Circle U. is proud to be a partner in SOPHIA (Synergies for Open Planetary Health Innovation Action), a new project funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Higher Education Initiative (EIT HEI). Running from September 2026 to August 2028, the project will help transform how European universities turn research into real-world solutions for some of society's most pressing challenges.
Coordinated by Université Paris Cité, SOPHIA brings together the 9 Circle U. partner universities, as well as innovation organisations and industry partners from across Europe to strengthen the innovation capacity of the Circle U. European University Alliance.
Planetary health and innovation
This marks the beginning of a lasting transformation in the way European universities valorise their research in the service of planetary health.
Giuseppina Caligiuri, SOPHIA project Coordinator
SOPHIA focuses on planetary health—recognising that human health is closely connected to environmental sustainability, digital transformation, cultural acceptance and resilient food systems. The project will support researchers and innovators developing solutions in these areas by providing a structured process to assess scientific quality, commercial potential and societal relevance before innovations are brought to market.
At the heart of the project is the Innovation Mission Officer (IMO) model. Innovation Mission Officers will work alongside technology transfer and knowledge transfer offices to mobilise academic expertise, coordinate multidisciplinary expert panels and help research teams strengthen their projects before major investment or intellectual property decisions are made. Combined with creative and participatory approaches, this model ensures that innovations are not only technically robust, but also user-centred, socially relevant and ready for adoption.
Alongside supporting promising innovation projects, SOPHIA will also invest in people. The consortium aims to train 4,000 students, academic staff and professional staff through challenge-based programmes, including a new Planetary Health Innovation Certificate and an IMO Professional Programme, both designed to obtain the prestigious EIT Label.
“SOPHIA will start on 1 September 2026 and run for 24 months. The coming weeks will be decisive: a virtual consortium kick-off in early September, a launch meeting in Paris in mid-October, followed by the deployment of the Innovation Mission Officer network across the Circle U. alliance and the opening of the first EIT-labelled programmes. This marks the beginning of a lasting transformation in the way European universities valorise their research in the service of planetary health,” concludes Giuseppina Caligiuri, project coordinator (Université Paris Cité).
A collaborative framework
At the centre of the project, Circle U. provides the collaborative framework that makes alliance-level innovation possible. SOPHIA builds on existing Circle U. initiatives and connects expertise from nine member universities to create a shared innovation ecosystem dedicated to planetary health. Through this collaborative approach, innovations developed at one university can benefit from expertise across the entire alliance.
Circle U. AISBL also plays a leading role in Work Package 7, which focuses on communication, dissemination and the transferability of the project's results. Together with the University of Belgrade, Circle U. will coordinate activities that ensure SOPHIA's methods, outcomes and best practices are shared across the alliance, the EIT Higher Education community and the wider European innovation ecosystem.
By bringing together research excellence, entrepreneurship, education and cross-sector collaboration, SOPHIA contributes to Circle U.'s mission of mobilising knowledge to address societal challenges. The project will strengthen the alliance's capacity to support innovation that delivers meaningful impact, while equipping students, researchers and staff to collaborate across disciplines, sectors and borders in pursuit of more sustainable, democratic and healthier societies.
