In the present period of severe economic crisis and economic recession, social entrepreneurship is one of the main issues at a European and national public policy level. The European Commission stresses that there are cultural factors which discourage too many people from starting a business and therefore, there is a need to develop a strong entrepreneurial culture among EU citizens in general. Social economy within the field of social entrepreneurship comes not only to fight exclusion and unemployment (which has reached a pick of 11%), but additionally to address inexorable social problems which are directly interwoven with global poverty, adverse climate changes and other environmental problems, misuse of energy and power, inadequate health services, obsolete or negligible education etc. 'Society Profits' project, which constitutes the distillate of the collaboration between three NGOs, the Cypriot CIP, the Greek Institute of Entrepreneurship Development and the Portuguese Madan Parque, in line with the Europe 2020 strategy, has managed to address in various ways all the seven policy flagships of EU under the emphasis of growth, through which the European Commission aspires to create ICT- based products that will generate growth, and skill-building and at the same time address global challenges.Accordingly, 'Society Profits' project has primarily aimed at the education of the next generation of entrepreneurs by influential multipliers such as youth organizations, equipped and trained through the project’s on-line platform and on-line training course. Specifically, the first and the second output of the project consists of an on-line training course, focusing on the ways in which social entrepreneurs draw upon business techniques and private sector approaches in order to resolve social, cultural and environmental problems such as to end poverty, to improve the standard of living, to support vulnerable population etc. The on-line training course provides different definitions of social entrepreneurship, contemporary business structures falling under different applicable models and open source technological innovation. These targets are being achieved by the integration of a range of specially-designed, ICT tools and educational material, including quizzes, which will be designed in such a way to facilitate interactivity within an alternative way of modern learning, various free accounting soft wares like ‘Wave’ which will enable educators to communicate with young people who are seeking to run a social business, narrative e-videos related to successful examples of local social entrepreneurs regarding the procedure they came up with a social business idea as well as info-packs correlated with on-going online applications, online environments and data on local and global fund opportunities deriving from various sectors, from governments to private investors. In general, the on-line training course has been guiding the users, through personalized e-activities, to create their unique path, which starts from an innovative idea and ends up with an integrated business plan, by simultaneously emphasizing on possible risks (financial, legal etc) that the social enterprise might encounter.On the other hand, a handy e-platform (O3) is seeking to give practical information to the user on how to be a part of a strong, well-established European network related to social entrepreneurship. Thereby, e-platform is enriched with a ‘Directory of social enterprises’ in the EU, which is basically a list with the ‘most impactful social enterprises operating in EU, in terms of the number of beneficiaries and the uniqueness of each social enterprise’, with which the partnership has communicated in order to establish a collaboration with young people both for internship purposes, source sharing or any other kind of collaboration. Also, the e-platform provides an on-line space that collects educational non-formal tools related to social entrepreneurship, an on-line forum where newcomers can raise questions in order to be answered by well-experienced educators and lastly, a space for Validation of the educational material provided, given by relevant stakeholders and well-reputed social entrepreneurs.Partners are committed to achieve stakeholder and institutional buy-in. Through the networks established, the participatory action research approach adopted and institutional stakeholder events planned, partners have created a sense of ownership among the widest cross-section of stakeholders during the project life-cycle and promote widespread use of the platform. The groups of stakeholders (Youth Organizations, Higher Education Institutions, Research and Development Centers, Public Institutions and Social Services, Local Community Groups and Authorities, CSO's, Professional Networks, Policy Makers) that have been involved in each country, demonstrate the new on-line environments, thus encouraging their continued support.

