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CONNECT Project – label of good practice

PeterMaz CONNECT, Project
CONNECT Project – label of good practice

 Good-Practice-LabelThe Europäische Bildungsinitiative (EBI) is a non-profit association that has been awarded for its work in European ERASMUS+ projects with the label of “good practice” three times, now for its participation in the CONNECT Project. The EBI is known for its high technological standard and impact on adult education. One of the EBI’s most successful projects is the CICERO Project, which developed a virtual learning environment to teach digital competencies to adult learners. Another successful project is the InterMedia Project, which investigated using multimedia-based and interactive training materials in adult education. In this project, EBI has been the coordinator.

The CONNECT Project is the latest ERASMUS+ project EBI participated in. It developed an innovative curriculum for students in the computer and information, health, and social sciences background. The CONNECT Project also develops a transnational network of key actors from academia, industry, and NGOs.

CONNECT - Good practice

About the project

The CONNECT project was an education program to engage students from across European countries to enable continuous innovation and entrepreneurship in the European eHealth sector. The project focuses on issues of eHealth innovation and state-of-the-art training and education of students.

Objectives

The project has three main objectives:

  1. Development of an innovative multidisciplinary and cross-sectional curriculum for students from the computer and information, health, and social sciences background, focusing on cooperation between sectors for strengthening the existing knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurship.
  2. To provide an Intensive Study Programme (ISP) to 42 students from computer and information, healthcare, and social sciences backgrounds to facilitate student’s challenge-based learning collaborations by having students develop eHealth applications in the form of a project with real implications in the field of eHealth.
  3. To develop a transnational network of key actors from academia, industry, and NGOs to establish collaborations, exchange best practices, and facilitate long-distance mentorship for students who graduated from the Intensive Study Programme through an online platform, “eHealth Community of Practice”.

Participants

The participants involved in the project can be divided into the following categories:

  • Direct staff of the project: the management team and the steering committee
  • Intensive Study Program Participants (ISP): Students and Teaching staff
  • Consultants: entrepreneurs, industry contacts, and staff active in education and training
  • Indirect participants: persons that will participate in multiplier and dissemination events from academia, healthcare, industry, and other related sectors
Meeting Connect
CONNECT Partner Meeting in April 2022 in Porto.

Partners

Babes-Bolyai University Overview

Babes-Bolyai University (BBU), situated in Romania, holds a prestigious position in higher education in Center-Eastern Europe, dating back to 1581, and is renowned for its academic tradition. As the largest Romanian university, it consists of 21 faculties, hosts around 45,000 students, and employs 3,000 permanent university staff. BBU’s diverse culture is a result of its location at the confluence of Eastern and Western cultures. It leads Romanian universities according to several global university rankings, reflecting its commitment to excellence, education, and research.

Research and Academic Contributions
BBU has a prominent focus on scientific and educational activities, particularly in public health, medicine, and social and economic sciences. It concentrates on the submission and implementation of projects emphasizing research-development-innovation, capacity building, and mobility. BBU, currently coordinating an Erasmus Mundus project, has shown significant capability and experience in academic cooperation mechanisms and various capacity-building projects. It offers distinguished bachelor and master programs in public health and health management, and its active involvement in research studies provides diverse practical opportunities.
International Collaborations and Projects
BBU’s Department of Public Health has been involved in projects valued at over 9 million Euro, collaborating with partners from 30 countries. The department strives to improve public health in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe through interdisciplinary research and practices. It has participated in numerous impactful projects, including the Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research and Training program (MIRTH) with the University of Iowa, and the Increasing Capacity in Research in Eastern Europe (iCREATE) project, together with several universities in Eastern Europe. These projects, among others, aim to address various health disparities and foster international academic and scientific exchange.
Innovative Initiatives and Collaborations
Beyond major projects, the Department of Public Health has undertaken various innovative initiatives in collaboration with international partners. These include the “Quit Together” project with Michigan State University, aimed at preventing smoking relapses post-childbirth, and the “Training stage in the use of arts” (TABLO) project with the University of Canterbury, focusing on employing arts for the benefit of long-term condition patients. These innovative collaborations reflect BBU’s commitment to addressing diverse public health challenges through multidisciplinary approaches and international partnerships.

