Developed to support the submission of competitive applications for research competitions funded by the European Commission, the Institute of Medieval Studies Exploratory Award for international projects was awarded to the project RustiCORE – Measuring sustainability in early medieval rural settlements, by Sara Prata.

Under the Multi-Annual Financing Contract Program for R&D Units (2020-2023) signed between the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. and NOVA University on Institute of Medieval Studies, exploratory financing for international projects at the IEM is awarded annually to a maximum of two applications in order to prepare and submit projects for tenders funded by the European Commission.

Granted this year to the project RustiCORE – Measuring sustainability in early medieval rural settlements, the Exploratory Funding lasts for a maximum duration of twelve months and with a maximum value of 5,000 euros (five thousand euros). This amount covers preparing the application and non-research activities, in particular: a) human resources: grants to support application preparation; b) missions: travel and accommodation for team members; c) donation of goods and services: translation and revision of texts, PI training; and d) the attendance of specialised training workshop(s).

Summary of the project RustiCORE – Measuring sustainability in early medieval rural settlements:

“The RustiCORE project will quantify the ecological impact of agricultural practices ongoing between the 5th and 8th centuries and explore how knowledge of past rural landscapes may promote a better understanding of present-day landscapes and support sustainable land use management. To achieve this, the project shall bring together an international and interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, historians, geographers, environmental scientists and heritage managers“.