FUN@SCIENCE had developed and tested a model for science education, working on all school level, based on the valorization of 3D printing technologies and experiences. The implementation of this model had create learning experiences supported by 3D printing activities at schools which can improve students’ interest in scientific careers and in the development of logic and mathematics skills, complementing the other classroom activities or succeeding where the classroom might have failed.The project activities was developed with reference to all school educational levels and will see as main outcome the elaboration of a proposal for building a global education model incorporating informal schooling based on 3D printing activities in school curricula, allowing its accreditation and the evaluation of the reference educational contents. FUN@SCIENCE project activities had developed as follows:a) Collection and analysis of interesting practices in the 5 European Member States about science education in curricular activities with reference to 3D printing activities, for monitoring the effects of informal science education related to 3D printing on students’ interest in scientific careers and on the development of logic and mathematics skills.b) A proposal for building a global education model incorporating informal schooling based 3D printing activities in school curricula, at all educational level, allowing its accreditation and the evaluation of the reference educational contents. c) Design and implementation of peer learning experiences for teachers and trainers so to share and acquire the competences for designing, implementing and validating the model in their school contexts.d) Testing the model at all educational level in different classes for each participating country, according to a common framework based on a well defined educational project.e) Collection of open educational resources and reporting the results of the experimented educational practices implemented in the project, so to multiply the project effects and results.FUN@SCIENCE project action was carried out at European level in 5 countries (Portugal, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece), in different national contexts characterised by different educational policies and needs so to design a global educational model incorporating informal schooling based on 3D printing activities in school curricula.

Cloud computing is now defining the future in ICT, facilitating new corporate and entrepreneurship models at all levels. It is a breakthrough paradigm that, applied to companies, public administrations and Universities, can enhance their innovation, cost-effectiveness and competitiveness.The European Commission has evidenced the great value that cloud computing technologies can have for the development of the European Union both in terms of economical growth and employability opportunities, and therefore has recently set-up the European Cloud Computing Strategy in order to speed up and increase the use of cloud computing across all economic sectors.The IN-CLOUD project has operated pursuing the objectives of the European Cloud Computing Strategy, with the general objective of:- fostering a partnership between Higher Education and the corporate sector, in order to qualify new professionals able to boost the competitiveness and growth of European Companies and Universities, thanks to the advantages offered by the cloud computing technology.This objective has been reached by pursuing the specific objectives of:- raising awareness among European Companies, Public Administrations and Universities regarding how cloud computing can boost economical growth and innovation- creating VET qualifications for professionals inside European Companies and Public Administrations, training them to introduce and manage cloud computing technologies and services inside their systemsIn order to realize these objectives, the IN-CLOUD partnership has been set-up. It has involved 8 partners coming from 6 different countries (Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom). The partners are 3 HEIs, 1 SME, 1 Local Development Agency, 1 Technological Park, 1 Business Advisory/Incubator and 1 VET expert. The partnership ensures a very good geographical coverage and puts together complementary competences.The project has been developed in 24 months.At first, a training needs analysis has been performed in order to identify the real labour market needs related to the Cloud, defining the tailor-made learning process.The main project outputs have been a set of VET qualifications in the area of cloud computing, designed according to the European Lifelong Learning instruments (EQF, ECVET and EQAVET), in order to allow the IN-CLOUD learners to acquire certifications that can be recognized spent in the European labour market. The partnership has also produced all the contents of the training courses and delivered them through the project e-learning platform. Additionally, the partnership has collected 41 video interviews to experts and 17 showcases that have enriched the courses as proofs of real uses of cloud technologies. The qualifications have been awarded by the consortium after the successful attendance of training courses. At the end of the project more than 1100 registrations to the courses have been recorded and more than 300 certificates have been awarded, that is about twice as much as expected.Finally, the project has also developed a virtual bootcamp, an innovative online tool based on adaptive learning methodologies. It is able to identify the learners’ characteristics and needs and then propose a customized learning path to fulfil his expectations and didactic needs.The training courses contents, the virtual bootcamp, the project website and most of the project outcomes have been produced in the six languages of the partnership, in order to achieve an higher impact.A relevant number of members among the identified the target groups (company employees, public administration employees, teachers and trainers, researchers, students) has been reached through the 11 in-presence national stakeholders’ meeting and through a wide number of activities on the web. More than 15000 contacts have been recorded on the project website, more than 700 visualization on the project Youtube channel, more than 200 participants to the national stakeholders meetings proof the relevant impact of the project.The project has directly impacted on the European companies, public administrations and educational institutions, in terms of staff members trained and qualified to use cloud computing technologies and services. It has also an impact on European Universities, in terms of enhancement of the didactic offer on cloud computing in order to better meet the requests of the labour market, and on the students and professionals, in terms of better employability chances. The IN-CLOUD qualifications, designed using the ECVET instrument, allows the transnational recognition of the acquired competences and will enhance the employability of the qualified learners at European level.The project long terms benefit will be to speed up and increase the use of cloud computing across all economic sectors, according to the European Cloud Computing Strategy, and to foster a close partnership between HEIs and companies on the cloud computing.

