Introducing the first EUniWell champions
The EUniWell Champions program invites senior academics from EUniWell member universities to play a leading role in promoting the Alliance's mission: to foster well-being in universities and society at large. This is the first time EUniWell has elected senior academics as Champions to take on this role, following the call for expressions of interest launched in January 2025.
From September 2025 to July 2026, each of the eight EUniWell Champions will receive funding of up to €15,000 to support their activities for six months. During this time, they will contribute their expertise and vision to define future wellness-focused directions and strengthen collaborative networks within and outside the Alliance.
Acting as EUniWell ambassadors, the champions will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, disseminate the results of wellbeing research and advance the Alliance's core values, within their home institutions, across academic communities and with the Alliance's associate partners, as well as with civil society and policymakers in Europe and beyond.
Find out more about the eight selected EUniWell champions, senior researchers and their action plans:
- Andreas Guidi, associate professor of history at Inalco: raising awareness of the importance of history as a field for studying changing notions and policies of well-being, with a focus on migration in the Mediterranean.
- Anna María Papini, full professor of bioorganic chemistry at the University of Florence: lead a multidisciplinary peptide research and knowledge transfer initiative to train the next generation of scientists and equip them with the skills to thrive in Europe's growing wellness sector.
- Azucena Mora Gutiérrez, full professor of microbiology at the University of Santiago de Compostela: raising awareness of the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and its global impact, promoting the "One Health" concept, highlighting food safety challenges and supporting low- and middle-income countries.
- Beáta Dávid, Professor and Director of the Institute of Mental Health at Semmelweis University: to understand and explore the concept of social health and its implementation in the context of well-being.
- Hamza Bennani, Professor of Economics at the University of Nantes: to deepen understanding of the socio-economic and environmental factors contributing to heat-related hospitalizations, in order to support more effective healthcare responses.
- María del Mar Grandío Pérez, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Murcia: advance research on digital well-being and expand theoretical frameworks beyond digital disconnection.
- Theodoros Marinis, professor of multilingualism at the University of Konstanz: strengthen research collaborations on multilingualism and well-being.
- Yue Zhao, senior researcher in translational oncology and well-being sciences at the University of Cologne: develop research and teaching initiatives that bridge oncology, aging research and well-being sciences.
The second call for expressions of interest for EUniWell Champions will be launched in February 2026, and the selected senior researchers will have the opportunity to implement their work plan and activities over a six-month period between May 2026 and September 2027.
