways in which social movements coupled with local government reform initiatives create momentum for political change that include more inclusive and participatory forms of governance. In particular, EUARENAS investigates: 1) the ways in which these practices emerge, the main actors, the strategies, methods and digital platforms they develop to attract attention; 2) economic, political and cultural factors influencing local outcomes; 3) horizontal and vertical governance implications of governance innovations; 4) the added value of solutions provided by participatory/deliberative means.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 959420.

GEM-DIAMOND - Globalisation, Europe and Multilateralism: Democratic Institutions, the rise of Alternative MOdels and mounting Normative Dissensus

Head: Cristina Fasone

The EU’s political priorities for 2019−2024 include a push for European democracy. The project aims to deepen the impact of EU instruments on democratic institutions, the rise of alternative models, and present-day mounting dissensus driven by internal contestation and external competition. Scientifically, the project focuses on research and training so that they go on to positively impact citizens' knowledge and democratic practices. The agenda of GEM-DIAMONDS has three focal points: 1) an original conceptual understanding of 'dissensus'; 2) a unique form of interdisciplinary and methodological coherence; 3) new empirical findings assessing the shifting efficiency and legitimacy of EU instruments. Societally, its Dissemination, Exploitation & Communication efforts will have a sustainable impact on the European Research (ERA) and Higher Education (EHEA) Areas.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101073292.

IDMO - Italian Digital Media Observatory

Head: Livia De Giovanni

The IDMO project, "Italian Digital Media Observatory", founded to counter global disinformation on the Web, includes the development of an Italian Digital Media Observatory active in social media analysis, a coordination hub for fact-checkers, and an impactful media literacy program. In this perspective, the Observatory constitutes a crucial center for gathering knowledge, tools and methodologies aimed at combating disinformation, educating citizens and professionals, and providing information to policy-makers. To contribute to discussions on the need to quantify the impact of disinformation, IDMO aims to provide an impact assessment of the Observatory's activities regarding media education and literacy and actions taken to mitigate the effect of disinformation campaigns. The project is managed by a multidisciplinary consortium consisting of a diverse mix of universities, SMEs, and top media and telecommunications operators.

Co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union.

IDMO II - Italian Digital Media Observatory

Head: Livia De Giovanni

In the digital era, Europe faces challenges with media's role in shaping public opinion amidst rising disinformation and low media literacy, impacting democracies. IDMO, "The Italian Digital Media Observatory" - in collaboration with edmo, the European Digital Media Observatory – initiated a strategic plan to combat disinformation, promote e-literacy, and enhance media quality, engaging millions in Italy and Europe. The IDMO II project, in follow-up to the development and research activities of IDMO I, aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time disinformation detection and content verification, aiding editorial boards in timely news verification. The project’s strategy is threefold: 1) combating disinformation and online hatred; 2) promoting e-literacy and responsible journalism; 3) building public awareness on cybersecurity. 

This project received funding from the "DIGITAL Europe Programme" of the European Union under grant agreement No. 101158697.

ISEProD - Industrial Structure and the European Productivity Growth Divergence

Head: Fabiano Schivardi

Over the last few decades, global productivity growth has slowed, while the production gap between Northern and Southern Europe has widened. The research design assumes that ownership control and finance, i.e., “industrial structure”, play a key role - fostered in recent years by technological transformation - in terms of productivity of a country. Through the use and collection of data conducted in some European countries and the adoption of experimental methods, ISEProD aims both to change the traditional assumption based on the connection between corporate governance, finance and productivity growth both to define advanced industrial organization and corporate finance techniques in order to assess the causes and consequences of different industrial structures. In this perspective, the project contributes to the key debate on the future of the European Union on the divergent trends in productivity between European economies.

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme grant agreement No 835201.

LATIF - Leveraging argument technology for impartial fact-checking

Head: Livia De Giovanni

LATIF, "Leveraging argument technology for impartial fact-checking", brings the Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH) methodology to the fact-checking domain to counter and control for cognitive bias in the fact-checking process. The project aims to develop a new generation of digital tools based on ACH to empower and improve fact-checking organisations’ decision-making processes, beginning with a qualitative assessment of fact-checkers understanding and identification of cognitive bias. The research then proposes to create a digital infrastructure aimed at improving impartiality in the decision-making processes of fact-checkers through unbiased fact-checking tools.

This project has received funding from the European Media and Information Fund and managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation under grant agreement no. 268755. 

MICROPOPULISM - The micro-foundations of macro-institutions: an empirical investigation of the co-evolution of populist rhetoric and organizations

Head: Antonio Majocchi

The emergence of populism in several EU Member States poses a threat to EU principles. Within this conceptual framework, the MICROPOPULISM project sheds light on the grassroots origins of populism, seeking to unravel the rhetorical strategies employed by populists and their co-evolutionary influence on organisations and institutions. Starting from this investigation, aiming to unveil the rhetorical strategies employed by populists and their co-evolutionary influence on organizations and institutions, the project employs a synthesis of co-evolution theory and discourse analysis, with specific attention to the context of populism and multinational enterprises (MNEs). Given the substantial impact of these powerful organizations on institutional dynamics, MICROPOPULISM focuses on the language and persuasion techniques used by populist leaders, with the objective of discerning their influence on the strategies and institutional structures of multinational corporations.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101108168.

