Thursday, 21 April 2022

Erasmus +: Funding of new Cooperation Projects among international Institutions  

Versione stampabile

Allocation of European funds to projects presented by European universities and institutions under the 2021 Call Key Action 2 "Cooperation Between Organizations and Institutions" within the Erasmus + 2021-2027 Program has concluded. The University of Trento was the winner of 6 new approved projects and in two of these the University is the lead institution.

As part of the new Erasmus Mundus Design Measures Action, the EESIC project "Engineering for Environmental Sustainability and International Cooperation" was selected to receive European funding. The project is coordinated by the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (academic referent Prof. Marco Toffolon) with the participation of the Instituto Superior Técnico Lisboa (Portugal) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). EESIC aims to design a new Erasmus Mundus joint study course as part of the Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering. Within the context of international collaboration, future environmental engineers will be able to tackle interdisciplinary and highly complex issues, both technical and non-technical, in search of innovative and sustainable solutions. Taking advantage of the excellence of each participating university and their respective complementarity attributes, EESIC will design a new coherent and innovative academic experience with integrated mobility between the three universities and a final period of applied research at other Associated Partners that will be selected in various continents. The degree program will feature a practical approach to promote the acquisition of transversal skills, including open mindedness, problem solving and intercultural understanding.

The University of Trento also participates in 4 projects approved under the Cooperation Partnerships Action. In the role of coordinator, the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science (academic referent Prof. Maurizio Marchese) was awarded a grant for the C-FLEX project "Exploring Sustainable Futures for Europe's Education Technology Infrastructure", which aims to provide institutions and students with tools and knowledge to explore the systemic impact of digital education technologies (digital EdTech), as well as to train students, teachers and staff in evaluating the accessibility and sustainability of their educational technologies. In fact, C-FLEX aims to propose solutions to ensure that EdTech is open, accessible and sustainable (environmentally, ethically, technologically and pedagogically). Other participating partners include: University of Rennes 1 (France); Technische Universiteit Delft and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (Netherlands); Junior Achievement Bulgaria (Bulgaria); KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Sweden).
The Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science is a partner in 2 other projects approved under this action: PORTFOLIO "Exploring inter-connected education through a distributed and blended European Entrepreneurship Minor under the Erasmus + program" (academic referent Prof. Maurizio Marchese ) coordinated by the University of Rennes 1 (France) and CT Academy “Computational Thinking Academy” (academic referent Prof. Alberto Montresor) coordinated by Catholic Education Flanders (Belgium).
In particular, the PORTFOLIO project aims to promote interconnected higher education systems and stimulate innovative learning and teaching practices through the development of on-line courses on innovation and entrepreneurship with an interdisciplinary and transnational focus. Other participating partners include: Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain), Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem (Hungary); Aalto Korkeakoulusaatio SR (Finland).
The main objective of the CT Academy project is to enhance computational thinking in a transversal way by improving the skills of teachers in primary education classes (grades 1-6) through the development of a MOOC and continuing professional training courses. Other participating partners include: Ingenious Knowledge (Germany) and Östra Grundskolan (Sweden).
Continuing in the area of Cooperation Partnerships, the Department of Industrial Engineering (academic referent Prof. Alessandro Pegoretti) participates in the FutureBIO project "Haydi, gelecek için biyobozunur plastik kullanalım - Let's use biopolymers for the future" coordinated by Pamukkale Universitesi (Turkey). Other participating partners include: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg (Germany); Kirklareli Universitesi (Turkey); Selcuk Universitesi (Turkey); Cosvitec Societa Consortile Arl (Italy); Bruno Kessler Foundation (Italy); Universitatea Tehnica Cluj-Napoca (Romania); Ctrl Reality Oy (Finland); Indivenire Srl (Italy). The main objectives of this project are to raise social awareness of the need for urgent action to solve problems related to plastic pollution, as well as to contribute to the training of academic staff and students in applications and procedures related to green polymers, through the preparation of an academic curriculum and related teaching materials.

In conclusion, UniTrento is also a partner in a project approved under the Alliances for Innovation Action coordinated by the Asociation de Investigacion de la Industria del Juguete Conexas y Afines (Spain). The CIRCVET project "Circular economy practical training materials for plastic manufacturing industries", in which the Department of Economics and Management (academic referent Prof. Alessandro Rossi) participates, focuses on plastics at the European level and aims to develop broader, cost-free and tailor-made training opportunities for businesses. It is a project with an extensive network involving 12 partners, which include the following universities, vocational training centers and companies: Centro tecnologico da industria de moldes e ferramentas especiais (Portugal), Gemeinnützige Kimw-Qualifizierungs Gmbh (Germany), Polymeris (France ), Consortium for the promotion of plastic culture Proplast (Italy), Lietuvos Inzinerines Pramones Asociacija Linpra (Lithuania), Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), Infinitivity Design Labs (France), Alytaus Profesinio Rengimo Cent Hubras (Lithuania), Trentino Innovation - (Italy), Visagino Technologijos Ir Verslo Profesinio Mokymo Centras (Lithuania).
The challenge of the project is to promote the adoption of a circular economy in plastics production companies through the improvement of the culture, knowledge and skills of the people involved in the sector.
The strategic objective of the project is to develop a certified course (MOOC/NOOC) for company workers incorporating practical teaching materials on the principles of the circular economy for manufacturing industries.