Highlights

We are delighted that the UG is participating in 6 out of 10 projects awarded an Incubator Grant in the 2026 and final round of the ENLIGHT calls. This highlights our academics’ ongoing commitment to ENLIGHT collaboration and secures additional funding opportunities for the Faculty of Arts (4 projects selected!), the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and the Faculty of Spatial Sciences to co-create exciting new joint programmes and blended courses.

ENLIGHT is highlighting the upcoming BRAIN 24/7 satellite event Brain Function and Mental Health in a Modern 24/7 Society, organised by Professor Dr. Peter Meerlo and Dr. Carolina Gutierrez Herrera following FENS 2026 in Barcelona. The event will explore the links between sleep, brain function, and mental health through a multidisciplinary neuroscience programme.

During the mid-year meeting in Galway, the University of Groningen (UG) signed the ENLIGHT Joint PhD Framework Agreement. With this agreement, the universities within the ENLIGHT network are taking an important step towards further strengthening their international research collaboration.

The TOGETHER Goes Local ENLIGHT Thematic Network participated in the first ENLIGHT European University Regional Academy in Gotland, where workshops with regional stakeholders and academics generated valuable insights to support the development of its serious game on local societal challenges.

The ENLIGHT Thematic Network InfraCARE project team met in Galway to discuss how cities can ensure climate action benefits all residents, particularly vulnerable groups. The meeting highlighted the role of social infrastructure in supporting inclusive and equitable climate transitions and marked an important step in the project's ongoing collaboration, with a follow-up workshop planned in Bern later this year.