EUNICE opens the doors of research through a shared European infrastructure. The platform, open and accessible via the EUNICE Internships and Research (EIR) Portal, aims to strengthen research and promote innovation.
This is the vision behind the Joint Open Lab (JOL), a project developed within the EUNICE alliance – European University for Customised Education, a network bringing together ten European universities with the goal of building an integrated model of higher education, research, and scientific cooperation.
The JOL is the result of the strategic action of Working Package 4 (WP4) of the EUNICE4U project, coordinated by Prof. Cristina Satriano from the University of Catania. This action is dedicated to research and innovation and aims to build bridges between universities, industry, and society, fostering the application of scientific knowledge to social, economic, environmental, and cultural development.
The initiative represents one of the most concrete tools through which EUNICE seeks to create a borderless European academic ecosystem, where students, researchers, academic staff, and regional stakeholders can share infrastructures, expertise, and development opportunities. Thanks to JOL, scientific laboratories, technological equipment, and research services become part of a common network—both physical and digital—accessible to the entire EUNICE community.
The physical network includes laboratories and infrastructures provided by partner universities and shared through the EUNICE EIR Portal, the online platform that allows users to explore the catalogue of available facilities and request access to resources. The objective is to simplify international cooperation and foster the development of interdisciplinary projects, accelerating the circulation of knowledge.
JOL also takes shape as a true Living Lab Hub, a dynamic space aimed at transforming scientific infrastructures into engines of innovation with high social, technological, and economic impact. Through the sharing of resources and know-how, the project contributes to strengthening local and regional ecosystems, supporting applied research, technology transfer, and innovative entrepreneurship.
To ensure a harmonised functioning of the system, each partner university has already signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), regulating the modalities for accessing and using infrastructures in compliance with national and local regulations.
Finally, the project fits fully within the European Open Science strategy, making scientific results accessible, shareable, and reusable, while accelerating innovation processes aimed at strengthening Europe’s competitiveness on the global stage.
