Urban Resilience through Open Science, Education, and Community Engagement in War Regions

ongoing

The FORWARD project strengthens higher education continuity and urban resilience in war-affected regions of Palestine and Ukraine, equipping 200+ students, faculty, and community stakeholders with practical skills, digital tools, and open science practices. It addresses disrupted education, digital infrastructure gaps, limited open science adoption, and urban resilience challenges through targeted capacity-building, digital solutions, and practical fieldwork. It develops six interdisciplinary online training modules and 40 case studies in urban resilience, addressing critical needs in water, energy, food, housing and sheltering, and gender equity, integrating VR tools and fieldwork to bridge theory and practice. Digital access is enhanced with 240 laptops/tablets, a cloud-based repository, and an e-learning platform for training and collaboration. The project promotes open science through a FAIR-compliant data repository, MOOC and OER development, and training in FAIR and ethical data management and sharing. A train-the-trainer model and curriculum integration ensure sustainability, while gender-sensitive modules foster inclusivity. FORWARD engages 550+ stakeholders through workshops, webinars, and a 100+ member network for cross-regional knowledge exchange in urban resilience. FORWARD aligns with EU priorities in Governance, Peace, Security, and Human Development by supporting education and urban resilience, digital transformation, and open science adoption in war areas. It strengthens partnerships between EU partners in Norway and Italy, universities, and civil society organizations in Palestine and Ukraine, ensuring community-driven impact, sustainability, and long-term benefits through institutional collaboration, capacity-building, and policy inform. By integrating urban resilience strategies, FAIR data, and digital learning tools, it establishes scalable models applicable to other war-affected regions, contributing to global peace building and developments.