The “Industry 4.0” paradigm have generated new opportunities and new challenges for companies. In order to increase their competitiveness and efficiency, companies have to face the digital transformation of the production and logistics chains (smart manufacturing) and of products (smart interconnected objects). The impact of the forth industrial revolution is huge in terms of involved stakeholders and in potential economic growth.The forth industrial revolution have also triggered a huge educational challenge, bringing the need to re-train millions of employees to models and technologies unknown even ten years ago.The European Commission, in the Digital Single Market framework, has launched in 2016 the first Industry-related initiatives. However, most have been done in this year by means of single national initiatives. This approach has produced the creation of different training activities in the different countries, that lacks of a unified approach.The need to support the digital transformation of EU Industrial sector and to support the recognition of competences in this sector are the rationale behind the I4EU project. In line with the national and European policies the main objective is:- qualifying new professionals able to support the digital transformation of the European companies in the industrial sector, according to the Industry 4.0 paradigm.This objective is reached by pursuing the specifically objectives of:- sharing good practices and new business models and raising awareness about new technologies supporting the digital transformations of the industrial companies at European level;- creating VET qualifications for professionals inside European companies, enhancing their digital competences and up/re-skill them to Industry 4.0 key competences.In order to realize these objectives, the I4EU partnership has been set-up. It involves 8 partners coming from 6 different countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain). The partners are 3 HEIs, 1 University spin-off, 1 technological park, 2 network of companies and 1 consultancy company. The partnership ensures a very good geographical coverage and brings into the project complementary competences.The project will be realized in 36 month. A first review of the state of adoption of the Industry 4.0 model at national and European level and an assessment of the existing supporting policies will be the basis to design a Handbook, a practical guideline including examples, best practice, scenarios and suggestions for the implementations of Industry 4.0 model.Then, a competence meter will be implemented, being an online tool able to assess the level of maturity of companies and professionals towards the Industry 4.0 paradigm, while a smart industry observatory will monitor the evolution of the implementation of the Industry 4.0 model, extracting case studies and best-practices.This will lead to the design of VET qualification related to Industry 4.0, designed according to the European Lifelong Learning instruments (EQF, ECVET and EQAVET). Therefore, all the next training activities will be enclosed in framework that will allow the transparent recognition and transferability of the competences at European level.Then, in order to allow the student to acquire also practical competences, highly innovative didactic labs on Industry 4.0 will be developed. The instruments, working as virtual or remote labs, will allow the learners to make practical experiences with Industry 4.0 technologies.Finally, the target groups (companies, professionals, developers and users, researchers, learners) will be able to access the training courses at distance by means of the project web-platform. A detailed planning of the activities, accurate management and quality assurance procedures and a high commitment of all the partners are the basis for the successful implementation of the project. The project foresees 6 transnational management meetings and at least 13 virtual meetings.The project will directly impact on the European companies, in terms of staff members trained and qualified to support the digital transformation to Industry 4.0 model, on the professionals that will improve their skills and their employability, on the European Universities and VET providers, in terms of enhanced didactic offer in the Industry 4.0 sector. The project will also pay attention to ensure the involvement of an adequate percentage of women in the training activities.The I4EU qualifications, designed using the ECVET instrument, will allow the transnational recognition of the acquired competences and will enhance the employability of the qualified users at European level.The project long terms benefit will be to speed up the transition to the Industry 4.0 models across all economic sectors, fostering the European economy grow thanks to the digital transformation of the corporate sector. This perfectly match a pillar of the European Digital Single Market strategy.

