Project coordinating institution: European Platform for Rehabilitation (Belgium).
Project partners: Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Kauno kolegija (Lithuania), Arnau d’Escala Campus Foundation (Spain), The Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI) (Spain), Special Vocational & Educational Center “Margarita” (Greece), “Biopolitics” Research Center (RECEBI) (Greece).
Project summary:
The project aims to improve the access of people with intellectual disabilities to secondary and tertiary health care, through: 

🩺inclusive European policies in healthcare services;
🩺 training of healthcare staff on interacting with patients with intellectual disabilities and;
🩺stronger collaboration between healthcare staff and professional supporters.
The main activities of the project include:
🩺Research on the rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their access to the health system at European level leading to policy recommendations.
🩺The development of self-e-learning modules for healthcare staff and the online platform that will host them.
🩺The development of a self-e-learning module for professional supporters..

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Poznan University of Life Sciences (Poland), Hochschule fur Agrar – und Umweltpadagogik
Bundesanstalt fur Agrarwirtschaft (Austria), Universidad of Valladolid (Spain), University of Debrecen (Hungary), Centro Internazionale di Altistudi Agronomici Mediterranei (Italy), Scientific and Methodological Center of Higher and Pre-higher Vocational Education (Ukraine), Association “Ukrainian Food Valley“ (Ukraine), Central Ukrainian National Technical University (Ukraine), Kirovograd State Agricultural  (Ukraine), Experimental Station of the Nati (Ukraine), Poltava State Agrarian Academy (Ukraine), Farm enterprise “Dobro-Kraft”, Lviv National Agrarian University (Ukraine), Yavoriv National Nature Park (Ukraine), Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University (Ukraine), Comrat State University (Moldova), Fabrica “Oloi Pak” (Moldova), State Agrirain University of Moldova (Moldova), SC Terafix SRL (Moldova), Azerbaijan State Agriculture University (Azerbaijan), Suliddinoglu Agricultural Farm (Azerbaijan),  Azerbaijan Technical University (Azerbaijan).
Project summary: Aim of the project:  Development of the potential of universities as an integral part of agro-industrial clusters by the creation of expertise centres as pre-conditions for the development and successful functioning of agro-industrial clusters.
These objectives will be achieved through the following activities:

• Organization of workshops, consultations, round-tables in order to present the concept of clusters and to share ideas concerning creation of expertise centres supposed to be transformed into the cluster;
• Training of HEIs and enterprises staff by workshops and study tours;
• Development of legal framework for expertise centres creation: Statutes of expertise centres, post cards, work regulations. Amendments will be done in development strategies of participating HEIs and enterprises;
• Creation expertise centres on following areas: water management and aquaculture, new technologies (IT) in machinery, rural tourism, milk production and processing with the focus on traditional local products, biotechnologies in poultry farming;
• Development and launching of new modules for Master and PhD students as added value;
• Launching of pilot projects: the projects will be defined according to enterprises needs and universities possibilities for scientific elaborations and their application on practice;
• The students’ mobility will be organized in two ways from partner countries to EU and from EU to partner countries;
• In addition to traditional dissemination activities the project foresees the information and promotion campaign among stakeholder to disseminate the EU experience of clusters activity.

Expected impacts:
creation of sustainable relations between HEIs and enterprises based on win-win principles, enhancing of practical value of researches; creation of conditions for better integration of innovations into production on the sustainability principles; development of  entrepreneurial capacities of HEIs, contribution to the development of local area.

Project coordinating institution: Teching Centre ESVA (Bulgaria)
Project partners: Smart Idea (Slovenia), JU OŠ (Bosnia and Hercegovina), LSS (Bulgaria), LSS (Bulgaria), JumpIn Hub (Portugal), Aspira (Slovenia), Edukopro (Bosnia and Hercegovina)
Project summary: The goal is to prepare methodological tools for educators and parents in order to develop children’s self-confidence. The project includes research, preparation of training materials and methodological tools, and an intensive program (IP) week, during which practitioners from all partner countries would participate in joint theoretical lectures and practical sessions (workshops) on various topics related to the development of children’s self-confidence.

Project coordinating institution: Associacio Colpbol (Spain)
Project partners: Copava (Spain), University of Craiova (Rumania), Physical Education and Sport Science of the University of Athens (Greece), Edra Coop (Greece)
Project summary: The goal is to promote the implementation of different measures aimed at the social inclusion of different people through sports. Activities – popularisation of Colpbol sport in Europe, organisation of competitions involving people with various talents. Organisation of an international tournament, where shooting teams participating in the project could compete with each other.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija
Project partners: Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University College for Agricultural and Environmental Education (Austria), Technical University of Applied Sciences, Würzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany), University of Malaga (Spain).
Project summary: The main objective of the project is to develop students’ green skills and encourage personal behavioural change towards sustainable development goals. In order to achieve the project’s objective, it is necessary to provide higher education teachers with innovative tools that enable them to become active players in the transfer of green skills to students. The project therefore aims to strengthen the capabilities of digital and green tools in the higher education sector, to promote the introduction of innovative teaching and learning methods in higher education, and to foster the personal skills of learners to protect nature and ensure its sustainability.

Project coordinating institution: University of Malaga (Spain).
Project partners: Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (Lithuania), Sapienza Università di Roma (Italy), University of Malta (Malta), Polytechnical Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), Charles university (Czech Republic).
Project summary: The main objectives pursued by this project are: Identify the main problems that the literature includes about affective- sexual and gender diversity (ASGD) in health sciences (HS). Plan training, intervention and awareness strategies in the university community related to HS, execute training and dissemination programs within the HS university community and disseminate the results among health professionals and society.

Project coordinating institution: Frederick University
Project partners: Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University College for Agricultural and Environmental Education (Austria), echnical University of Applied Sciences, Würzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany), University of Malaga (Spain).
Project summary: Futures Designed aims to develop & integrate Art & Design micro-credential courses into existing Higher Education programs focusing on skills deemed necessary for the Green Transition, SDGs and the New European Bauhaus. It will: establish alternative spaces of learning for course delivery; transfer targeted knowledge ensuring learners future employment; train & improve sustainability competences of Educators; invite current professionals to upskill; and promote behavioral change in line with the Green transition.

Project coordinating institution: Universitas Cooperativa de Ensino Superior e Investigacao Cientifica (Portugal)
Project partners: Instituto Europeu de Estudos Superiores IEES LDA (Portugal), Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Universidad de Salamanca (Spain), Trier University of Applied Sciences (Germany), INOVA+ Innovation Services, SA (Portugal), Sociedade Panificadora Costa Ferreira LPL SA (Portugal), Asociacion de la Industria Agroalimentaria de Avila – Avilagro (Spain), Sanrays (Bulgaria), G9ovindas Manufaktur GMBH & CO.KG (Germany).
Project summary: The project aims to improve the ecological impact of small and medium-sized enterprises by developing innovative tools and training initiatives for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The consortium, consisting of 12 organizations from Portugal, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and Lithuania, will develop, test and analyse the LCA CARE tool, a cloud-based application for small and medium-sized enterprises in the agri-food sector. The project includes capacity building, specialized courses, and community engagement events to promote sustainable practices. Kauno kolegija HEI leads Work Package 5 (Educative assets for HE students and VET students).

2017/10/01 – 2019/09/30

– Villages on Move Baltic (project No. 579678-EPP-1-2016-2-FI-SPO-SCP)

2017/01/01 – 2018/12/31

– Integrated Football the new Frontier of Sport for All (project No. 2016-1004/001-001)

2016/04/04 –2017/10/03

– Coaching Schools to Face Change Ahead (project No. 2015-1-IT02-KA201-014883)

2015/09/01-2017/08/31

– EXPEDUCOM Experiential Education Competence (project No. 2014-1-LT01-KA200-000368)

2014/09/01 – 2016/08/31

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Riga Stradins University (Latvia)
Project summary: The aim of the project is is to educate flexible and open minded specialists who may be involved in development, promotion and use of Green Care concept. Network is aiming to enhance cooperation between social work, landscape design, nursing and agricultural technologies fields in order to develop teamwork skills, creative thinking and entrepreneurial competences and to provide better opportunities in labour market through encouragement of interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: Tampere University of Applied Sciences(Finland), Copenhagen University College (Denmark)
Project summary: The trauma-conscious perspective aims to stabilize the individual’s everyday life and strengthen the client’s empowerment, without forgetting the impact of emotional trauma on a person’s overall well-being. The collaboration between study fields of social work, occupational therapy and physiotherapy are not well enough developed within partner institutions as well and partnership sees this project as a good opening for further cooperation within institutions and with international partners. Network is based on existing partnership and areas of expertise. Staff at the partner institutions understand the importance of integration of new competencies and approaches into the teaching process in order to keep up with the changing environment and emerging unforeseen situations. One of main activities of the project is the intensive course (IC) “Trauma-informed approach to work with refugees” which will be implemented in Kaunas during Spring 2024. The aim of the IC is to develop the competence of the students and teachers in the above-mentioned education fields to respond to changing competence needs in a situation where a large number of Ukrainian refugees to the Baltics and Nordic countries became part of health and social services within. The skills of working with the refugees brought by previous waves of refugees, also need to be strengthened. In some countries, it is only the war in Ukraine that has brought immigrants with a refugee background into social and health services on a larger scale. IC will enhance cooperation between different study fields in order to develop creative thinking, entrepreneurial competences and to provide better opportunities in labour market through encouragement of team work, interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation. On the other hand, Intensive course will promote awareness about sustainability issues especially to some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that are related to health, wellbeing, equality and just societies.

