The FORWARD project – Urban Resilience through Open Science, Education, and Community Engagement in War Regions has officially kicked off with a joint project kick-off meeting and international seminar held at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) between 26-28 January 2026.
The kick-off meeting brought together project partners from Norway, Italy, Palestine, and Ukraine, alongside associated partners and stakeholders joining both in person and online. The meeting marked the start of a three-year collaboration under the Erasmus+ CBHE programme (ERASMUS-EDU-2025-CBHE-STRAND-2, Project No. 101236948), coordinated by OsloMet.
As part of the launch, OsloMet also hosted the seminar “Scientific Research under Warfare Conditions in Ukraine and Palestine” on 26 January 2026, which explored how higher education and research can continue under extreme conditions of conflict and displacement. Speakers from Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, and Europe shared experiences on academic resilience, data challenges, international collaboration, and ethical research practices in times of war. The seminar concluded with a high-level panel discussion on research ethics and open science in crisis contexts.
Together, the kick-off meeting and seminar set a strong foundation for FORWARD’s mission: to strengthen higher education systems, promote open and ethical science, and support urban resilience in war-affected regions through practical training, field-based case studies, and inclusive digital infrastructure.
