The SIMIL Programme, coordinated by the BETA Technological Center, expands its range towards climate change and digital transformation thanks to an Erasmus+ project

The SIMIL programme, coordinated by the BETA Technological Center at UVic-UCC, will continue its work for another two years. This work will expand to include a wider range of areas related to climate change and digital transformation, after focusing on challenges and solutions related to urban solid organic waste management in 2023. The SIMIL programme will continue thanks to the new European ENGAGEgreen project, in which the CT BETA is participating with funding from the Erasmus programme+.. The launch meeting of the ENGAGEgreen project, which will be coordinated by Goethe University Frankfurt, took place in Lyon (France) on 25 January. 

The primary objective of the ENGAGEgreen project is to promote the creation and consolidation of spaces for dialogue between representatives of the academic and political worlds, in order to enhance their knowledge, skills and abilities during the preparation phases of new evidence-based policies.

The six universities participating in the ENGAGEgreen project anticipate being able to directly improve their ability to promote the involvement of their researchers and students in defining the green and digital transitions that Europe is currently experiencing. The project will largely do this by organising events, developing training materials and fostering new networks of relationships.

Continuity for the SIMIL Programme

In the specific case of the BETA Technological Center, involvement in the new ENGAGEgreen project will enable the SIMIL Programme to continue. Last year, this initiative brought many local government representatives in Catalonia into contact with scientists at the CT BETA. This expansion of the SIMIL Programme's work is a great opportunity for the technology centre, as it will enable it to continue sharing its knowledge and experience with political leaders and specialists in local governments all over Catalonia, thereby reinforcing one of the strategic commitments that the centre has had since its inception.

In addition, the experience of the SIMIL Programme, together with the other new initiatives that will be created within the framework of the ENGAGEgreen project, will establish new types of relationship between the scientific and political worlds, creating and disseminating examples of good practices and success stories. In the long term, this work will make the transfer of knowledge between them more effective.