Project coordinating institution: HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI, Tartu University (Estonia)
Project summary: The objective of the project is to create online materials and courses to learners of Swedish as a foreign language with this said, the project aims at enhancing learning of neighbouring languages as per EU policies, developing virtual materials, pedagogy, and curricula, enhancing multilingualism, student employment and work life skills, cultural awareness as well as offering the students equal opportunities.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Riga Stradins University (Latvia)
Project summary: The health and social care sectors need alternatives to traditional treatment, therapy, rehabilitation, and job training. Traditional therapies should be supplemented with innovative elements, considering the dynamic social environment. Through collaboration, it was agreed that the concept of green care should be further explored and integrated into the learning process in our institutions as one of the innovative and attractive approaches. Green care involves the use of agricultural farms and biotic and abiotic natural elements to promote health and therapeutic interventions as a basis for improving human mental and physical health and quality of life. The overall goal of the network is to develop flexible and open-minded professionals who can participate in creating, promoting, and utilizing the concept of green care.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: HAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia)
Project summary: A continuous interdisciplinary project combining the programs of social work, rehabilitation, industrial technologies, and IT. The main theme is therapeutic puppetry, which can be widely used in addressing psychosocial challenges through the creative process. The project aims to develop specific skills for students and lecturers that are not covered by individual study programs.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project summary: A continuous interdisciplinary project involving students and lecturers from the fields of rehabilitation, oral health, cosmetology, and tourism and recreation studies. The main theme is the promotion and development of wellness tourism in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: LAB University of Applied Sciences (FI-LAB), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (LV-ViA), Rezekne Academy of Technologies (LV)
Project summary: The overall goal of the network is to create a synergy of HEIs for facilitating social and economic development of rural areas by supporting the existing and creating new earning logics in the regions. The most important aim of the network is to advance students and teachers’ exchange among partner institutions both for learning and research development and innovation (RDI) for gathering and sharing best practices of rural entrepreneurship in Baltic and Nordic countries.Same description as before. Project activities:  – Teacher/student mobility
– Intensive course – Developing Social Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas (SEinRA)
– Intensive course – “Event Tourism as a Tool for Developing Local Communities”
– Intensive course – “Storrytelling as a Tool to Promote Rural Areas as Tourist Destination.

Project coordinating institution: Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) (Finland), University College of Northern Denmark (Denmark), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norway), University of Stavanger (Norvegija), Linnaeus University (Sweden).
Project summary: The main goal of this project is to develop and enhance the competencies of nursing students from higher education institutions in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. This aims to prepare professional nurses who are creative and capable of handling challenges in a contemporary multicultural environment.

Project coordinating institution: Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (Lithuania), University College Copenhagen KP (Denmark), Högskolen i Borås (Sweden), Høgskulen På Vestlandet (Norway), Oslomet – Storbyuniversitetet (Norway), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), Novia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University of Iceland (Iceland), Riga 1st Medical college (Latvia), University of Lund (Sweden), Ålands hospital (Åland Islands), Dronning Ingrids Hospital (Greenland), National Hospital of the Faroe Islands (Faroe Islands), Rigas Stradina Universitate (Latvia), Universitetet I Stavanger (Norway).
Project summary: The main goal of this project is to develop and enhance the competencies of midwifery students from higher education institutions in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. This aims to prepare professional midwives who are creative and capable of handling challenges in a contemporary multicultural environment by facilitating student exchanges in midwifery practice among the participating institutions.

Project coordinating institution: Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Professionshogskolan (Denmark), Novia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University of Iceland (Iceland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norway), Kaunas College Higher Education Institution (Lithuania) , Riga Stradins University (Latvia), University of Stavanger (Norway), Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway).
Project summary: This project develops the professional competence of midwifery students according to the existing midwifery curriculum. This project will focus on normal birth, which is discussed in many midwifery initiatives in Europe and around the world.

Project coordinating institution: Absalon University College (Denmark)
Project partners: Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet (Norway), Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University of Akureyri (Iceland), Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (Lithuania), University College Nordjylland (Denmark), Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tallinn Health Care College (Estonia), VID vitenskapelige høgskole (Norway), Riga Stradins University (Latvia)
Project summary: This is a continuous project that continues activities by joining the network of higher education institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries that train occupational therapists. Kauno kolegija is the only representative from Lithuania in this network. The main themes of the network are the promotion of the occupational therapy profession, the implementation of innovations in the study process, and international collaboration. The project includes plans to organize an intensive study week, facilitate student and staff mobility, and engage in joint applied scientific activities.

Project coordinating institution: Burlo (Italy)
Project partners: More than 26 countries of the world: Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (Lithuania), Health University of Applied Sciences Tirol, Innsbruck (Austria), University Center Nursery and Midwifery, Ghent University, Ghent (Belgium), Baby Steps, Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus), Birth Forward, Nicosia (Cyprus), Roda – Parents in Action, Zagreb (Croatia), etc. (The full list of partners is available here: https://www.burlo.trieste.it/ricerca/imagine-euro-improving-maternal-newborn-care-euro-region).
Project summary: A project in which surveys are carried out. The survey is based on WHO standards for improving the health care of pregnant women, mothers and newborns in health care facilities. Scientific articles, methodologies, recommendations on improving the care of pregnant women, mothers and newborns are being prepared.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija (Lithuania)
Project partners: TAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University College Copenhagen (Denmark).
Project summary: This is an interdisciplinary project that combines social work and rehabilitation programs. The main theme of the project is a holistic approach to trauma and therapies, which is underdeveloped in our study programs. The project organizes intensive study weeks and prepares an international and interdisciplinary study module over a three-year project cycle. Different study programs will bring their specific expertise and have the opportunity to learn from each other. The project aims to develop specific skills in students and teachers that are not covered by individual study programs.

Project coordinating institution: Abo Academy University (Finland)
Project partners: Nord University (Norway), University of Latvia (Latvia), Kauno Kolegija Higher Education Institution (Lithuania), Mid Sweden University Sundsvall (Sweden), University College Lillebaelt (Denmark)
Project summary: The network – “Nordic and Baltic Childhood and Culture in a Global Perspective” – has been working together for more than 20 years to exchange and share experiences on the training of future preschool teachers in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The network aims to share new ideas on how to raise awareness of social sustainability and diversity through art and to develop the competences of pre-school and pre-primary teachers. The overall aim and objectives of the network are:
– To strengthen cultural understanding and cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries in the field of pre-school teacher education;
– to strengthen the understanding of social sustainability and diversity;
– to use playful and creative teaching methods to support the understanding of social sustainability and diversity;
– contribute to the development of quality and innovative education in partner institutions.

Project coordinating institution: University of Akureyri (Iceland)
Project partners: Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland), HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Åland University of Applied Sciences (Aland Islands), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), NO-HØYSKOLEN KRISTIANIA – ERNST G MORTENSENS STIFTELSE AVD OSLO  University College (Norway), SE-Högskolan i Skövde University (Sweden), Jönköping University (Sweden), Copenhagen Business Academy (Denmark), Kauno kolegija (Lithuania), UCL University College (Denmark).
Project summary: Aim: Increasing mobility and cooperation between Nordic and Baltic countries through the promotion and support of student and teacher exchanges within business, technology, communication & media as well as entrepreneurship and innovation. With close links to the
industry this network provides possibilities and funding for internships. Additionally, express mobility is funded within this network, implementation of intensive programmes, sharing best practices and gaining new experiences.

– Sustainable Development In an Inclusive Society (project No. NPHE-2018/10245)

2018/06/15 – 2019/10/01

– Welltour/2018 (project No. NPHE-2018/10230)

2018/06/15 – 2019/10/01

– Healing Greenery/2018 (project No. NPHE-2018/10257)

2018/06/15 – 2019/10/01

– NEWELRA 2018 (project No. NPHE-2018/10022)

2018/06/01 – 2019/09/30

– Nordejordemodern network (project No. NPHE-2018/10129)

2018/06/15 – 2019/10/01

– EkoTekNord 2018-CX (project No. NPHE-2018/10093)

2018/06/01-2019/09/30

– Express Mobility for Tourism Students (project No. NPHE-2018/10117)

2018/05/15 – 2019/05/30

– NEWELRA – Baltic-Nordic Network for Creating New Earning Logics in Rural Areas (project No. ID NPHE-2017/10246)

2017/06/15 – 2018/10/01

– Welltour 2017 (project No. NPHE- 2017/10264)

2017/06 /15 – 2018/10/01

– Healing Greenery (project No. NPHE-2017/10330)

2017/06/15 – 2018/10/01

– NEWELRA – Baltic-Nordic Network for Creating New Earning Logics in Rural Areas (project No. ID NPHE-2017/10246)

2017/06/15 – 2018/09/30

– STRANGERS: The own kind and the other in Art and Social Sciences (project No. NPHE-2017/10372)

2017/09/01 – 2018/09/30

– Sustainable Development In an Inclusive Society (project No. NPHE-2017/10129)

2017/09/01 – 2018/09/30

– Nordejordemodern 2017 (project No. NPHE-2017/10215)

2017/06 /15 – 2018/10/01

– EkotekNord (project No. ID NPHE-2017/10129)

2017/06/15 – 2018/09/30

– NOBANET: E-business models for international SMEs /2017 (project No. ID:NPHE-2017/10159)

2017/06/01- 2018/09/30

– NEWELRA – Baltic-Nordic Network for Creating New Earning Logics in Rural Areas (project No. ID NPHE-2016/10061)

2016/06/15 – 2017/10/01

– Welltour 2016 (project No. NPHE-2016/10402)

2016/06/15 – 2017/10/01

– Nordejordemodern 2015 (project No. NPHE-2015/10159)

2015/06/15 – 2016/09/30

– Development of clinical dental technicians training concept (project No. NPHE-2015/10295)

2015/06/15 – 2016/09/30

– Network Welltour/2015 (project No. NPHE-2015/10160)

2015/06/15 – 2016/09/30

– NOBANET: Nordic-Baltic Network for Internationalisation of SMEs/2014 (project No. ID NPHE-2015/10239)

2015/06/15 – 2016/09/30

– Ekoteknord IP „Lean Canvas“ (project No. ID HE-2015/10129)