PRODIGEES - Promoting Research on Digitalisation in Emerging Powers and Europe towards Sustainable Development

Head: Raffaele Marchetti

PRODIGEES promotes international collaboration and sharing of knowledge on (global) governance and the conditions to shape digitalisation towards the Sustainable Development Goals in the 2030 Agenda. The major objective of the project is to generate a better understanding of digital transformation processes and exponential technologies and their impact on sustainable development in different world regions and shape technology at an early stage of development. With the aim to exploit complementary competences and combine various disciplines and perspectives, PRODIGEES focuses on the exchange of ideas between academic institutions that deal with sustainability and digitalisation questions in the European Union (Austria, Estonia, Italy, Germany) on the one hand, and emerging powers from the Global South (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa) on the other. In this way, the project allows for sharing and comparing experiences from countries that are of greatest importance for the achievement of the SDGs, and for successful global governance in the digital age.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 873119.

RED-SPINEL - Responding to Emerging Dissensus: SuPranational Instruments and Norms of European Liberal democracy

Head: Raffaele Marchetti

The EU supports democracy and the rule of law in response to emerging dissensus surrounding liberal democracies. Contributing to the strengthening of democratic institutions in the EU, the RED-SPINEL project, "Respond to Emerging Dissensus: SuPranational Instruments and Norms of European Democracy", aims to analyze the nature of dissensus and its implications for the EU's supranational policy instruments. In particular, the project explores the interconnected factors of contemporary dissensus surrounding liberal democracy and provides a categorization of the concept, mapping its main actors in Europe and analyzing its two underlying factors - namely, the heightened internal contestation over liberal democracy and external competition from alternative illiberal models.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101061621. 

REGROUP - REbuilding Governance and Resilience OUt of the Pandemic

Head: Mark Thatcher

At the end of a decade of crisis in Europe, the Covid-19 pandemic has represented an unprecedented opportunity for institutional and political change, not only at the “reactive” level of emergency responses but also to more broadly address the numerous socio-political challenges caused or exacerbated by Covid-19. Based on this conceptual framework, REGROUP,  "REbuilding Governance and Resilience OUt of the Pandemic", aims to: 1) provide the European Union with a set of guidelines on how to rebuild post-pandemic governance and public policies in an effective and democratic way; 2) identify a map of the socio-political dynamics and consequences of Covid-19; 3) provide an empirically informed normative evaluation of the pandemic. REGROUP pursues this threefold objective through a multi-level (national, supranational, international) and multi-sphere (political, social, ideational, digital) research approach, guided by three main analytical themes: “reordering”; “risk”; “resilience”.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101060825. 

REMIT - Reignite Multilateralism via Technology

Head: Thomas Christiansen

Multilateralism is under attack and the EU is caught between the U.S. and China. While there are many ways that the decline in multilateralism affects the EU, none is more troublesome than rivalries in technology. Within this conceptual framework, REMIT, "Reignite Multilateralism via Technology", aims to develop policy recommendations and strategies to support the EU in reconceptualizing multilateral governance in four crucial policy areas: digital, biotechnological, security and defense, and financial technology. By applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to specific subsystems, the project focuses on reigniting multilateralism through technology by concentrating on three fundamental aspects: 1) the policy issue; 2) the actors seeking to influence it; 3) the domain or territorial authority that defines the policy.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101094228.

ROOTS - The historical roots of global inequality

Head: Luigi Pascali

For centuries, the enigma of global inequality has bewildered and intrigued scholars. Two pressing questions remain: why have some regions experienced early complex hierarchies, and how have these ancient origins shaped modern economic disparities? Funded by the European Research Council, the ROOTS, "Unearthing the roots of global inequality", project seeks to answer these questions. Using cutting-edge tools in paleoclimatology, archaeogenetics, and archaeology, the project investigates the network of factors that influenced the development of human society, offering a new perspective on the origins of global inequality.

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme grant agreement No 101088889.

SEAO2-CDR - Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment Of Ocean based Carbon Dioxide Removal

Head: Raffaele Marchetti

The oceans are the world’s largest carbon sink and an essential buffer against climate change. Enhancing or accelerating natural carbon sequestration processes in the ocean could be a powerful tool in transitioning to a climate-neutral and more resilient society. SEAO2-CDR, "Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment Of Ocean based Carbon Dioxide Removal", is a multidisciplinary project that brings together scientific, economic, legal, political, social, and ethical experts with industry leaders. The aim is to establish and assess the pathways and methodologies required for the sustainable and effective operationalization of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal (OCDR). A central objective of the project is to develop stakeholder-oriented governance frameworks that define the multidimensional interaction points through which responsible and effective governance of OCDR can be implemented.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101081362.

VALPOP - Valuing Public Goods in a Populist World: A Comparative Analysis of Network Dynamics and Societal Outcomes

Head: Antonio Majocchi 

The EU strives to create socio-economic wealth for its citizens by ensuring fair and equal access to public goods, as purely market-based supply would result in misallocations. However, populism has gained momentum globally, challenging democracy and the rule of law. The Project VALPOP, “Valuing Public Goods in a Populist World: A Comparative Analysis of Network Dynamics and Societal Outcomes”, intends to study how the rule of law and populism impact the creation and distribution of public goods by societal actors. The analysis takes a network perspective and considers actors' interactions, collaborations, and potential collusions for a multi-dimensional view of socio-economic outcomes. The project investigates how the structure of these networks and their degree of populism, a construct we define as “networked populism,” affect the contribution of societal actors to socio-economic outcomes. 

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 101177310.

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Past projects