European Union-funded project brings together leading universities and research institutions to address urban challenges and support sustainable urban governance ecosystems

The University of Cyprus (UCY) is proud to announce the official kick-off of the Twinning towards Research Excellence in Evidence-Based Planning and Urban Design – TWIN2EXPAND project, an ambitious research initiative aimed at enhancing the research excellence of UCY in the field of evidence-based design and planning (EBDP).

The TWIN2EXPAND project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe WIDERA program, brings together a consortium of leading European research institutions, including University College London (UCL), Polytechnic University of Turin, Chalmers University of Technology and Space Syntax Limited. The project aims to stimulate research excellence and innovation capacity in the field of EBDP at UCY and to promote interdisciplinary research and networking in the EBDP field.

As pointed out by Dr. Nadia Charalambous, the Director of the Society and Urban Form Research Lab (SURF) and the coordinator of the TWIN2EXPAND project, “the project will support the development of sustainable urban governance ecosystems apt to effectively deliver solutions through stakeholder and public engagement in scientific knowledge development.”

The project will have a significant impact on the broader scientific community, specific planning and design stakeholders, and urban societies at large, towards understanding and addressing urban challenges, as well as valuing and exploiting opportunities afforded by cities and urban communities.

TWIN2EXPAND will run for three years and will involve a series of training activities, staff exchanges, industry internships, and intensive summer workshops, aimed at enhancing the scientific competence and research capability of UCY staff and early-stage researchers. The TWIN2EXPAND Consortium looks forward to engaging and debating with local stakeholders in Cyprus about the benefits of scientific evidence in design and planning practice and policy.

We look forward to updating you on the progress of the project and the impact it will have on the EBDP field.

TWIN2EXPAND is funded by the European Union [grant number 101078890] and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant number 10052856, 10050784].

For more information about the TWIN2EXPAND project, please visit the project website at www.twin2expand.eu

Contact: Nadia Charalambous, Project Coordinator, charalambous.nadia@ucy.ac.cy, 22892965

Note to editors:

• TWIN2EXPAND is funded by the European Union [grant number 101078890] and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant number 10052856, 10050784].
• Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
• The University of Cyprus is the coordinator of the TWIN2EXPAND project.
• The project partners are University College London (UCL), Polytechnic University of Turin, Chalmers University of Technology and Space Syntax Limited.
• The project will run for three years, starting from January 2023.
• The total budget for the project is 1.500.000 Euro.