2015/06/15 – 2016/09/30

Project coordinating institution: National Unviersity of Ireland Galway Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research Institue for Lifecourse and Society National University of Ireland (Ireland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), University of the West of England (England), National Unviersity of Ireland Galway, Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research, Institue for Lifecourse and Society, National University of Ireland (Ireland), HES-SO Valais-Wallis C/O IAT Lab (Switzerland), VŠĮ Švietimo ir Kultūros Mobiliųjų Technologijų Institutas (IMOTEC) (Lithuania), Athena ICT (Israel), Konya İl Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğü (Turkey), Karadeniz Technical University (Turkey), Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (North Macedonia), University of Pannonia (Hungary), Center for Human-Computer Interaction (Austria), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Thomas More Kempen (Belgium), Institute of Robotics (Bulgaria), Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences (Croatia), Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (Croatia), European University Cyprus (Cyprus), Aarhus University (Denmark), University of Tartu (Estonia), LIMSI-CNRS, Université Paris-Sud Campus universitaire (France), Heilpädagogik (Germany), Ludwig-Maximilians-UNiversität (Germany), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), University of Pannonia (Hungary), University of Iceland (Iceland), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Athena ICT (Israel), The Open University (Israel), AIAS Bologna (Italy), Ausilioteca Mediterranea Onlus (Italy), Latvian Academy of Sport Education (Latvia), Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (Moldavia), University of Twente (Netherlands), Association for Assistive Technology Open the Windows (North Macedonia), Norsk Regnesentral (Norway), SINTEF (Norway), WSB University (Poland), Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) (Portugal), Catholic University of Portugal (Portugal), University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” (Romania), University of Economics in Bratislava (Slovakia), University of Maribor (Slovenia), Yottacode (Spain), Universitat de València (Spain), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), HES-SO Valais-Wallis C/O IAT Lab (Switzerland), Fondation pour la Recherche en faveur des personnes Handicapées (FRH) (Switzerland), Konya Il Milli Egitim Mudurlugu (Turkey), Karadeniz Technical University (Turkey), University of the West of England (England), University of Leeds (England), Center for Rehabilitation Zagreb (Croatia), Heidelberg University of Education (Germany), Bar Ilan University (Israel), Beit Issie Shapiro (Israel), Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (Moldavia), Radboud University Medical Center (Netherlands), Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (North Macedonia), University of Oslo (Norway), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norway), University of Maribor (Slovenia), Universidad de Alicante (Spain), Asociación de Familiares y personas con Autismo de Burgos (Spain), University of Valencia (Spain), Konya Provincial Directorate of Education (Turkey).
Project summary: Social inclusion is an important element of well-being for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Intellectual Disability (ID).  Research has highlighted that social inclusion is facilitated through access to education and employment.  Despite this, people with ASD and/or ID have low rates of participation in these domains.  Research has demonstrated that Assistive Technology (AT) shows great promise in increasing participation in education and employment.  Notwithstanding recent technological advances, there are low rates of adoption of AT throughout Europe by service providers, educators, employers and policymakers. There are several areas of unmet need including: high abandonment rates of AT, lack of inclusion of people with ASD and/or ID in the research process, lack of interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration and poor match between technology and the individual with ASD and/or ID.
The aim of the COST action is:
Build an interdisciplinary, intersectoral pan EU and beyond, network which will enhance social inclusion and empowerment of individuals with ASD and/or ID.
This will be achieved by:

• Evaluating the development of novel AT by providing an interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration between all stakeholders using a translational approach to establish standardised practice guidelines for design, development and deployment of AT.
• Creating knowledge, by providing a database of current AT technologies and their match to employment and educational contexts for users with ASD and/or ID.
• Promoting the adoption of evidence-based guidelines in relation to use of AT across settings and populations and propagating the use of inclusive design and rigorous research approaches.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija

Project summary: The aim of the project is to foster inter-institutional collaboration between researchers and to increase knowledge in the fields of information systems engineering and metrology. The project will exchange experiences, organise inter-laboratory measurements, produce joint scientific publications in the field of IOT metrology and prepare for participation in other projects.

Expected results:

1. Preparation and publication of a publication on IOT metrology.

2. Initiation of joint research involving Kauno kolegija lecturers as co-supervisors of MSc and PhD theses.the use of inclusive design and rigorous research approaches.

Source of funding: Research Council of Lithuania

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija

Project summary: EUROPE DIRECT (hereinafter referred to as ED) is a network of 424 centers operating across all EU countries. This network, through its local activities, helps improve citizens’ understanding of how the EU benefits them in their daily lives, while also identifying which aspects of EU policy are important at the local level. ED is a project of the European Commission. The centers work closely with the European Commission Representation in Lithuania, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Lithuania, and other EU information networks, as well as local communication partners. They facilitate information exchange, respond to citizens’ questions about the EU, and coordinate actions among stakeholders.

All ED centers prepare and submit their annual communication plans to the European Commission Representation in Lithuania and implement them.

Information is available at:

Website: https://alytus.eudirect.lt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlytausEuropeDirect

Source of funding: European Commission

Project coordinating institution: KUNSILL LOKALI IS-SIGGIEWI (Siggiewi Local Council)

Project summary: “EchoGreen – Reshaping Our Environment” project is an initiative by the Siggiewi Municipality aimed at environmental protection, climate change, the European Green Deal, and the circular economy. This project will encourage exploration, learning, and collaboration to implement sustainable practices that ensure a sustainable future for younger generations. The main objective is to promote environmentally sustainable behavior among citizens, implement various positive initiatives, and raise awareness about the sustainable development of peripheral areas that suffer from the risks of hydrological instability. Through conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions, the project is expected to foster mobility, enhance the sharing of best practices and knowledge about sustainability, climate change, and the circular economy. Collaboration with representatives from thirteen different countries will facilitate the creation of potential new partnerships, serve as a foundation for research or project ideas, and contribute to improving both professional and personal skills. It will also boost internationalization and raise awareness of Siggiewi Municipality’s efforts. The project plans six four-day outbound conferences. Implementation will begin on December 1, 2024, and will last for 20 months.

Source of funding: EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EACEA)

Project coordinating institution: I.I.S.E. Amaldi di Roma (Italy)
Project partners: Associazione Professionale Universo CLIL (Coaching Lifelong Innovative Learning) (Italy); Directorate of primary education of western Thessaloniki (Greece); Liceu Technologic de industrie Alimentara (Romania)
Project summary:

Foreseen project results:

1. virtual platform T.E.A.M.I. to share existing SEM practices.
2. SEM training guide for educators working with students, especially socially excluded students.
3. A combined 45-hour three-module coaching and awareness training course.
4. Impact assessment and report (responsible KUAS).

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romania), LAB University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Universida de Vigo (Spain),  Hochschule fuer Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes (Germany)
Project summary: The project aims to promote and raise awareness of the growing importance of inclusion and diversity management in higher education institutions. The project envisages the development of: a common set of pedagogical tools for teaching in diversity classes; a common framework for the integration of learning / teaching methods and activities in the field of (through) design of training; 5 ECTS elective course on global citizenship and diversity management in the future. It is planned to train 650 higher education teachers.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), School of Coding Limited (England), Francisco de Vitoria University (Spain), Zagreb School of Business (Croatia)
Project summary: This project will improve the quality of virtual studies by creating teaching/learning methodology and implementing technological and pedagogical innovations (teachers’ didactic, digital competencies, gamification of the study process), which will increase study accessibility and learners’ motivation. This project is dedicated to educate staff about pedagogical and technological innovations (growth of digital literacy competencies among academic staff) and to transfer the good practices for cohesion in Europe. Teachers with a deeper understanding of virtual learning, pedagogical and technological innovations will be able to use this information in their subjects, which will ensure the quality of studies, student motivation and academic integrity. HEI will be able to ensure the quality of virtual mobility and the recognition of study results by developing the internationalisation of HEI at home (virtual student and teacher mobility, inter-institutional studies, mobility windows). The aim of this project is to increase the quality of teaching/learning in VLE and the study process by creating preconditions for the recognition of the acquired results during virtual mobility. During the project, the VLE teaching / learning methodology will be prepared and according to it, 4 pilot study modules will be created, in which students from the project partner institutions will carry out virtual mobility.

News: https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/first-international-partner-meeting-of-project-quality-of-virtual-studies/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/the-first-newsletter-of-the-project-quality-of-virtual-studies-came-out/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/second-quality-of-virtual-studies-project-partners-meeting-in-madrid/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/project-quality-of-virtual-studies-training-in-the-uk-for-lecturers-of-kuas/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/the-second-newsletter-of-the-project-quality-of-virtual-studies-came-out/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/the-virtual-study-modules-of-the-quality-of-virtual-studies-project-have-started/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/the-third-newsletter-of-the-project-quality-of-virtual-studies-came-out/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/we-invite-you-to-become-part-of-the-future-of-virtual-learning/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/high-quality-virtual-studies-challenge-or-necessity/
https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/qvs-project-completed-cheering-the-results/

Project websites: https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/quality-of-virtual-studies/
https://www.qualityofvirtualstudies.org/

Project coordinating institution: Centro Integrado de Farmacion profesional los Gladiol (Spain)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), University of La Laguna (Spain), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), La empresa Geoavance (Spain), Servicio Vasco de Salud Osakidetza (Spain).
Project summary: The objectives of the project are: to bring closer together the reality of biomedical companies and health training centres through mixed reality, augmented reality and virtual reality and to improve the knowledge acquisition of our Students in health care training. To solve the problems described above and to take advantage of the possibilities of extended reality, the project proposes four lines of work that will be materialized in 4 products:

1. Remote training or Tele-training: a video conference with virtual elements (computer graphics, images, etc.) in which a speaker from a Specialized Biomedical Research Center explains a technique or a device in a biomedical environment to our students, who are physically present at the educational center.
2. Virtual rendering of professional biomedical environments: the aim is to build virtual working environments faithfully and quickly using BIM technology that can be used on different platforms (mobile, tablet, PC…) or even 3D printing.
3. Holographic simulators: in this line, the aim is to create virtual simulators of biomedical devices using virtual and mixed reality that have functionalities similar to those of a real device, with the possibilities of enriching the experience with didactic elements.
4. Holographic tutorials: this is the creation of devices tutorials using holograms and multimedia elements that help students understand and manage them.