"Our European society needs innovative and better school education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as key sectors for our future life, work and society. Therefore, the European Alliance Learn STEM was established to focus their interrelation and integration in cross-disciplinary and reflective STEM education and pedagogical methodologies. Main goal of Learn STEM is to improve the quality and efficiency of STEM learning in secondary schools.Consequently, Learn STEM is increasing the pupils' interest in STEM and building STEM competences. Therefore, Learn STEM designs and provides pedagogical methods and tools for secondary schools to explore and solve real life questions. Learn STEM supports and contributes to the key objective of the European Education and Training 2020 Strategy (ET 2020) that fewer than 15% of 15-year-olds should be under-skilled in reading, mathematics and science. Moreover, the Learn STEM project also addresses the need to enhance knowledge of and about science as a precondition to prepare Europe’s population to be actively engaged, responsible citizens as well as conversant with the complex challenges facing society.Thus, Learn STEM is strengthening secondary schools' capacity to develop skills in subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics through innovative and interactive pedagogical methods and approaches. Therefore, Learn STEM designs and provides practical instruments and online tools for secondary schools and their teachers and pupils to explore and solve real life questions.Under the leadership of the coordinator Dr. Christian M. Stracke from the Open University of the Netherlands, Learn STEM brings together nine Partners from six European countries. They are collaborating for innovative STEM education and have developed the Learn STEM Pedagogical Model, the Inquiry learning package, a teacher training programme and an online course. These instruments are tested, evaluated and continuously improved in close cooperation with hundreds of STEM experts and school teachers In Europe and beyond.The research and development activities of Learn STEM started with mixed methods research combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. It combined as fundamental basis a literature review, an online survey and interviews. 217 teachers, 24 headmasters and 345 pupils took part in the online survey providing valuable insights about the needs for future STEM learning and education.Based on the analysis of the research results, the Learn STEM Pedagogical Model was developed and improved in iterative cycles in close collaboration and discussions with hundreds of school teachers and headmasters. That was leading to 35 interim versions before the final version of the Learn STEM Pedagogical Model was published online and presented to all school teachers in Europe with overwhelming and encouraging feedback.The teacher training programme and the online course are the other two main results of Learn STEM: They received extremely positive responses and more than 600 teachers and interested stakeholder registered and participated in the online course on ""Pedagogical innovations for STEM education"". The number of participants in the national workshops and the final conference of Learn STEM as well as the number of persons benefitting from Learn STEM were exceeding the expectations by far: Learn STEM could welcome more than 1,000 participants in the national workshops and final conference (expected: 145) and more than 10,000 stakeholders (expected: 1,800) were and are still benefitting from the Learn STEM activities and results. Learn STEM was selected and invited to many regional, national, European and international conferences and events including teacher training workshops by school authorities. Furthermore, Learn STEM could spread the Learn STEM activities and results in open and peer-reviewed scientific publications as well as in leading European educational newsletters (with more than 30,000 subscribers). Finally, Learn STEM collaborates in the online course, online conference and in dissemination with the leading European STEM initiatives including Scientifix of the European SchoolNet and Go-Lab as well as leading educational associations including the oldest and largest International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE): Together with all collaboration partners, Learn STEM promotes and supports the pedagogical innovation and improvement of STEM education in Europe and beyond.Thus, it can be summarised that Learn STEM has already achieved huge impact in the short term. And it is expected that Learn STEM will also gain sustainable long-term impact due to the recognition and appreciation of the Learn STEM results and instruments by the school teachers and headmasters as well as by the local, regional and national school authorities.All Learn STEM results are openly and freely available online: http://www.Learn-STEM.org"