The University of Crete is pleased to announce the successful funding of two European research projects under the Horizon Europe – WIDERA Twinning 2026 program, both coordinated by the University and selected for funding by the European Commission.

A total of 1,905 proposals were submitted under this call, of which 179 were selected for funding, representing a 9.4% success rate.

The funded projects are:

Building Research and Institutional Capacity for Democratised Governance of AI (BRIDGE–AI)

The project is coordinated by Professor Eleni Katsarou of the Department of Primary Education at the University of Crete.

BRIDGE–AI is being implemented by the newly established Institute for Research in Education and the Digital Humanities and Social Sciences (INEDHSS) of the University of Crete Research and Innovation Center (UCRCIC), in collaboration with Technische Universität München (Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence – IEAI), University College Dublin (Centre for Digital Policy), and ERINN Innovation Limited.

The project aims to develop an innovative, evidence-based methodology for assessing the impact of Artificial Intelligence on fundamental human rights, while strengthening research and institutional capacity for the democratic governance of AI.

Twinning for Excellence in 3D GENOME (DE)Regulation in Inflammation and Autoimmunity (SERENITY)

The project is coordinated by Professor Charalampos Spilianakis of the Department of Biology at the University of Crete.

SERENITY is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Warsaw (Centre of New Technologies, Poland), the Istituto Europeo di Oncologia (Italy), the University of Montpellier (Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, France), and GENODIS (Greece).

The project focuses on investigating the mechanisms that regulate the three-dimensional organization of the genome and their role in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. At the same time, it seeks to strengthen research excellence, promote knowledge transfer, and expand international collaboration in this important scientific field.

The selection of these two projects for funding by the European Commission represents a significant achievement for the University of Crete and once again confirms the University’s high level of research excellence, the international recognition of its researchers, and the outstanding quality of its scientific output.

The University of Crete warmly congratulates both research teams, the project coordinators, and all of their collaborators on this remarkable accomplishment. The funding of these two projects is another tangible recognition of the University’s growing international presence and impact within the European research landscape. It also further reinforces the University’s strategic commitment to expanding international partnerships, advancing research excellence, and creating new opportunities for its research community.