Project coordinating institution: Coordina Organizacion de Empresas Y Recursos Humanos, S.L (Spain)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), CSI Center for Social Innovation LTD (Cyprus), Kinonikes Sineteristikes Drastiriotites Efpathon Omadon (Greece), Ethniko Kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon (Greece), Asociatia Langdon Down Oltenia-Centtrul Educational Teodora (Romania), Amics del Colpbol (Spain), University of Craiova (Romania).
Project summary: COLPBOL is an innovative and inclusive sport modality successfully implemented in Spain along the last 20 years. It´s a collective sport game that;- encourages the maximum possible participation of all the players whatever their physical, motor level and abilities- minimizes individual differences and requires essential collaboration and collective communication to achieve the final goal of the game, the goal COLPBOL is defined as a “collective invasion sport played by two mixed teams of 7 players in a clearly defined space, the purpose of which is to introduce a ball into the opponent’s goal through hand-hitting”. COLPBOL is a powerful tool for improving Quality of Life of PwID due to, among others. In general terms, its simplicity in terms of technical movements and rules make it easy to be played by PwID and, therefore, increase their involvement in physical activities with the explained benefits in the wellbeing dimension. In specific terms, through the involvement of persons with different abilities, PwID can play with Persons without Disabilities, thus increasing their social inclusion. “EUROPE COLPBOL” project is launched with the main objective of promoting the implementation of COLPBOL as a tool to improve Quality of Life of PwID, including the following specific objectives:

• Development and transfer of adapted guidelines aimed at PwID to motivate and teach them to practice COLPBOL
• Development and transfer of a TRAINING PACKAGE aimed at Sports professionals with technical instructions to optimize the practice of COLPBOL involving PwID in sport contexts
• Development and transfer of a TRAINING PACKAGE aimed at Supports of PwID (Disability Professionals, Relatives, etc) with technical instructions to optimize the practice of COLPBOL involving PwID in occupational and leisure contexts
• Creation and consolidation of local networks to promote collaboration between sports organizations and the field of intellectual disability

Project coordinating institution: Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena (Italy).
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Dirección General de Atención a la Diversidad y Calidad Educativa (Spain), Miguel de Cervantez Murcia (Spain), IES Infanta Elena (Spain), IES Valle de Leiva (Spain), University of Cartagena (Spain),  2nd Primary School in Levadia (Greece), Directorate of Secondary Education (Geece), 1 st General Lyceium in Lavadia (Greece), 7th primary school in Lavadia (Greece), Hellenic Education Society of STEM (Greece)
Project summary:
The INDIE project aims at boosting the use of digital instructional contents for education in both primary and secondary schools by 1) providing a tool to help teachers to become authors of rich digital learning units 2) creating repositories on a regional level where authors publish their learning units and other teachers can become “consumers” of this material for their own classes.
The objective is to empower teachers so that they can deliver high quality teaching and help them adopting new learning methodologies: flipped classroom, blended learning, adaptive learning, etc…, which are student centred and seek to ensure that learners are engaged and drive their individual learning experience. As an output of the project, a number of teachers/authors will have created digital contents, used them in class, and published them in the repository for others teachers to use.

Project coordinating institution: South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: South-Savo Sports Federation (Finland), Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), IP Leiria (Portugal), University College Leuven Limburg UCLL (Netherlands)
Project summary: Project is activating people to give ideas to promote everyday physical activity. Collected ideas are developed by means of culture of experimentation. In the new Villages on Move Network project we collect stories of the “fire souls” in rural villages promoting active lifestyle. Our goal is to activate inhabitants in rural areas to have more movement and more joy of sports.

Project coordinating institution: Tartu Health Care College (Estonia)
Project partners: Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland), P.Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia);  Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project summary: The ultimate goal of eMed-PASS project is to increase patient and medication safety by developing the educational preparation of nurses. The aim of this project is to modify, implement, and evaluate the feasibility of electronic Medication Passport for ensuring the medication competence and adequate working life skills of the graduating nurses.
eMed-PASS project aim is to improve the quality and relevance of higher education in bachelor level nurse education cross-borders in EU-level in the Baltic countries and Finland. The project supports objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and EU Health Strategy Together for Health, by responding to the medication and patient safety challenges faced by member countries through strengthening the cooperation and coordination among universities and registering of nurses’ medication competence development during undergraduate education. The need for developing common education and nursing competence is evident in each of the partner countries.
During the project innovative e-learning tool for supporting and ensuring the development of the required medication competence of nurse graduates will be developed in Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian language. The tool will be interoperable – so that other countries can also integrate it into its teaching process in the future.
The expected impact is improvement on nursing students’ medication competence and increased collaboration among education institution and clinical practice placements.

Project coordinating institution: SMART IDEA Igor Razbornik s.p., AEREFORM D.O.O. (Slovenia)
Project partners: Agrupamento de Escolas n.o 1 de Gondomar (Portugal), JU OS Aleksa Santic Sarajevo (Bosnia Herzegovina), KONYA IL MILLI EGITIM MUDURLUGU (Turkey), Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project summary: The Stress-free teachers’ project aims to build a stress management programme for teaching profession through a structured digital training platform based on the Moodle system.
The purpose of the project is to set up innovative e-learning courses based on the results of pan-European analysis of good practices in stress management in Europe and a manual of good practices of prevention of stress.
The training courses focus on the following content:

• Introduction to Moodle (HOW TO USE STRESS-FREE TEACHERS);
• Organizational methods that include social support methods provided at the school level for promoting proper organizational microclimate, relationships, open communication and support (ORGANIZING THE WAY YOU WORK IN SCHOOL);
• Rational methods to cope with stress (ORGANIZING DAILY LIFE);
• Relaxation methods (LEARN METHODS TO RELAX);
• Suggestions for the improvement of personal competences to cope better with stress (IMPROVE PERSONAL COMPETENCE);

The Stress-free teachers’ courses, available in 6 languages, use the project based and the problem-based learning approaches, promoting proper organizational microclimate, relationships, open communication, and support.

Project coordinating institution: Zentrum FUR Arbeit und Umwelt gGmbH (Germany)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija/ University of Applied Sciences (Lithuamia),  CodeDoor (Germany), A Escola Profissional de Espinho CEPROF (Portugal), The European Institute for Local Development (EILD) (Greece), C.I.P. Citizens In Power (CIP) organization (Cyprus), The Centre for Creative Development “Danilo Dolci”, CSC, (Italy).
Project summary: The purpose of the project “E-DESIGN – European Digital Education for Social Inclusion and Global Neighbourhood” is to contribute to promoting social inclusion and combating social inequalities among disadvantaged groups, especially migrants and refugees, through strengthening their digital competences in order to enhance their labour market opportunities and social participation according to the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights and ET 2020.
The main goals of the project:
•  Creation of learning offers and activities that lead digital education to rural areas, thereby promoting the importance and impact of digital skills for the future of Industry 4.0;
•  Increase social inclusion of individuals that come from disadvantaged backgrounds, including not only residents from rural areas, but also refugees and migrants;
•  Increase awareness on the importance of digital education and the opportunities that stem from it.

Project coordinating institution: The Deutsch-Baltische-Handelskammer in Estland, Lettland, Litauen e.V (Germany)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Latvian Association of Woodprocessing Enterpreneurs and Export (Latvia), The Association of Wood Producers and Exporters of West Lithuania (Lithuania), Furniture Cluster of South-East Estonia (Estonia), Lehrinstitut Rosenheim e.V. (Germany), Latvia University of Agriculture (Latvia), Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia (Estonia), AS Latvijas Finieris (Latvia).
Project summary: The wood processing sector is one of the main economy drivers and exporting industries in the Baltics with high growth potential but it is facing a lack of workforce with skills relevant to the current industry development – digital, green and other skills and qualifications recognized internationally.
During recent years the development of work-based learning (WBL) has been a priority of vocational education and training (VET) policy in the Baltic States and Europe. However, the main activities and improvements are focused on secondary level VET and there are minimal elements of WBL and quality assurance (EQAVET) in the next stages, including EQF level 5 VET.
These challenges will be addressed by creating a sector skills alliance and developing a European quality VET training programme that aims to improve the skills of the labour force in the wood processing sector in the Baltic States.

Project coordinating institution: Wyzsza Szkola Ekonomii, Prawa i Nauk Medycznych im. prof. Edwarda Lipinskiego w Kielcach, Poland
Project partners: Institute of Technology Tralee (Ireland), Vysoka Skola Zdravotnicka (Czech Republic),
Alma Mater Europaea-Evropski Center (Slovenia), Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), International Network for Health Workforce Education (Spain).
Project summary: The International Labour Organization ranked medical professions as the second most vulnerable to violence in the workplace. This view is supported by the consortium’s pre-project research which saw a questionnaire disseminated to key stakeholders and received over 1000 responses. Results showed that only 5.9% respondents with previous patient contact said that they had never been verbally assaulted by patients and 62.5% were victims of physical assault by patients at least once.
The chief goal of the project is to improve the workplace safety of healthcare professionals by increasing their skills and competences in dealing with difficult situations. To achieve this the project consortium will design and develop a complex multi-stakeholder, inter-disciplinary course for healthcare students, predominantly focused at paramedics and nurses. The didactic materials and project’s intellectual outputs will also be accessible to the rest of the health workforce such as physicians and physiotherapists.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Thomas More Kempen VZW  (Belgium), LAB University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Rezekne Academy of Technologies (Latvia), University of Nicosia (Cyprus).
Project summary: Following the economic downturns and the disturbance caused by the global pandemic of COVID-19, the need for prosocial activeness is boosted within public communities by the public bodies as well as private companies. The efforts to address societal challenges by the means of markets have never been so acute as they are now. Masks and ventilators produced below costs provide evidence for that.
Social entrepreneurship is the combination of commerce with social issues. Social entrepreneurship (SE) has gained huge importance within the EU. But it is noted that only a few higher education institutions in Europe offer study programmes or a module on Social entrepreneurship. The report “A map of social enterprises and their eco-systems in Europe” (2015) underlines that the most common barrier for social entrepreneurship across Europe is a lack of understanding of the concept. As from November 2020, the EU-funded project “Developing Social Entrepreneurships Skills in Higher Education” Nr.2020-2-LT01-KA203-078013 will be launched in 5 EU countries: Lithuania (Kauno kolegija HEI), Latvia (Rezekne Academy of Technologies), Belgium (Thomas More Kempen VZW), Finland (LAB University of Applied Sciences) and Cyprus (University of Nicosia). This project attempts to shape a common understanding of Entrepreneurship and bring it up to the light to the society.
The Consortium is going to develop an ecosystem of co-learning model, improve curriculum and launch teacher training programmes and create a “Social Entrepreneurship” subject. The involvement of the associated partners such as Kaunas Chamber of commerce, industry and crafts in Lithuania, Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Enactus Belgium, Culture and Art Centre in Latvia, and the social entrepreneurship organization Geri Norai LT in Lithuania, will guaranty profound understanding of Social entrepreneurship and most relevant evidence-based knowledge. The transnational cooperation brings in an added value as it transfers the Finish and Belgian practice to the partners in Lithuania, Latvia and Cyprus. A key component of the project is the development of “Train the training programme” which will be implemented and tested during international trainings as well as local ones. This will bring an impact at European level, as the methodology and subjects developed could be used for upgrading any higher education institution’s curricular.

