Medicines play a crucially beneficial role in society, and their importance and use are expected to increase due to the expanding and aging world population. However, the increased use of medicines also heightens the environmental exposure, stressing the eco-system and adversely impacting our long-term health, as exemplified by reproductive disorders by drug residues in the environment and resistance to antibiotics. Moreover, socio-economic equality towards medicines is a global challenge. There is thus a need for a global systematic approach, followed by competent authorities as well as academic, civil and industrial organisations, to take into account sustainability over the entire life cycle of a medicine. Indeed, emphasis should also be paid to sustainability from the “cradle”, i.e. in the drug discovery phase, rather than only at the later stages of product development or clinical stages (the “grave”), in line with tackling the root cause as recommended in 6-sigma lean philosophy.In this International Master of Sciences in Sustainable Drug Discovery (S-DISCO), a unique, transdisciplinary programme is developed, covering a broad range of selected pharmaceutical disciplines, focused on the early discovery phases and intertwined with environmental and socio-economic topics. It is jointly delivered by 4 complementary European universities (i.e. Ghent University, University of Lille, Medical University of Gdansk and University of Groningen) and supported by international experts from industry and relevant (academic) institutions to assure a unique, worldwide excellence and attractiveness. A clear mobility track is proposed, giving the students the opportunity to study and gain specific expertise at the different partner universities.

<< Objectives >>The main aim is the digital transformation of the microscopy teaching and learning, by setting a practical guide and steps to follow in order to achieve a cost-effective implementation and the successful use of virtual microscopy (VM) technology to improve the histology and histopathology curriculum in our medical schools.The project intend to increase the undergraduate and postgraduate students’ vocational skills, by digitalisation of the teaching of microscopy in Medical universities.<< Implementation >>The designed activities are:1. Project Management2. Mapping research on setting up the EU curricula on histology and histopathology 3. Virtual microscopy library Platform – collection of slides of human organs and basic diseases (including Slide annotations)4. Training guide for advanced VM teaching in microscopy5. Open online course on VM (Didactical content taught, Clinical case-based studies, MCQ based quizzes), including piloting of the course.<< Results >>Chart on standards for medical universities for adaptation of their curricula to VMEU curricula on Histology and Histopathology, using VMGroup of experts with expertise in VMVM online library (average of 200 slides of normal and pathological human tissues), with multilingual slide annotations Training for the didactic staff Training guide for advanced VM teaching (6 languages), video tutorialsOpen online course on VM, piloting with 400 studentsDissemination events, articles, posts

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), NF2 and non-NF2 schwannomatosis (SWN) belong to the NF disease spectrum. Legius syndrome (LGSS) and Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency (CMMRD) are both differential diagnoses of NF1. These five syndromes are rare, genetically and clinically distinct diseases with variable course, however the majority present with severe complications and tumor development. The life expectancy is mainly improved by early diagnosis and personalized medical care in a specialized reference center. A large percentage of these patients currently remain without a genetic diagnosis, although their clinical features strongly suggest the presence of a still unknown genetic cause. The main objective is to expand the availability and access of validated diagnostic and functional tools among the consortium members and other laboratories to maximize the genetic diagnostic yield for patients with NF-SWN and related disorders. Firstly, we will develop, validate and compare new DNA and RNA-based testing techniques to improve genetic diagnosis. Secondly, we want to test the pathogenic effect of variants of unknown significance on RNA level and by using functional assays and iPSCs. Thirdly, we will retest NF1-, LGSS-, NF2- and SWN-like patients with negative genetic diagnosis using newly developed RNA and DNA molecular techniques. Lastly, C4CMMRD consensus criteria will be evaluated. We expect to share new sensitive and specific diagnostic assays and bioinformatics tools that can be globally used to characterize molecularly patients with NF-SWN-LGSS and CMMRD and to identify new candidate genes. A worldwide accurate molecular diagnosis for patients with NF-SWN and related disorders will greatly impact the financial and clinical outcome as well as the therapeutic options, quality of life and societal burden.