INIT ASSOCIATION

INIT ASSOCIATION, an NGO established in 2012, aims to nurture and support innovative small businesses in Cluj Napoca. It functions through two brands it owns: Cluj Startups and Freshblood, focusing on the startup community and innovations in the medical field, respectively.

Community Engagement and Education Focus
Cluj Startups, originating in 2014 as a startup founder’s community, maintains its community-centered approach, engaging around 3,000 startup founders and enthusiasts. The organization emphasizes education, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit through collaborations with universities and offering workshops and training to enhance the success probability of new businesses. Cluj Startups helps budding entrepreneurs at every stage, from idea conceptualization to market validation and growth.
Networking and Ecosystem Development
The organization acts as a catalyst in the ecosystem, connecting various stakeholders using its extensive network. Cluj Startups facilitates communication between local authorities, IT Clusters, universities, accelerators, and other NGOs, aiding in organizing significant events like the Startup Europe Summit in 2019 and coordinating efforts through the Manifesto for Startups workgroup to reinforce impact in the startup community.
Investment and Financial Support
Investing has become a crucial focus, with the inception of the Transylvania Angels Network in 2018, aimed at bridging startups in need with investors in Cluj-Napoca. The rapidly growing group, with around 60 active members, has already invested in several startups, ensuring they receive the necessary funding for success.
Freshblood: Innovation in Medical Field
Freshblood, initiated in 2016, concentrates on medical field innovations, having a strong international focus. While its activity areas are akin to Cluj Startups, it distinctly prioritizes international aspects in innovating medical field developments in Europe and in Cluj-Napoca.

University of Porto

U.Porto, founded in 1911, is one of the largest higher education and research institutions in Portugal and for several years now the most sought-after HEI, active in all fields with around 31,820 students (14% international), 2,300 academics (87% with a Ph.D.) and researchers and 1,500 non-teaching staff. It is one of the best positioned PT HEIs in national and international rankings: Times Higher Education 2017 (501-600); ARWU 2017 (301-400); QS 2017/18 (301); Leiden 2017 (143); NTU 2017 (232); and SCImago 2017 (207). It has 14 Faculties, 1 Business School and 35 Research Units located in 3 campuses within Porto. U.Porto is the leading producer of science in Portugal, responsible for 23% of the scientific articles produced in the country. Providing high-quality training and education is of paramount importance to the U.Porto. Being a truly international University, with 4.421 international
students from around 100 nationalities, internationalization is one of U.Porto’s strategic pillars and objectives, allowing the development of existing collaborations, as well as the establishment of innovative cooperation through the creation of active links with institutions from all over the world (more than 2500 active agreements).

Projects
In recent years, the U.Porto has coordinated and been involved in several projects, namely Erasmus+ (particularly International Credit Mobility, Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees, Capacity Building and Strategic Partnerships) and Erasmus Mundus projects, which have greatly contributed to the reinforcement of its internationalization process and generated new cooperation opportunities through the development of projects and initiatives with HEIs from approximately 150 countries. U.Porto is an institution open to the world.

Europäische Bildungsinitiative

The “Europäische Bildungsinitiative” EBI – (in English, European Initiative for Education EIE) – is a Private Non-Profit Education and Training Association located in Wiener Neustadt/Austria. EBI’s mission is to endorse an innovative education, training, and culture approach. Target groups are adult learners, teachers/trainers in Adult Education, teacher trainers, and trainees in the C-VET (and Vet) frame.
The three departments of the EBI are

  1. A training unit,
  2. A technical unit (focusing on the creation of multimedia and interactive teaching content, maintenance of learning platforms, and programming individual solutions in the frame of
    offered training) and
  3. A unique research team.