Project coordinating institution: Agrupamento de Escolas no1 de Gondomar (Portugal)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Klara s.p. (Slovenia), JUMPIN HUB (Portugal), BETTER FUTURE (Slovenia), CEBDER (Turkey), SYNDICATE KONYA (Turkey), GRADINITA (Romania).
Project summary: The main aim of the project is to improve children’s overall wellbeing and physical and mental growth as individuals with less overprotecting behavior from parents. Children certainly need guidance from their parents because they look up to them, and most of the time, children copy their parents’ act. So it is crucial parents give them direction in such a way, that although children will rely on their parents, they will be able to make their own decisions and the parents will be there for support and advice instead of making decisions for them. We will equip teachers as well as parents with the tools and knowledge to help in different spectres in parenting, to provide them support in raising independent individuals at the same time decrease stress factors for parents.
We will improve healthy and productive child-raising in the family environment provided by our innovation FREE KIDS e-learning courses, besides, help parents to give their children the possibility to fail and grow by making own decisions and raise general interest for the public in the problematic of overparenting.

Project summary: Villages on the Move GO (VOMGO) promotes the resilience and social sustainability of voluntary sport clubs in rural areas. In small villages the voluntary sport clubs activities are under a risk: the activities are dependent on individual activators. In many cases these local sport activators are local enthusiasts, “fire souls” whose voluntary work supports HEPA actions alone. They need more support and methods to distribute the work to ensure the resilience of the sport clubs and health-enhancing physical activity actions for different target groups: children, adults, elderly and special groups like immigrants and refugees. The impact on European level is that the social sustainability of the local sport clubs will be strengthened. The project idea focuses on one of the main objectives of EU sport policy: promote awareness and activity in HEPA, health-enhancing physical activity. We support and enhance voluntary activities in sport, together with social inclusion and equal opportunities for rural citizens for sports for all. VOMGO involves actors in several functional levels to join cross-sectoral cooperation that results into -Learning how to use Culture of experimentation in sport club activities, we use analysed stories of the fire souls, collected the project – Developing tools of co-creation such as Hack4Society for supporting resilience and sustainability of small sport clubs -Enlargement of the map application on www.villagesonmove.com with the stories of the “fire souls” and methods of co-creation in sport clubs’ development work-Enlargement of the network of Villages on Move by dissemination activities.The intellectual outputs from the project are: 

Project coordinating institution: Carmel College (United Kingdom)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Associazione Professionale Universo CLIL (Coaching Lifelong Innovative Learning) (Italy), Directorate of Primary Education of Western Thessaloniki (Greece), Liceu Tehnologic de Industrie Alimentara (Romania), Charlottenlund ungdomsskole (Norway).
Project summary:
The lack of social mobility is a key issue for Europe. Research highlights that socioeconomic factors and family backgrounds are major barriers to social mobility and that gaps between both access to educational opportunities and achievement continue to rise. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds often lack positive role models or family support. They are not always aware of their options or their potential. They may be subject to negative influence in their own communities. This project aims to address this by focusing on a range of interventions including coaching and mentoring using young people who are just a few years older than themselves. Research shows that such role models are most likely to be a positive influence on young people. This project brings together 6 partners from 6 countries, all of which have challenges with social mobility. It is inspired by the experience of Carmel College in the UK, which undertook an exercise in assessing the impact of poverty on the daily lives of disadvantaged pupils, to identify those pupils who were most disadvantaged and therefore less likely to benefit from social mobility. This has led to the school adopting a menu of intervention strategies to ensure equality of opportunity and to provide support to the target groups in order to raise aspiration and improve educational opportunity. The project will provide students and older pupils with proper coaching competences will support them to work with disadvantaged students with confidence. External strategies include individualised careers work, visits to FE and HE, mentoring and visits to and by local business and parental engagement. Each partner will train up to 10 young coaches and mentors and match them with targeted pupils. In total the project expects to reach around 150 disadvantaged pupils, to support them, track them and impact on their future career paths. This project addresses the Horizontal Priorities of:
• supporting individuals in acquiring forward-looking skills to foster employability and socio-educational and personal development
• developing social inclusion by promoting equality and non-discrimination
This project addresses the Horizon Erasmus+ School Priorities of:
• strengthening the profile of the teaching profession by enhancing professional development,
facilitating teacher mobility and developing innovative teaching methods
• tackling early school leaving and disadvantage by strengthening collaboration within school and with external stakeholders and improving evaluation and quality assurance
The objectives of the project are to:
• analyse and share existing strategies and resources for improving social mobility to ensure equality of opportunity for all
• identify common areas of strength and priorities for development
• undertake a study visit to Carmel College to investigate the policies and practice of poverty protection
• use the outcomes of the study visit to develop a generic tool for identifying those in need of and would benefit from intervention strategies
• develop a holistic model to address disadvantage using coaching and mentoring, individualised
career plans, visits and short term placements/work shadowing
• produce an impact report incorporating a series of case studies
• disseminate the outcomes widely
The specific outputs will be:
• A project website hosting the resources, impact report and case studies
• A tool for identifying disadvantage and those who would benefit most from support and interventions
• A coaching training guide for young people and students
• An impact report incorporating recommendations for school policy
• dissemination strategy including examples of best practice, online materials and events in 6 countries.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: Riga Stradins University (Latvia),  Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Debesų Pieva (Lithuania)
Project summary: The aim of the project is to develop training materials for social workers to reduce stress. Expected results – developed teaching materials that can be used as non-formal education programs or applied as separate topics in the subjects of the social work study program. Also, it is planned to organize a pilot training for teachers and students.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Riga Stradins University (Latvia)
Project summary: The aim of the intensive course is to enhance cooperation between social work, nursing and agricultural technologies fields in order to develop teamwork skills, creative thinking and entrepreneurial competences and to provide better opportunities in labour market through encouragement of interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: HAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia)
Project summary: Overall aim of the network is to educate very flexible and open-minded specialist who may be involved in therapeutic puppetry development and use. The main activity of the project is therapeutic puppetry, which can be widely used in solving psychosocial challenges during the creative process. An interdisciplinary and international intensive study week will be organized, an international and interdisciplinary study module will be created, and student and teacher mobility will take place.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project summary: The aim of the project is to promote and develop health tourism in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. An interdisciplinary and international intensive study week will be organized, an international and interdisciplinary study module will be developed, and student and teacher mobility will take place.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Saimaa University of Applied Sciences (Finland) University of Tartu, Pӓrnu College (Estonia) Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia)
Project summary: The overall goal of the network is to create a synergy of HEIs for facilitating social and economic development of rural areas by supporting the existing and creating new earning logics in the regions. The most important aim of the network is to advance students and teachers’ exchange among partner institutions both for learning and research development and innovation (RDI) for gathering and sharing best practices of rural entrepreneurship in Baltic and Nordic countries.

Project coordinating institution: Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK) (Finland), University College of Northern Denmark (Denmark), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norway), University of Stavanger (Norway), Linnaeus University (Sweden)
Project summary: The goal is to develop and nurture the competencies of nursing study program students in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries in order to prepare professional nurses who are creative and able to cope with challenges in a modern multicultural environment.

Project coordinating institution: Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Metropolitan University College (Denmark), Novia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University of Iceland (Iceland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia)
Project summary: The goal is to develop the competencies of the nursing study program students of higher education institutions in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. Results: developed intercultural communication, group work and foreign language communication skills of nursing students.

Project coordinating institution: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia).
Project partners: Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tallinn University of Technology Estonian Maritime Academy Centre for Blue Economy (Estonia), Kaunas kolegija/ University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania).
Project summary: The aim of the express mobility for tourism students is to gain additional experience in international study environment and supplement their theoretic and practical knowledge of tourism management and to support teacher cooperation and internationalization at sending and partner institutions. One week express mobility visits are integrated into the regular curriculum of students and fully recognized in the study programme by 3 ECTS. Before the mobility students carry out an assignment involving research on the tourism of the host country. During the mobility students visit host institutions and learn about various tourism aspects through lectures, workshops, field trips to companies and sights. Sending institution will support assistance to lecturers during mobility activities. Host institution will provide their expertise on the tourism products of the host country in form of the lecture/workshop. After the mobility students write a report on their conclusions.
The partnership has shown successful implementation of the project and result activity. The previous students’ reports show that express mobility develops their intercultural skills as well as gives a valuable profesional skills in international environment and promote the internationalization of the curriculum, especially if students can’t participate in other long-term mobilities.

Project coordinating institution: Riga Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia).
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Metropolitan University College (Denmark), University of Tartu (Estonia), Novia University of Applied Sciences (Finland),University of Iceland (Iceland).
Project summary: The network NordPCC was established in Riga on 2018 based on the effective collaboration between partners trough previous Nordplus projects and health care professional visits during last years. The partnership will promote regional between six partner institutions in Latvia, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia and Iceland. The countries participating in the network have different experiences, guidelines and cultural conceptions when training health care specialists.
The common goal of the network is to prepare professionals to retain an equal and ethical capability within the health-care systems including PCC in education highlight trends worldwide – according to which, the experiences of the patients have become central components in the discourse of the health-care system. Thus, the patient in the center has become the mainstay as a result of social changes in the care and therapeutic relationship, on the one hand, and public awareness to patient rights, on the other, with emphases on transparency and cooperation regarding a diversity of cultures, patient safety and accessibility. That requires the training of students and health care providers in educational programs that support cultural competence and creating policies that accommodate cultural diversity to achieve positive health outcomes. Organizing academic and student mobility, intensive curse is a necessary means to share ideas, experiences and expert knowledge as well as to develop relationships and common understanding between Nordic and Baltic countries.

