Thematic focus The goal of the X-Lab is to engage and challenge students in creating a scientific prototype to be translated in an applied project on the themes of Horizon Europe Cluster 6, which focuses on Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/cluster-6-food-bioeconomy-natural-resources-agriculture-and-environment_en). The projects ideated by the students will contribute to tackle environmental degradation, the decline of biodiversity, and water scarcity, through innovative solutions aimed at better managing natural resources by fostering transformative changes of the economy and society in both urban and rural areas. The students will also work on ensuring food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries through knowledge and technology transfer, innovation and digitalization in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and food systems, through circular solutions. Approach The course embraces the tested methodology of X-Labs which are based on an open, ethical, and collaborative methodology. Solutions co-created by the students are based on a deep understanding of the legal framework governing innovation and are supported by data and grounded understanding. Considering this overarching approach, the course is based on the principles of enquiry-based education, supporting students to work with teachers and researchers, public institutions, civil society organizations, and companies with the aim to establish strategic partnerships with these realities. The X-Lab will be deployed through co-design sessions in which students work together, learn how to develop innovative solutions and test their final projects’ ideas. In this way, the participants can develop new skills useful for their future working careers, while they improve their ability to apply scientific learnings to design solutions and strategic partnerships that can be implemented to address real world challenges.

Overarching learnings This course provides students with sufficient knowledge to understand the legal framework, policy context and governance mechanisms that shape matters related to Horizon Europe Cluster 6, i.e., Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment. With this thematic focus, students learn how to shape the development of specific ideas in light of both overarching strategic agendas and specific territorial needs, providing solutions that can be suitable according to the local circumstances. Moreover, the lab teaches the participants how to identify challenges, negotiate best ways to address them, structure a project, consider its economic sustainability, carry on a stakeholder mapping, and develop feasible proposals, including through technology transfer. The objective is to teach students how to develop an innovative project thanks to co-creation and to the collaboration of different stakeholders. Students will be enabled to ground their ideas into legal, policy, economic, and social considerations deriving from data and in-depth understanding of the field. Applying knowledge to develop solutions The skills acquired during the course will enable the students to write a project in one of the topics of Horizon Europe Cluster 6. Students will learn how to balance innovative solutions and feasibility, how to prioritize needs and listen to others’ perspectives through deploying negotiation and mediation skills. By the end of the lab, all the participants should be able to write a project concept note in autonomy. Participants work in smaller teams in collaboration with mentors, which are representatives of the institutions involved, to create solutions to a set of challenges. Students and mentors explore future scenarios, plan transformative visions, collect data, conduct in-depth research including through interviews, gather feedback to co-design and refine projects. At the end of the course, they will have acquired the competencies to present their solution to a selected panel of experts, which can steer the teams to further development of their ideas as a pilot project or as a startup development project for further implementation. Making judgements and communicating them By the end of the laboratory, students are capable to evaluate the requirements for the developments of an innovative project and to understand the benefits that it can generates for the territory and its inhabitants. They are able to evaluate the approaches, resources and technologies needed to make the project sustainable and for the creation of social impacts. Moreover, participants learn how to interact with experts and how to present proposals to their project’ partners and to external stakeholders. Indeed, in the course it is key to effectively communicate the proposals through the use of appropriate terminology and visual presentations. Students learn how ‘to sell’ their idea though effective communication presentation and public speaking skills, which will be useful learnings for their future careers.

