Horizon 2025 Award Project

This award-type project is based on a core project entitled MONitoring and Assessing prevention and restoration soLutIons to combat deSertificAtion (MONALISA), which is funded under the HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01 call. The core project is scheduled for a duration of 48 months (from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2028) and is implemented by an international consortium comprising 20 European institutions, including the University of Bucharest (UniBuc) as a partner. The institutional research activities within the project primarily focus on spatial modelling, assessment, and monitoring of land degradation and desertification in Europe, targeting the 15 most relevant countries on the continent (including Romania) affected by land degradation and desertification. Therefore, the primary role of UniBuc is the large-scale application across Europe of some geospatial methods for modelling complex environmental conditions that control the susceptibility (potential) of land degradation and desertification in the Mediterranean and Central Southeastern Europe. This award-type project thus focuses on three key support activities (as outlined in the project objectives) to strengthen the core research activities of the main project, which are not included in UniBuc’s work packages, but which have the potential to enhance the institutional visibility and scientific outcomes of UniBuc achieved within the MONALISA main project.