Project coordinating institution: Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania),  Metropol University College (Denmark), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), University of Iceland (Iceland), Riga 1st Medical College (Latvia), University of Boras (Sweden), Lunds University (Sweden), Alands hospital (Aland Islands), Hospital in Thorshavn (Faroe Island), Dronning Ingrids Hospital (Greenland), Western Norway University University of Applied Sviences (Norway), Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway), Rigas Stradina University RSU (Latvia), Novia University of Applied Sciences (Finland).
Project summary: Nordejordemodern (Midwife of the North) is a network of higher education within the midwifery profession and was established in the middle of the 1990s. The network Nordejordemodern consists of 15 partners of which 12 are educational institutions and 3 are public hospitals, including Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo and Bergen (Norway), Reykjavik (Island), Helsingfors and Vasa (Finland), Lund and Borås (Sweden), Tartu (Estonia), two in Riga (Latvia) and Kaunas (Lithuania) and also the public hospitals in Nuuk (Greenland), Torshavn (Faroe Island) and Mariehamn (Åland).
The network aims to provide students, teachers, and tutor exchange, intensive programs, curriculum development activities and projects within midwifery care and development. The main purpose of the network is to contribute to the growth of midwifery as an independent profession and science and to support the development of highly motivated and well-educated midwifery students with international skills. Acknowledging differences between countries, we are aware that we have a lot to learn from each other by facing different perspective of midwifery. Participation of representatives from public hospitals is essential as they bring real clinical situations to discussions and support with practical views on theoretical questions.
To strengthen Nordic-Baltic collaboration in midwifery education, sharing and developing evidence-based midwifery practices and understanding the differences and similarities in the maternity services in collaborating partner countries.
Our goals are:
To improve the transcultural competence of students and teachers and to disseminate cultural understanding by sharing experiences and knowledge within midwifery.
To develop and strengthen the management of the new global situation and its impact on midwifery – facing the challenge within the current immigration situation in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania)
Project partners: Mid Sweden University Sundsvall (Sweden), Abo Academy University (Finland), University College Lillebaelt (Denmark), University College of Northern Jutland (Denmark), Nord University (Norway)
Project summary: The Nordplus network “Sustainable Development in an Inclusive Society” currently unites 6 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 5 Baltic-Nordic countries. Partners are committed to jointly provide students and teachers the possibility to experience innovations, differences and similarities in Pre-school and Pre-primary education and Nordic-Baltic cultures.
This pre-school education network intends to continue working on the topic of sustainable child’s development in an inclusive society dealing with the fundamental issues of pre-schoolers’ education in the conditions of globalization and change. The overall goal and objectives of the network activities include:
– strengthen Nordic-Baltic cooperation in the area of pre-school education with the focus on the development of pre-school education study programs in partner institutions;
– promote innovative processes and products in education via the systematic exchange of experiences and good practice;
– contribute to the development of quality innovative education in the face of modern world challenges such as globalization, sustainability, digitalisation.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania)
Project partners: Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), SAVONIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland),
P.Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia).
Project summary: Wellness tourism is not only one of fastest growing sectors in Scandinavia and Baltics, but also second among revenue growth leaders among ten global wellness markets (6,5% from 2015-2017). According to Global Wellness Institute statistics, The global wellness industry grew 12.8% from 2015-2017, from a $3.7 trillion to a $4.2 trillion market. Global Wellness Tourism Economy report defines wellness as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. So wellness tourism consists of medical services (health care, treatment, rehabilitation services) and wellness (SPA services, beauty procedures, physical fitness, balanced nutrition, stress management, etc). Because of this broad composition, it is very important to educate flexible and open minded wellness tourism specialist. The comparison of curriculum of wellness related study programmes in project partner institutions showed, that in most cases some important competencies when targeting wellness area are missing. Health care areas students get almost no knowledge about business processes, business & tourism programmes usually have no courses about treatment, beauty and therapy procedures.
“Welltour” network was created in 2014, because the project partners strongly believe that better understanding of related fields of occupation would enhance development of wellness tourism field and support team work for benefits of clients and staff. Project network exists for six consecutive years and consists of four HEI: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania) -coordinator, Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), Savonia UAS (Finland), P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia) as partners.
The main area of the network activities is promotion and development of wellness tourism in Baltics and Scandinavia as well as development of study subjects related to the field. Network aimed to promote cooperation between fields: wellness tourism, physiotherapy, beauty care, oral health, nutrition. Network goal for 2019 is to integrate Latvia as a new partner and to organize an IP week on topic- “Wellness back to the nature: from virtuality to nature’ality”.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania)
Project partners: Haaga Helia University of Applied Siences  (Finland).
Project summary: With the globalisation and internationalisation flow in Europe the natural demand for learning other languages than English evokes. One of the EU’s multilingualism goals is for every European to speak 2 languages in addition to their mother tongue. To answer the above mentioned goals, a Language Centre of Kauno kolegija HEI was established in 2018. The major goals of the centre are to develop students’ and teachers’ language skills and offer a wide variety of foreign languages to answer the market demand. There is a tendency in Lithuania and other Baltic states of establishing Nordic businesses and companies in the Baltic states. Young people find working in an international/ Scandinavian company more attractive as there are wider career ladder opportunities. The same challenges of globalisation prevail in Finland with a demand to the neighbouring languages and for the newly arrived population, including university students with non-Finnish background, to learn the national languages (Finnish and Swedish). Skills in the national language of Finland are a benefit when seeking employment after graduation in Finland.
The aim of the project is to create an online A1 level (5 ECTS, 150 hr) course of Swedish and Finnish, which will be offered as an elective subject in the curricula of Kauno kolegija HEI and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, we see it as great possibility to promote the spread of the Nordic languages in Lithuania and among immigrant population in Finland and to enhance students’ employability chances. We believe that better language skills enable people to study and/or work abroad, and improve their job prospects, speaking other languages helps people from different cultures understand one another – essential in a multilingual, multicultural Europe as well as it will improve the students’ digital skills as most of the course will be digitalised . According to the https://europa.eu/european-union/topics/multilingualism_ento trade effectively across Europe, businesses need multilingual staff the language industry – translation and interpretation, language teaching, language technologies, etc. – is among the fastest growing areas of the economy. The 2012 Eurobarometer survey on Europeans and their languages revealed very positive attitudes to multilingualism: 98% say mastering foreign languages will benefit their children, 88% think that knowing languages other than their mother tongue is very useful, 72% agree with the EU goal of at least 2 foreign languages for everyone, 77% say improving language skills should be a policy priority.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia), HAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), New Generation of Women‘s Initiatives (Lithuania).
Project summary: Professionals need to be creative and flexible to reach people and to support them in their needs of self-realization, development of useful skills and changing destructive behaviour. Network believes that therapeutic puppetry is one of approaches that should be used wider and more often. The diverse way in which puppets can be used in empowering activities is quite unique and it is one of the main advantages. Puppetry is a very playful method that can tempt introvert clients out of isolation. The indirect work with puppets creates a safe space for self-exploration, lessening its eventual threatening impact.
Overall aim of the network is to educate very flexible and open minded specialist who may be involved in therapeutic puppetry development and use. Project is planned for 3 years with various activities: First year we plan to create long lasting network of HEIs and organizations from all eligible countries. Network development will be followed by intensive course. The aim of the intensive course is to enhance cooperation between different study fields – from technologies to arts and social sciences in order to develop creative thinking, entrepreneurial competences and to provide better opportunities in labour market through encouragement of team work, interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation. In addition to networking and Intensive course we plan to have mobility activity as mobility within network is seen as mean to assure internationalization of institutions and to widen competence of participants.
Second and third year will follow the same project structure with addition of development project – development of joined multidisciplinary programme.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: SAVONIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia), Rīga Stradiņš University (Latvia).
Project summary: The health and social care sectors need alternatives to traditional treatment, therapy, rehabilitation and work training. Traditional therapies should be supplemented with innovative elements taking in consideration tumultuous social environment. Partnership came to agreement that green care concept should be explored more and introduced into learning process at our institutions as one of innovative and attractive approaches. Green care is the use of agricultural farms and the biotic and abiotic elements of nature for health and therapy-promoting interventions as a base for promoting human mental and physical health, as well as quality of life.
Overall aim of the network is to educate flexible and open-minded specialist who may be involved in development, promotion and use of green care concept. It is important to mention that promotion of Green Care concept and its wider application contributes towards social and environmental sustainability. It promotes cohesion of different society groups bringing them together by using natural resources and costs of therapies might be almost none.
Project is running for 3 years and now we are planning next 3-year cycle with various activities:
First year will be dedicated to expansion of the network of HEIs involving other Nordic and Baltic countries. Network development will be followed by intensive course and piloting of the developed joined study module. Second year the project will keep the same structure just topic for IC will be changed – topics are agreed within the network for all 3 years. The aim of the course is to enhance cooperation between different fields in order to develop team work skills, creative thinking and entrepreneurial competences, encourage interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation. We are planning to have Intensive course and mobility during third year too as mobility within network is seen as mean to assure internationalization of institutions and to widen competence of participants.

Project coordinating institution: University College of Northern Denmark (Denmark)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Mid Sweden University Sundsvall (Sweden), Abo Academy University (Finland), University College Lillebaelt (Denmark), University College of Northern Jutland (Denmark), Nord University (Norway), University of Latvia, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art (Latvia).
Project summary: A network of Nordic education institutions has been collaborating for more than 20 years with the focus on Nordic culture and language in pre-school education, and for the last three years included the Nordic-Baltic perspective. Our present Nordplus Network is a cooperation between pre-school teacher programs at 7 institutions and 6 countries. The Network name is Nordic-Baltic childhood and culture in a global perspective. The participating institutions are; University College Lillebaelt, University College of Northern Jutland, Abo Academy University, University of Latvia, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art, Kauno kolegija HEI, Nord University Nesna, Mid Sweden University Sundsvall. This application aims to continue working not only on exchanging and sharing experience, cultural identity, language and education of preschool teachers in the Nordic-Baltic countries, but also on innovative methodology that develops child’s creativity, expression, emotional intelligence. Culture and identity are today more and more influenced by a digitalized, globalized and post-modern world. Views on learning, competences and education are changing as a consequence of more globalized culture. Our network would like to share new ideas at IC on learning, education and developing competences in pre-school and pre-school teachers’ education.
The overall goal and objectives of the network activities include:

• strengthen Nordic-Baltic cultural understanding and cooperation in the area of pre-school teacher education;
• focus on the development of pre-school education study programs in partner institutions;
• promote innovative processes and products in education via the systematic exchange of experiences and good practice;
• apply aesthetical, artistic, playful and creative methods in early childhood education;
• contribute to the development of quality innovative education in the face of globalized, digitalized and post-modern world challenges.

Project coordinating institution: Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), University College of Northern Denmark (Denmark), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norway), Linnaeus University (Sweden), Universitetet i Stavanger (Norway), South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Finland).
Project summary: The network’s objective is to enhance the collaboration between the partner universities and working life in the Nordic countries through mobility of nursing students and academic staff. The dissemination of good practices and innovative results is an important goal, too. Fortunately, the interest in student exchange to the Nordic countries has lately been increasing. Experiences from other cultures, including languages, are important for health care students when facing patients with different backgrounds. The partners have also arranged intensive courses in topical themes since 2001.
The partners take turns in hosting network meetings. The goal of network activities is to develop networking, quality assurance and development of academic cooperation within the network, make the members meet and get to know more staff at the other institutions, learn about each other and each other’s curricula, pedagogical and e-learning methods, and to get familiar with places of practical training. The member institutions’ students can also take part in partners’ online courses. Networking increases the number of contacts and the knowledge of the partner institutions, strengthens the cooperation and facilitates more student and staff mobility between the partners.