Research and innovation activities deployed during the X-Lab will revolve around Cluster 6 of Horizon Europe and therefore entail an understanding of the objectives of the European Green Deal in particular in relation to the Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, the Farm to Fork strategy, the European Climate Pact and initiatives under sustainable industry and eliminating pollution. The focus will also encompass the long-term vision for European rural areas, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Under this framework and using co-design sessions, students will identify a “challenge” together with mentors and stakeholders engaged in the course. The final aim is to develop a project that can address a real need in society in collaboration with project partners and other stakeholders. Lectures are interactive, dynamic and collaborative. In this phase, students explore in detail the legal, policy, economic, social, and technological characteristics of the specific sector and its main theoretical notions. Through the various sessions, students interact with partner organizations, gaining important insights from their experiences and discovering best practices. The learning process will be divided into six phases. In the first phase, students will be introduced to the X-Lab’s methodology, approach, and thematic focus. In the second part of the course, the groups will separate into teams to face interactive and collaborative lessons, in which they will be able to deepen their knowledge of the legal, policy, economic, social, and technological characteristics of the sector of reference and its main theoretical notions. In the third part, co-design work will begin in which students will work in groups together with experts from public administration, civil society, research, and the business sector. In the fourth part, students will have the chance to exchange will other teams and other X-Labs’ experiences. In the fifth part, students will work on the finalization of their ideas, thanks to the feedback received in the previous session. In the last session, the final projects will be presented to a ‘jury’ that will assess their feasibility and social, economic, and environmental impacts.

The width of the topics and their practical implications makes it difficult to refer to specific textbooks. Reading materials, handouts, and slides, referring to a given lesson, will be made available to students before and after each class. Students are also invited to read in advance the following texts: Iaione, C. and Kappler, L. (2023) “Governing for the extreme self-sustaining diverse co-cities for just adaption”, Rivista giuridica dell'edilizia, 6, parte II. Foster, S. and Iaione, C. (2022) “Co-Cities: Innovative Transitions Toward Just and Self-Sustaining Communities”. The MIT Press. Hachaichi, M. (2023) “Unpacking the urban virtual water of the Global South: Lessons from 181 cities”. Ecological Economics, 210. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107859. Gharesifard, M., Ceccaroni, L., Gold, M., Berti Suman, A. and Das, K. (2025) “Citizen science and the nexus approach: unlocking synergies for sustainable development”. Sustainability Nexus Forum, 33, 4. DOI: 10.1007/s00550-025-00562-4. Berti Suman A. and Toscano A. (2021) “Public Acceptance of Water Reuse for Agriculture in the Wake of the New EU Regulation: Early Reflections”. Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, 18(3). DOI: 10.1163/18760104-18030001. Garcia Herrero, L., Berti Suman, A., Lavrnic, S., Sole, M.C., Toscano, A. and Vittuari, M. (2023) “The advent of EU Water Reuse regulation in the Mediterranean region: policy and legislative adaptation to address non-conventional water resources utilisation in agriculture”. Water International, 48(7) DOI: 10.1080/02508060.2023.2277619. Berti Suman A. (2024) “Civic Monitoring for Environmental Law Enforcement”. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-0353-2869-7. Full open access at https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/civic-monitoring-for-environmental-law-enforcement-9781035328697.html (also available at the Luiss Library as hard copy). Berti Suman, A., Peca, M., Greyl, L., Greco, L. and Carsetti, P. (2022) “The ‘Citizen Sensing Paradigm’ to Foster Urban Transitions: Lessons from Civic Environmental Monitoring in Rome.” The European Journal of Risk Regulation, 14(3). DOI: 10.1017/err.2022.28. Review the AWARE project website: https://www.aware-eu.eu/the-project/

The teaching method will blend teaching by the course coordinators with guest lectures, the use of case studies and the development of laboratory sessions. The lessons take place in both a frontal way (although the traditional presentation of theoretical frameworks and analytical problems will be concise and leave room for Q&As) and through more dynamic, engaging sessions (where students learn by applying notions through co-design processes in a collaborative way). Based on this combination of theoretical and practical teaching approaches, students can acquire project development skills, deepen their knowledge of the sector, and imagine innovative solutions. Then students are asked to actively participate in each session and apply what they have learned in class to their own team project.

Learning will be assessed through active participation in class discussions and contribution to groups’ activities. Students will then be asked for an individual written contribution to the project and for practical activities to deploy it (e.g., organizing interviews), which will be evaluated based on the quality and adherence to the work done during the lectures.

The overall lab’s objective is to teach students how to develop an innovative project thanks to the collaboration of different stakeholders. Students will become able to ground their ideas into legal, economic, and social understanding deriving from data and sectorial considerations. They learn how ‘to sell’ their ideas through effective communication, engaging presentation approaches, and public speaking skills, all knowledge that can turn to be very useful for their future careers.