The project brings together four complementary institutions from Denmark, France, Italy, and Portugal, united by a shared commitment to integrating Nature-Based Solutions and Citizen Science into higher education across Europe.
Aalborg University
Role: Project Co-ordinator & NbS Mapping Lead
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Website: www.aau.dk
Aalborg University is a young and dynamic Danish university with over 21,000 students, ranked in the world’s Top 5 for sustainability by Times Higher Education (2024). AAU is internationally recognised for its Problem-Based Learning approach, in which students tackle real-world challenges in close collaboration with external stakeholders. Its expertise in technology-enhanced learning and interdisciplinary education makes it ideally placed to lead the development of the NbS mapping framework, ensuring that nature-based solutions are integrated into university teaching in a hands-on and practically meaningful way.
Columbus Partners
Role: Dynamic System Modelling Lead
Location: Paris, France
Website: www.columbus-web.org
Columbus Partners is a Paris-based association with over 30 years of experience in higher education cooperation between Europe and Latin America, with a network spanning 45 universities across more than 15 countries. As a key UNESCO partner, Columbus has particular expertise in Open Science, Citizen Science strategy, and dynamic system modelling applied to higher education contexts. This expertise directly informs its lead role in developing the NbS Dynamic System Model and coordinating the project’s global dissemination, including an international thematic conference.
University of Turin (Università degli Studi di Torino)
Role: Training, Open Educational Resources & Dissemination Lead
Location: Turin, Italy
Website: www.unito.it
The University of Turin is one of Italy’s largest and most established universities, hosting over 81,000 students. It holds a UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Development and has extensive experience in digital learning, mathematical modelling for sustainability, and the development of open online courses. This combination of sustainability expertise and digital education capacity makes UniTo the natural lead for designing and delivering the project’s online training module and collaborative NbS repository, ensuring that resources are pedagogically robust and freely accessible.
ISCTE Conhecimento e Inovação (ISCTE — Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)
Role: Institutional Strategy & Policy Lead
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Website: www.conhecimentoinovacao.iscte-iul.pt
ISCTE Conhecimento e Inovação is a Lisbon-based research and knowledge transfer centre linked to ISCTE, University Institute of Lisbon, with expertise spanning economics, management, and sustainability policy. Its researchers have direct experience advising on environmental policy, analysing the economics of nature-based solutions, and developing university sustainability strategies. This policy and governance expertise positions ISCTE as the lead for developing institutional roadmaps and strategic recommendations, helping universities transition from isolated sustainability initiatives to long-term, integrated strategies.