Project coordinating institution: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Åland University of Applied Sciences (Åland Islands), University of Akureyri (Iceland), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), Copenhagen Business Academy (Denmark), Westerdals (Norway), University of Dalarna (Sweden), Högskolan i Skövde (Sweden), Jönköping University/University Services (Sweden), University College Lillebælt (Denmark), University College of Southeast Norway (Norway), Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences (Estonia).
Project summary: The aim of the project is student and staff mobility to the Nordic and Baltic countries, cooperation in the fields of business, engineering, logistics, communications and media, as well as the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation. There will be organized an intensive program and the annual partner meetings.

Project coordinating institution: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tallinn University of Technology Estonian Maritime Academy Centre for Blue Economy (Estonia).
Project summary: The aim of the project is to implement student Express mobility, to create opportunities for gaining additional experience in the international study environment, to supplement theoretical and practical knowledge of tourism management and to support teacher cooperation and internationalization of studies in partner institutions. The foreseen results: educational trip to foreign country, student mobility.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), SAVONIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland), P.Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia).
Project summary: Wellness tourism is one of fastest growing sectors in Scandinavia and Baltics and second among revenue growth leaders among ten global wellness markets (6,5% from 2015-2017). Wellness tourism consists of medical services (health care, rehabilitation services) and wellness (SPA services, beauty procedures). Because of this broad composition, it is very important to educate flexible and open-minded wellness tourism specialist. The comparison of related study programmes revealed that important competencies are missing. Health areas students get almost no knowledge about business, tourism programmes usually have no courses about treatments. “Welltour” network was created for promotion and development of wellness tourism as well as development of study subjects related to the field. Network covers these fields: wellness tourism, physiotherapy, beauty care, oral health. It unites four HEIs: Kauno Kolegija UAS (Lithuania), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), Savonia UAS (Finland) and P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia). Cooperation of the network inspired and supported the development of full degree study programme Wellness and SPA management at KK.
Project is planned for 3 years: First year we will organize intensive course “Promotion of local wellness tourism” with the aim to enhance interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation, to develop creative thinking and entrepreneurial competences. We plan to have mobility activity as well – mobility within network is seen as a means to assure internationalization of institutions and to widen the competence of participants. Second and third year will follow the same project structure with changes in topics of IC and expansion of the network attracting professionals working in the field.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: HAME University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonnia), P.Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia).
Project summary: Network Empowering Puppetry unites HEIs social work, arts, technologies and health studies – Kauno kolegija and NGO New Generation of Womens’ Initiatives (Lithuania), HAMK UAS (Finland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), P. Stradins Medical College (Latvia). We believe that professionals need to be creative and flexible to reach people and to support them in their needs of self-realization, development of useful skills and changing destructive behaviour. Therapeutic puppetry is one of approaches that supports it and should be used wider and more often. The diverse way in which puppets can be used in empowering activities is quite unique and it is one of the main advantages. Puppetry is a very playful method that can tempt introvert clients out of isolation. The indirect work with puppets creates a safe space for self-exploration, lessening its eventual threatening impact.
Overall aim of the network is to educate very flexible and open-minded specialist who may be involved in therapeutic puppetry development and use. Project is planned for 3 years with various activities: First year we created network of HEIs and organizations from all eligible countries and started to organize by intensive course. The aim of the intensive course is to enhance cooperation between different study fields – from technologies to arts and social sciences in order to develop creative thinking, entrepreneurial competences and to provide better opportunities in labour market through encouragement of team work, interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation. In addition to networking and Intensive course we plan to have mobility activity as mobility within network is seen as mean to assure internationalization of institutions and to widen competence of participants.
Second and third year will follow the same project structure with changes in therapeutic puppetry application areas and expansion of the network attracting professional working in the field.

Project coordinating institution: Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland).
Project partners: TK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland), HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Åland University of Applied Sciences (Aland Islands), University of Akureyri (Iceland), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), Westerdals (Norway), University of Dalarna (Sweden), Högskolan i Skövde (Sweden), Jönköping University/University Services (Sweden), Copenhagen Business Academy (Cphbusiness) (Denmark), Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), University College of Southeast Norway (Norway), UCL University College (Denmark).
Project summary: The aims of the network are:

• Increasing mobility and cooperation between Nordic and Baltic countries through the promotion and support of student and teacher exchanges within business, technology, communication & media as well as entrepreneurship and innovation. With close links to the industry this network provides possibilities and funding for internships. Additionally, express mobility is funded within this network since it might be the only option for some students (students with families, low-income etc.).
• Implementing intensive programmes. In an intensive programme students and teachers from different partner institutions come together to work on a common theme. This work usually leads to further cooperation.
• Development projects. The network examines current trends to find cooperation opportunities in areas such as collaboration with the industry, HRM etc.

The interest towards sharing best practices and gaining new experiences has increased. Study or/and work abroad is now compulsory in many of the network partner institutions. Students have adapted a global mindset to gain and aim for more international experiences. Furthermore, teacher exchange offers a variety of possibilities: exchanging ideas and developing material, finding ideas for projects, teaching and pedagogical aspects, and extending institutional cooperation. The network uses advanced web-based tools to provide materials and information for network members. The updated budget is always available online for members to help in planning prospective mobility activities. This provides visibility, equality and trust inside the network, as well as activates cooperation by making it simpler to access all the necessary information.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI
Project partners: Saimaa University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia).
Project summary: Baltic-Nordic Network for Creating New Earning Logics in Rural Areas (NEWELRA) currently has five participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Partners are committed to jointly facilitate the socioeconomic development of rural areas by encouraging and supporting rural entrepreneurship in agriculture, tourism, fine art, food, woodworking, etc. The overall goal of the network is to create a synergy of HEIs for facilitating social and economic development of rural areas by supporting the existing and creating new earning logics in the regions. The specific objectives of the network include:

• Increase students and teachers’ mobility. The most important aim of the network is to advance students and teachers’ exchange among partner

institutions both for learning and research development and innovation (RDI) for gathering and sharing best practices of rural entrepreneurship in Baltic and Nordic countries;

• implementing innovative ways of teaching to support rural entrepreneurs and to provide entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and competences to students;
• In the long term, writing and publishing (with contribution from all partner institutions) a handbook of rural entrepreneurship in Baltic and Nordic countries.

After over 4 years of productive collaboration, the above mentioned partner institutions are willing to continue the cooperation. Baltic and Nordic rural areas face similar issues such as unemployment, lack of entrepreneurial/managerial skills and so forth. Therefore, the partners have committed to join efforts in addressing the current and future rural issues.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland),  Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), P.Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia)
Project summary: The aim of the project is to promote and develop health tourism in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. An interdisciplinary and international intensive study week will be organized, an international and interdisciplinary study module will be developed, and student and teacher mobility will take place.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: HAMK University or Applied Sciences (Finland), Tartu Health Care College (Estonia), P.Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia (Latvia), Naujos kartos moterų iniciatyvos (Lithuania)
Project summary:  The main activity of the project is therapeutic puppetry, which can be widely used in solving psychosocial challenges during the creative process. An interdisciplinary and international intensive study week will be organized, an international and interdisciplinary study module will be created, and student and teacher mobility will take place.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania) Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia), Laane – Viru College (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Rīga Stradiņš University (Latvia)
Project summary: The aim of the project is to use green spaces for therapeutic purposes. An interdisciplinary and international intensive study week will be organized, an international and interdisciplinary study module will be created, and student and teacher mobility will take place.

Project coordinating institution: Arcada University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), University of Akureyri (Iceland), Vilnius University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), University College Lillebelt (Denmark).
Project summary: The overall aim of this project is to make explicit the training and assessment of soft skills as core competences. The World Economic Forum has determined 10 critical job skills that will be in demand for the future job market of Industry 4.0. (See https://www.engineering.com/JobArticles/ArticleID/16807/4-Cornerstone-Skills-Engineers-Need-for-the-Future-of-Work.aspx)
Four of these skills will be particularly relevant to the high-tech economy:

1. Complex Problem Solving
2. Critical Thinking
3. Creativity
4. People Management including self-leadership

To achieve its aim of devising and developing pedagogically sound training in these critical job skills, Vaken builds on identified needs for future work life skills or soft skills based on both analysis of 29 future work skills reports, benchmarking into Hyper Island (Sweden) and HIVE (School42, Finland) and research about the entrepreneurial mindset. The project also builds on successful previous projects such as Nobanet and the output of a KA203 Erasmus project called “Strengthening students’ employability through enhanced skills formation”.
VAKEN aims to

1. create tools to enable students to learn key soft skills demanded by business;
2. practice them using toolkits in digital laboratories;
3. use them in real-life projects with SMEs, startups and entrepreneurs from different parts of the region
4. Create an example use case in the form of Intensive Weeks.

Vaken’s toolkit and digital labs will form a pedagogical framework that will be

1. used initially within the partner institutions;
2. tested with SMEs and startups across the Nordic/Baltic region;
3. launched as open source educational resources for others to use.

Vaken will have the world of small and emerging business at its heart as we build upon our experience with Nobanet’s cross-border assignments. Their interests and reactions will help guide the development of the toolkit. The result will be a new pedagogical framework recognised by education and business in the Nordic / Baltic region.

