The last decades have witnessed a variety of initiatives promoted by a diverse set of actors engaged in the protection of endangered cultural heritage and in stopping illicit trade, initiatives that have tried to bring solutions, remediation, methods and approaches to tackle looting and trafficking. NETCHER seeks to address the complex challenge of harmonising and bringing together these worthy, but often disconnected initiatives by using a participative approach that will result in the establishment of a structured network (defined as a Social Platform) drawing together a broad range of players such as international bodies, umbrella organizations, national governments, researchers, public policy makers, NGOs, as well as public and private foundations. In light of the significance of these uncoordinated efforts, the Platform will take charge of the systematizing and framing of all the emerging best practices in order to enhance and capitalize on the experiences of the partnership members at an international level for building a joint action plan with shared toolkits and a research and innovation roadmap.

Since the 1990s, Educational Neuroscience has become an emerging field of research which studies cognitive brain functions (thinking, memory, attention, emotions) and interfaces with the educational environment with the aim of improving teaching and learning. Simultaneously, "Drama Teaching", a teaching methodology based on performing arts introduced in the 1970s, is now generating interest, especially in Foreign Language Learning. This research project will investigate aspects of cognition involved in the language learning process and it will analyse how Drama Teaching dynamics can impact language learning and proficiency. In order to define Drama Teaching as a methodology which involves the brain-mind-body dimension and fosters development of the learner as a whole person, a cognitive perspective will be adopted in relation to issues of a) embodied cognition, b) role of emotions in learning, c) impact of context and experience on learning d) cross-cultural identity process, development and awareness. Theoretical scientific investigation will be conducted on cognitive aspects relevant to learning, followed by the study and observation of dramatization practices. Development of curriculum and course implementation will follow. Particular attention will be given to the assessment of learning results and proficiency levels, as well as to the cognitive and emotional factors. The inter-disciplinary perspective adopted by this study is aimed at contributing to the debate on creative, interactive Foreign Language Education taking place in Europe and in the world. The scope is to contribute to the multi-disciplinary inquiries of Educational Neuroscience by elaborating a neuroscientifically grounded theory of Drama Teaching which gives educators guidelines to expand the range of teaching possibilities in accordance with the principles of Learning/Teaching of the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages”.

SHAPE proposes a new cultural approach to the study of 21st century Spanish American documentary poetry as a form of social and community resistance in the shaping of a shared memory about extreme violence in Latin America. This is a peculiar type of poetry using in the very body of the poem a variety of ethnographic, historical (archive texts, chronicles), visual, audio-visual, and virtual documents that have not been created by the poet. The use of those texts in an intimate and non-mimetic code such as poetry determines a stylistic short-circuit which has developed, in different forms, across all Latin America. In this context, documentary poetry has been commonly used to verbalise the tragic consequences of the systemic institutional and non-institutional forms of violence against women, migrants, indigenous or LGBTQ+ people. In spite of the key social function this poetry has assumed in Latin America in recent years, no comprehensive study has been produced on it yet. SHAPE aims to fill this gap by building a model of interpretation of documentary poetry not only as an aesthetic expression, but also as a powerful tool to preserve and construct social memory about suffering. To that aim, SHAPE intends to adopt an interdisciplinary methodological approach involving literature, cultural studies, cultural history, and ethnography, in order to investigate how this poetry contributes to the processes of resistance to extreme violence. Due to the intertextual nature of documentary poetry, my expertise in intertextuality and genre contamination is a key factor for the successful completion of the project. The aim is to generate a new cross-cultural conceptual reflection on how to use literature to resist new forms of racial and social discrimination. Thanks to this MSCA grant, I will strengthen my academic profile by acquiring the relevant competences to offer a new wider perspective on how to view the problem of social and institutional violence in Latin America.

Many of the main current economic and societal challenges in Europe are characterised by complex dynamic patterns stemming from path dependency, irreversibility, systemic risk and (local) interaction of heterogeneous agents. Examples in this respect are the search for appropriate policies to mitigate climate change, to foster a transition to a low-carbon economy, or to govern the development, diffusion and economic implications of new technologies. Designing sound economic policy in such domains is challenging and should be informed by empirical analyses and modelling frameworks that are suitable for capturing the complexity of the (economic) environment. The Innovative Training Network EPOC aims at advancing the state-of-the-art and the applicability of computationally intensive methods for decision and policy analysis and at using these methods in the domains of climate change and innovation. This agenda will be pursued by combining an interdisciplinary research agenda with an innovative European joint doctoral training programme. Early Stage Researchers will gain expertise and skills in data science, network theory, agent-based simulation, and economic modelling, with focus on climate change and innovation, and will apply these skills in their individual research projects. The academic training will be complemented by Transferable Skills Training Measures, Inter-Sectoral Training Measures, provided by non-academic partners, and Career Development Training. Interaction with stakeholders, policy makers and the general public will play an important role in pursuing the EPOC agenda and disseminating the results. The EPOC consortium consists of seven leading European universities and ten partner organisations. Each Early Stage Researcher will be hosted by two universities, will have a secondment with a partner organisation, and will graduate with a double degree.