VISIONAIR Final Project Meeting at the Catholic University in Ružomberok
19.06.2026 | Tomáš Poláčik
From June 9–11, 2026, the Catholic University in Ružomberok hosted the final meeting of the international project “ Increasing the visibility and knowledge base on air quality with big data and its impact on the population health” (VISIONAIR), implemented under the Erasmus+ KA220-HED Cooperation Partnerships program, No. 2023-1-SK01-KA220-HED-000158470. The meeting took place in a hybrid format with the participation of representatives from all partner universities in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Croatia. At this meeting as well, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra was represented by the project’s lead coordinator, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jakub Berčík, PhD., Dr. Anna Mravcová, and Dr. Jana Gálová.
The first day of the final project meeting began with a visit to Mondi SCP in Ružomberok. The project partners learned about measures to prevent and reduce air pollution, monitor air quality, and apply the principles of environmental management and sustainability in industrial practice.
The afternoon program focused on the results of the project survey regarding students’ knowledge and awareness of air pollution and environmental challenges. Discussions centred on environmental behaviour, the role of education, and the potential uses of artificial intelligence, big data, and visualization tools in raising awareness about air quality. The forthcoming handbook “Air Pollution Reduction Measures” was also presented, featuring recommendations at the national, local, and individual levels, along with possibilities for its use in education and public communication. The day concluded with a discussion on the implementation, dissemination, and long-term sustainability of the project’s outputs.
The second day continued with a field discussion in the High Tatras, focusing on the relationships between air quality, tourism, public health, and sustainability. The partners exchanged experiences regarding local monitoring, raising public awareness, and linking field observations with the project’s educational outputs.
The final day was devoted to summarizing the results of the work packages, educational materials, case studies, and datasets, as well as the possibilities for their use in education and research. The partners discussed incorporating the outputs into university courses, seminars, and student projects, as well as their further dissemination and use after the project’s conclusion. They also discussed the completion of remaining tasks, final reporting, the division of responsibilities, and opportunities for continued collaboration within the framework of future project calls.
The aim of the VISIONAIR project is to engage students in processing existing and new knowledge about air quality using extensive data, to identify the environmental, economic, and social consequences and health risks of air pollution, and to develop proposals and concepts for improving air quality. The project also aims to create an accessible model for presenting and interpreting air quality data.
Author: PhDr. Anna Mravcová, PhD.
IMTSS, FEM SUA in Nitra