Project coordinating institution: Latvian Christian Academy (Latvia)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Diakonia College of Finland (Finland), Majori Secondary School (Latvia),  Latvian Ballet and Dance Guild (Latvia).
Project summary: The main purpose of project is to develop innovative guidance (Toolkit) for teachers and educators working with teenagers and young people in order to reveal to young people alternative ways of creative activities and communication at school during lesson breaks. Students continue to sit during the breaks and communicate through smart devices. We propose integration of several forms of arts as a way of captivating and fascinating young people for involvement in social (non-virtual) interaction.
Teachers can guide young people in alternative ways for socializing according to the needs of healthy psychological, mental and spiritual growth of personality. Uniqueness of LCA as a coordinating institution is in integrative cross-sectoral perspective on each problem, and especially holistic approach including spiritual contexts of personality. The guidance will be developed by interdisciplinary team: artists, art therapists, academics and teenage educators, specialists of psychology, anthropology and theology will work on the common idea. LCA has a wide network of professional associations of psychologists, anthropologists and artists, and the specialists from these associations will be invited as experts for qualitative development of the innovative idea.
Project aims to develop: 1) Arts-Integration Toolkit for Teachers “Teens Without Screens”, 2) piloting the Toolkit as a guidance for teachers in Majori Secondary School (Latvia) integrating arts into everyday school life; 3) To present the results of piloting the Toolkit in practical Conference for teachers and educators to rise the public interest on the growing problem of internet addiction among youth.
By these activities we are reaching Nordplus aims “to strengthen and develop Nordic-Baltic cooperation on education, help to create Nordic-Baltic educational area, as well “contribute to the development of quality and innovation in the educational systems”. Reaching Nordplus Horizontal aims – in concordance with Nordplus Horizontal aim for in-service training and further education for teachers, development of new teaching methods. Our aim for future is to create sustainable cross-sectoral network activities between Nordic-Baltic educators.

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania)
Project partners: Laane-Viru College (Estonia), Savonia University of Applied Sciences  (Finland), Estonian University of Life Sciences (Estonia).
Project summary: The health and social care sectors need alternatives to traditional treatment, therapy, rehabilitation and work training. Traditional therapies should be suplemented with innovative elements taking in conssideration tumultuous social environment. Partnership came to agreement that green care concept should be explored more and introduced into learning process at our institutions as one of innovative and atractive approaches. Green care is the use of agricultural farms and the biotic and abiotic elements of nature for health and therapy-promoting interventions as a base for promoting human mental and physical health, as well as quality of life.
Overall aim of the network is to educate flexible and open minded specialist who may be involved in development, promotion and use of green care concept.
The network is dedicated amendments of developed study module, integration into existing educational structures at partner institutions and for the development of further aims of the network. We are planning to have Intensive course and mobility during third year too as mobility within network is seen as mean to assure internationalization of institutions and to widen competence of participants.

News

https://www.kaunokolegija.lt/en/the-project-coordinated-by-kaunas-university-of-applied-sciences-announced-as-the-highest-quality-project-of-the-nordplus-programme/ 

Project coordinating institution: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania).
Project partners: Saimaa University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University of Tartu (Estonia), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia).
Project summary: Baltic-Nordic Network for Creating New Earning Logics in Rural Areas (NEWELRA) currently has five participating
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Partners are committed to jointly facilitate the socioeconomic development of rural areas by encouraging and supporting rural entrepreneurship in agriculture, tourism, fine art, food, woodworking, etc.
The overall goal of the network is to create a synergy of HEIs for facilitating social and economic development of rural areas by supporting the existing and creating new earning logics in the regions. The specific objectives of the network include:

• Increase students’ and teachers’ mobility. The most important aim of the network is to advance students and teachers’ exchange among partner institutions both for learning and research development and innovation (RDI) for gathering and sharing best practices of rural entrepreneurship in Baltic and Nordic countries;
• implementing innovative ways of teaching to support rural entrepreneurs and to provide entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and competences to students;
• In the long term, writing and publishing (with contribution from all partner institutions) a handbook of rural entrepreneurship in Baltic and Nordic countries.

Project coordinating institution: Intitut Pierre Simon Laplace LMD (France)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), CNR (Italija), National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics (Romania), Institute for geophysics and meteorology (Germany), University of Warsaw (Poland), Institute of Thermomechanics (Czech Republic), Institut of GeoSciences Energy Water and Environment (Albania), Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (Austria),  Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (Belgium), Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria), Climate, atmosphere and water research institute at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria), Drzavni Hidrometeoroloski Zavod (Croatia),  Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Croatia (Croatia), The Cyprus Institute (Cyprus), Department of Wind Energy (Denmark), DTU Wind Energy (Denmark), University of Tartu (Estonia), Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (Estonia), Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finland), Météo France (France), Ecole Polytechnique (France), Deutscher Wetterdienst (Germany), Universität zu Köln (Germany), University of Patras (Germany), Technical University of Crete (Greece), Hungarian Meteorological Service (Hungary), The Icelandic Meteorological Office (Iceland), Leosphere  (France), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) (Ireland), IIBR (Israel), ARPA Valle d’Aosta (Italy), Lithuanian Energy Institute (Lithuania), University of Evora (Portugal), National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics (Romania), Babes-Bolyai University (Romania), Institute of Physics Belgrade (Serbia), Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (Slovakia), Slovenian Environment Agency (Slovenia), University of Granada (Spain), Measurements and Data (Switzerland), Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos (Switzerland), İstanbul Aydın University (Turkey), Karadeniz Technical University (Turekey), STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (England), University of Reading  Meteorology (England), University of Sofia (Bulgaria), Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (Austria), Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finland), Cimel (France), Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology (Germany), RPG Radiometer Physics GmbH (Germany), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), CNR-IMAA (Italy), University of Evora (Portugal), National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics (Romania), Institute of Physics (Serbia), Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (Slovakia), Universitat Rovirai Virgili (Spain), Universitat Jaume I (Spain), Meteoswiss (Switzerland), Karadeniz Technical University (Turkey), University of Reading (England).
Project summary: The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is the layer closest to the Earth’s surface within which most human activities take place. The vertical profile of atmospheric thermodynamic parameters in the ABL impacts weather, air quality, and climate. Surface sensor networks and satellite observations do not provide sufficient information on the high temporal variability and strong vertical gradients experienced in the ABL. Thus, despite its importance, ABL remains the single most important under-sampled part of the atmosphere. This observational gap currently hampers our ability to improve weather forecasts, air quality prediction, and climate model parameterization. However, this gap is mainly due to the lack of S&T networking and coordination. In fact, state-of-the-art ground-based remote sensing instruments able to provide ABL profiles (such as temperature, humidity, wind, aerosol, cloud) are currently deployed at numerous sites in Europe, but the harmonization of data and procedures is missing, limiting the effective use and societal benefits of the existing ABL profiling data. This Action aims to fill this gap, bridging user needs and the S&T expertise residing in industry and academia. This will be achieved through:

• Capacity building of instrument operators to improve the use of state-of-the-art ABL profiling instruments
• Fostering coordination between operational agencies and academia to tailor measurement networks for well identified applications
• Enhancing pan-European research coordination to develop new products and tools for data assimilation and long-time series reanalysis
• Identifying knowledge brokers enabling rapid exchange between academia, operational agencies, industry and end-users to ensure full exploitation for societal benefit.

Project coordinating institution: Radboud University (Netherlands)
Project partners: Kauno kolegija HEI (Lithuania), Université de Lorraine (France), INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN) (Portugal), Koc University (Portugal), Technische Universität Dortmund (Germany), Centre for Advanced Materials Application (CEMEA) (Slovakia), Radboud University (Netherlands), NCSR Demokritos (Greece), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (Spain), IMEC (Belgium), Institute of Solid State Physics (Bulgaria), Institute of Optical Materials and Technologies (Bulgaria), University of Split (Bulgaria), Charles University (Czech Republic), Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Czech Republic), Aarhus University (Denmark), AU Engineering (Denmark), Aalto University (Finland), IPCMS (Fance), Université de Lorraine (France), Technical University Munich (Germany), University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Wigner Research Center for Physics (Hungary), Haskoli Island (Iceland), University of Iceland (Iceland), Tyndall National Institute (Ireland), University of Messina (Italy), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Department of Applied Physics (Netherlands), University of Information Science and Technologies “St. Paul the Apostle” (Macedonia), University of Oslo (Norway), University of Bialystok (Poland), Polish Acad. Sci. The Szewalski Institute (Poland), INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN) (Portugal), University of Porto (Portugal), National Institute of Research and Development for Technical Physics (Romania), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (Romania), Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade (Serbia), University of Novi Sad (Serbia), Centre for Advanced Materials Application (CEMEA) (Slovakia), Jozef Stefan Institute (Slovenia), Fundació Institut Català de Nanociècia I Nanotecnologia (Spain), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (Spain), Asia-Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (South Korea), Paul Scherrer Institut (Switzerland), Koc University (Turkey), Bogazici University (Turkey), Sheffield Hallam University (England), University of Exeter (England), Imec (Belgium), University of Zagreb (Croatia), Technische Universität Dortmund (Germany), Politecnico di Bari (Italy), University of Aveiro (Portugal), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romania), Institute for Multidisciplinary Research (Serbia), University of Novi Sad (Serbia), Jozef Stefan Institute (Slovenia), University of Salamanca (Spain), Universidad del Pais Vasco (Spain), Uppsala University (Sweden), Paul Scherrer Institut (Switzerland), University of Cambridge (England), University of Southampton (England), The University of York (England), Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), Scientific-Practical Materials Research Centre (Belarus), Institute of Magnetism (Ukraine), Donetsk Institute for Physics & Engineering named after O.O.Galkin of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Ukraine), Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), Kotel’nikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics of Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia).
Project summary: The explosive growth of digital data use and storage leads to an enormous rise in energy consumption, which is rapidly becoming unsustainable. Ultrafast opto-magneto-electronics is an emerging field that combines the ideas and concepts of opto-magnetism and spin transport with photonics for ultrafast low-dissipative manipulation and storage of information. Both light and spin currents can control magnetic order, but mechanisms as well as corresponding time scales and energy dissipation differ. The MAGNETOFON Action aims at the best of both worlds, combining short time scales and non-dissipative propagation of light with nanoscale selectivity and strong interactions of spin currents. The ultimate goal is to create and implement non-volatile, low-dissipative, and ultrafast functional elements for data technology.
The research objectives of the MAGNETOFON Action will be achieved by combining the existing expertise of the scientific communities dealing with ultrafast magnetism, spintronics, magnonics, photonics and advanced spectroscopy, and by sharing the new knowledge arising from the exchange between them. This Action will result in a considerable leap in the quality and effectiveness of research in Europe, by bridging the existing gaps between these areas.
The ambition of the Action is to initiate a breakthrough in the field of low-dissipative opto-magnetism and femtosecond spintronics with the help of a joint scientific program bringing together presently nearly non-overlapping scientific communities. By training a new generation of scientists at the interface of the involved disciplines, further development of the field will be ensured together with a successful translation of the scientific breakthroughs into innovative technological solutions.