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The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), founded in 1837, is Greece’s oldest university and the first in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean. A public, self-governed institution under the Ministry of Education, it comprises 8 Schools and 33 Departments, awarding bachelor’s degrees and offering 183 master’s and doctoral programmes. NKUA supports research through 5 research institutes, 3 university hospitals, 224 laboratories, 10 libraries, and extensive museums and archives. It serves 40,000+ undergraduates and ~23,000 postgraduate students, including 6,000 international students. NKUA ranks highly by Google Scholar citations (Webometrics) and secures substantial national and EU research funding, engaging 5,000–8,000 researchers annually, from faculty to PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows.
Sapienza University of Rome (founded 1303) is one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious universities, located in the heart of Rome and renowned for excellence in education, research, and innovation.
It offers a broad range of programs across the humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering, and medicine, with distinguished faculty and strong interdisciplinary, research-driven learning.
With extensive global partnerships and exchanges, Sapienza is a vibrant hub of intellectual and cultural activity, preparing graduates to make meaningful contributions to their fields and society.
Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), created in 2012 from the merger of three universities, serves 80,000 students across 5 campuses.
A leading Mediterranean, research-intensive, multidisciplinary university, it partners closely with European and African institutions to drive regional cooperation and intercultural exchange.
Granted France’s “Initiative of Excellence” in 2012, AMU’s 2030 vision rests on four pillars: Commitment, Excellence, Innovation, and Sharing (interdisciplinarity & experimentation).
Wits (University of the Witwatersrand) evolved from the South African School of Mines (1896), moved to Johannesburg in 1904, gained university status in 1922, and—true to its non-discrimination ethos—clashed with the apartheid regime; its footprint spans Braamfontein, Parktown, and heritage cave sites like Sterkfontein.
A founder of the African Research Universities Alliance, Wits is highly research-intensive—from healthcare and deep-level mining to subatomic physics—with 381 NRF-rated and 400 award-winning researchers; notable alumni include Nelson Mandela and multiple Nobel laureates.
The program is coordinated on behalf of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens by Associate Professor Aspasia Dania. From the CIVIS universities, the program involves Associate Professor Maria Impedovo (Aix-Marseille Université), Associate Professor Veronica LoPresti and PhD student in Methodology Laura Tolentino (Sapienza Università di Roma), Professors Georgia Torres, Demitri Constantinou, Reuben Dlamini (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) and Charalampos Anagnostopoulos PhD student in Physical Education Teachers Education (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)
Associate Professor
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Associate Professor
Aix-Marseille Université
Associate Professor
Sapienza Università di Roma
Professor
University of Witwatersrand South Africa
Professor
University of Witwatersrand South Africa
Professor
University of Witwatersrand South Africa
PhD student in Methodology
Sapienza Università di Roma
PhD student in Physical Education Teacher Education
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
From 11–13 June 2025, representatives from NKUA, University of the Witwatersrand, Aix-Marseille University, and Sapienza met in Rome during CIVIS DAYS 2025 to present and further refine the INWELL pedagogical framework, which leverages interdisciplinarity and cultural diversity across the CIVIS alliance to design micro-credentials focused on inclusion, well-being, and relationships in higher education.
Key points:
Validation of the INWELL framework with clear thematic pillars and applicability in both European and African contexts.
Project summary outlining findings and proposed institutional implementation pathways.
Identification of pilot institutions for testing in 2025–2026 and strengthening of collaboration networks (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe).
Proposal to create a joint CIVIS–Africa Digital Hub for the sustainable development and delivery of micro-credentials.
Next steps: finalize and disseminate the framework; prepare additional funding applications for implementation and scaling.
Associate Professor Aspasia Dania (NKUA), coordinator of the CIVIS Seed Funding Project, presented INWELL’s structure and outputs in the “Seed funding projects: some findings on inclusivity” session, introduced the dedicated INWELL website, and joined meetings on micro-credentials and the Expert Group on Innovative Pedagogies as NKUA’s representative. Outcomes will inform upcoming CIVIS NKUA actions.