<< Objectives >>The objectives of the proposed project address three challenges; the linking of HE courses with the future professional needs of the graduates and with the updated needs of the labor market by strengthening HE students’ CDL, identification of democratic goods by HEIs and of the ways these are at risk from disinformation, changing current HE teaching practices by adopting student-centered teaching strategies that promote inquiry and web-based learning.<< Implementation >>Data will be collected through official reports and relevant literature review. The best CDL educational practices in academia and relevant professional sectors will be identified to specify quality indicators. A HE European Guide for teaching CDL will be developed and tested in practice. Using HE quality criteria for teaching CDL, initial educational scenarios and materials will be designed and revised through practice and participants’ feedback. Finally, a leveled Ee-Toolkit will be composed.<< Results >>The results of the project will be: 1) CDL Competences Framework, including skills needed for staying critical opposite any information 2) An Interactive matrix of quality-assurance criteria for critical digital literacy education. 3) An anthology of innovative educational scenarios (educational material, strategies and activities) to teach and assess CDL in HEIs 4) Educators’ e-Toolkit (Ee-Toolkit) for CDL development and education against disinformation for various educational contexts.

The goal of the Project is to increase the competence of 18 academics teaching through English in the medical and healthcare sciences to use the scholarship of teaching and learning in their course development and delivery and to teach other academic teachers to do so during the course of the Project, specifically using the CLIL method. There is a need to equip academics teaching medical and healthcare sciences in English with skills allowing them to work effectively in today's multicultural and multilingual classrooms today. The Consortium Partner medical schools and faculties performed a survey on their academic teachers, which provided a needs analysis for the Project. In the Project, those who have experience teaching the CLIL method to academic teachers (Atlantic Language) will collaborate with those who actually use the method to teach medical and healthcare sciences (Karolinska Institutet) and will work closely on this new approach with those Project Partners who are experienced in teaching medicine to international students (medical university Partners) but might not have implemented teaching and learning internationalisation. The processes of “Internationalisation at Home” will be a skeleton for the discussion, coordinated by experts in higher education internationalisation (Luminar Foundation). During the course of the Project, experts from Project Partners meet during seminars (so called, Learning, Teaching and Training events) and using various ICTs to develop the methodology behind the Pilot Course on “Teaching teachers to use CLIL in medical and healthcare sciences at tertiary institutions”, along with related Intellectual Outputs. Once this week-long Pilot Course is designed, it will be tested on a group of 18 teachers who want to learn the new method and teach others at their HEIs. The Pilot Course Participants will be recruited from Project Partner medical universities. Afterwards, the Pilot Course Participants, matched in pairs, will deliver demonstration lessons (half a day) based on the methodology learned during the Pilot Course to a wider community outside of the Project (not at institutions participating in the Project) during 11 Multiplier Events. They will gather insights from the demonstrations and will collaborate with their Project Team on developing the guidebook. The results of the Project will be presented at a final conference and e-published. The Intellectual Outputs include: a Seminar Module on “Mapping Internationalisation of the Curriculum”; a Seminar Module on “Contemporary Teaching Methodologies in an Intercultural Classroom”; A Definition of Competencies of Academics Teaching in an Intercultural Classroom Definition; An Assessment Tool of Competencies of an Academic Teacher in an Intercultural Classroom; A Methodology Framework for Improving Competencies in CLIL Teaching; Course Materials for “Teaching teachers to use CLIL in medical and healthcare sciences at tertiary institutions” and a seminar module on the topic (a Pilot Course); A guidebook on “How to adapt a course material onto CLIL methodology” in a form of an interactive resource; An analysis on the use of content and language integrated learning methods in HE in Project Countries; and policy recommendation on the use of modern methods of teaching in the context of internationalisation of higher education with medical universities and the CLIL method as a case study. There will be three kinds of Multiplier Events: 1) 9 seminars to share the methodology with academic teachers in medical and healthcare sciences who have not been involved with the Project and have not participated in the Pilot Course; 2) 1 seminar fo share the CLIL methodology and its impact on international higher education with the higher education stakeholders at the EU level, and 3) conference. A strategic partnership built in the process of course preparation and delivery could potentially contribute to the a deeper understanding of internationalisation at home and of the curriculum at the medical universities taking part in the project and provide a sounds basis for a further project on teaching and learning in an intercultural (medical) classroom.