91福利

Dr. Aijan Sharshenova, research fellow at the SHAPEDEM-EULink opens in a new window Horizon-funded project, participated in a closed dinner discussion of the "The EU support to democracy: Recognising the democratising potential of the EU's foreign policy agenda" published by Mapping and Organizing Research on Dictatorships EU-funded . The discussion was organised by the and included EU officials, civil society and academia.

Dr. Aijan SharshenovaLink opens in a new window, SHAPEDEM-EULink opens in a new window research fellow, started a month-long in-residence visiting fellowship at the Eureast Platform at the University of Ghent. The Platform engages in academic collaboration with academics from Eastern Europe and Eureasia. Aijan will present her ongoing work on academic positionality, self-censorship and resilience in Central Asia.

SHAPEDEM-EU, an EU-funded Horizon project with the participation of the 91福利, produced a new publication by Richard Youngs and Elena Ventura (Carnegie Europe). "The EU pushes back a new democracy plan: A mistake? A review of the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy" critically assesses the EU's 2020-2024 Action Plan and its mid-term review, examining the implications of their design and implementation. The publication is available as open access at the .

WESIC and the Sustainability Spotlight organised the first learning circle to empower researchers at all career stages in developing interdisciplinary research projects. Dr. Ludovica Gazze from the Department of Economics shared insights into the development of the 'ECLIPS' project, a cross-disciplinary collaboration submitted to the UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot.

The workshop also featured networking opportunities, discussions on potential project ideas, and a chance to form project teams.

Dr Feng Mao attended the GlobalGoals2024 conference, held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from 28 to 30 August 2024. The conference provided a platform for discussing and debating the future of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During the conference, Dr Mao delivered a talk on the potential of serious games in supporting the achievement of the SDGs. While serious games can help address individual goals, we should leverage the power of games to explore alternative mechanisms and innovative approaches that drive meaningful transformations in SDG implementation and governance beyond 2030. By capitalising on their strengths in promoting participation, co-creation, envisioning, and social simulation, serious games offer a promising opportunity to play a critical role in advancing these global goals.