The MOOCs of the project Science Hubs for Advanced Research & Education with Africa (SHARE_AFRICA) are designed to strengthen scientific and educational cooperation between Italy and Africa, offering opportunities for growth and international collaboration. Originating from the experience of the Italian Foundation for Higher Education with Africa (IHEA), active since 2020, the courses and activities of SHARE_AFRICA aim to create new spaces for shared knowledge, research, and innovation.
This second program is about Blended Executive Programme (BEP): the courses are structured as specialistic to different disciplines.
This programme is more specialized than the one related to the Common Modules. It includes courses focused on energy management, water resources management, and health understood as an integrated and holistic approach aimed at sustainably balancing and optimizing the health of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems.The courses are delivered by internationally renowned university faculty and leading international experts in the selected disciplines.
Through joint master’s programs, collaborative research activities, co-supervisions, and the use of open-source tools, SHARE_AFRICA aims to develop innovative solutions and train a new generation of Italian–African scientific ambassadors.
The MOOCs of the project Science Hubs for Advanced Research & Education with Africa (SHARE_AFRICA) are designed to strengthen scientific and educational cooperation between Italy and Africa, offering opportunities for growth and international collaboration. Originating from the experience of the Italian Foundation for Higher Education with Africa (IHEA), active since 2020, the courses and activities of SHARE_AFRICA aim to create new spaces for shared knowledge, research, and innovation.
Through an inclusive and peer-to-peer approach, the project supports young researchers and lecturers in the early stages of their academic careers, promoting the development of skills and long-term relationships. The first science hubs were launched in Tunisia and Ethiopia, becoming key reference points for building lasting connections between Italian and African institutions in the fields of education and research.
The program addresses global challenges and shared priorities, such as the ecological and digital transition, the resilience of education and research systems, and the strengthening of scientific diplomacy between the African Unionand the European Union. Through joint master’s programs, collaborative research activities, co-supervisions, and the use of open-source tools, SHARE_AFRICA aims to develop innovative solutions and train a new generation of Italian–African scientific ambassadors.
- Docente: Giorgio Besagni
- Docente: Elena Calandri
- Docente: Marzia Florindi
- Docente: Giorgia Giovannetti
- Docente: Eleonora Minelli
- Docente: Amanda Tedeschi
- Docente: Francesco Tonini
This course introduces key quantitative and conceptual tools for analysing energy systems and sustainability challenges, with a strong focus on pubblication-relevant applications.
The first Lesson deepens first the methodological perspective and introduces manuscript preparation and the structure of scientific work, from abstracts to conclusions. The second unit guides learners through the paper submission and publishing process, including editorial handling and revisions. Unit 1.3 focuses on peer review, its purposes, ethical principles, and the role of reviewers in ensuring scientific quality.
Lesson 2 indeed provides the analytical foundations. Unit 2.1 frames energy as a driver of human development and highlights the physical, social, and environmental limits that shape sustainable energy transitions. Unit 2.2 introduces energy system modelling as a decision-support tool, focusing on bottom-up optimisation models, scenario analysis, uncertainty, and the role of open and transparent modelling, illustrated through real-world case studies. Unit 2.3 presents life-cycle thinking and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), explaining how environmental impacts can be quantified across entire supply chains using process-based, input–output, and hybrid approaches, and why assumptions and system boundaries matter for policy conclusions.
Together, the course equips students with a coherent framework to analyse energy systems quantitatively, interpret sustainability impacts, and engage professionally with scientific research and publishing.
- Docente: Giorgio Besagni
- Docente: Nicolò Stevanato
- Docente: Francesco Tonini