Conclusion

The CONNECT project is an important initiative to address the skills gaps and mismatches in the European eHealth sector. The project will develop an innovative curriculum, provide an intensive student study program, and develop a transnational network of key actors. The project significantly impacted the development of the European eHealth sector.

Good Practice Awards

This quality label is awarded to projects that excel in the implementation of a project proposal. The quality of the results is assessed on the one hand, and the excellence of the cooperation on the other.

InterMedia

InterMedia

Implementation of Interactivity and Multimedia-Based Content using Multiple Devices in Adult Education

The world today is digital. In trainings, various types of digital devices are used. This includes desktop PCs, laptops, notebooks, Chromebooks, tablets, covertibles and smartphones. We call them “Multiple Devices”. They enable the use of technology enhanced trainings with an implementation of multimedia-based and interactive (M&I) training materials. This sounds simple – the problem is the delivery of content so that it is displayed (and can be used by the trainees) on all types of devices. Another issue (in this context) is the creating of high-quality multimedia-based and interactive (M&I) content – especially in smaller Adult Education organisations.
The project serves to exchange experiences and to develop digital skills, especially in the multimedia area within the staff of the participating organisations. Furthermore, the development and use of M&I learning materials should be worked out together, brought into context with multiple devices and developed in a comprehensive documentation. A special focus is put on methodology and approaches to support seniors in this digital-oriented learning and trainings. Furthermore, the organisations will use the gained experience and knowledge to promote Erasmus+ programs – and in this sence especially courses – to all generations in their home countries.

Partners

 

Activities

 

Projects

Projects

The EBI/EIE was involved in numerous national and European projects. In these projects, the EBI/EIE was either coordinator or contributed to the project as researcher or executing partner.

LLP-Projects

LLP LogoThe EBI/E/E participated in two important projects in the frame of the LLP program.

  • Grundtvig Learning Partnership CreaTech (2008 – 2010)
  • Grundtvig Multilateral Project Blended Learning Quality – Concepts Optimized for Adult Education (2013 – 2015)

Erasmus+ Projects

Erasmus+_LogoErasmus+ aims to promote the sustainable development of its partners in the field of higher education, In 2017, the EBI/EIE (with the partner association EFQUBL) started two new Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships.

In 2018, another three projects were launched:

  • Flipped Adult Education (FAdE Adult Education)
    Erasmus+ 2018-1-AT01-KA204-039224
  • CICERO – Enhancing Digital Competence through Photography
    Erasmus+ 2018-1-SE01-KA204-039051
  • TEST – Technology Enhanced Science Teaching
    Erasmus+ 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050186

New projects started in November 2020 (one with the EBI/EIE as a coordinator).

  • Intermedia – Implementation of Interactivity and multimedia-based content using Multiple Devices in Adult Education
    This will care about the development of multimedia-based and interactive content for courses using multiple devices.
  • CONNECT
    This is an Erasmus+ Higher Education (with two universities as partners) with the aim to create a platform for a Community of Practice.
  •  

    E4ALLE4ALL – Education for All
    The general aim of the project is to support adult educators in designing, delivering, and promoting more attractive and inclusive education for all generations of adult learners. The direct target group of the project includes the members, workers, co-workers, educators, and volunteers of the Third Sector adult education organisations

Projects with the new ERASMUS+ Programme (after 2020).

The priorities for the new Erasmus+ program include promoting inclusion, digitalization, and environmental sustainability while enhancing skills development and fostering innovation in the fields of education, training, youth, and sport.

The cooperation with the University of Cyprus enabled another project in 2022.

  • DigiComPass – Digital Competences Recognition Framework for Adult Education
    The project started in December 2022. It aims to develop a course package to enable adults to increase their digital competencies. The project focuses on the implementation of Flipped Learning 3.0.

Future Projects

The EBI/EIE will apply for new projects in the future. The focus will be set on Adult Education, Digital competencies for teachers, trainers, and adults, technology-enhanced teaching, training and learning, cultural awareness, and related items.