The aim of RecoASIA project is to improve competencies and skills of credential evaluators of Partner countries by defining common practices and tools among European and Asian HE systems (at national and institutional level), starting from the needs expressed and sharing the experience of European HEIs in relation with the Lisbon Recognition Convention, Bologna Process and practices adopted by NARIC centres. Recognition procedures and practices do not only consist in technical issues but also in the structure of each HE system and its cultural approach. Recognition considers all the aspects of a HE system (QA; accreditation/recognition of institutions; etc.); in fact, to evaluate a foreign qualification, the knowledge of different elements and the consideration of the purpose of this evaluation procedure (academic or professional recognition) are needed. The partnership intends to develop national information centres and to provide their staff with training on recognition procedures, also taking into account the role of the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education of Tokyo entered into force in 2018 and to establish a dialogue with the Lisbon Recognition Convention. We will draft National Reports of each partner country involved in the project in order to present their HE systems with the aim of enhancing the internationalisation of participating Partner countries. We will treat controversial recognition cases and sectors as TNE and international institutions, distant learning and non-traditional degrees, studying verification sources and the blockchain technology as a tool to fight credentials fraud. A work package will be dedicated to the methodologies for the evaluation of refugee qualifications and the possible implementation in the Asian context. To maximase the dissemination of the project's results two final conferences will be organised.

Addressing new challenges in a rapidly changing world, the consortium members value the relevance of transdisciplinary approaches and close collaboration between the higher education sector and non-academic actors. The project therefore aims at establishing vibrant and dynamic knowledge networks of multi-lateral and transdisciplinary studies. To start with, KNOTS will evolve around the topics of social inequality, climate change and migration. The implementation of KNOTS will be achieved in three steps: a) three clusters of joint research and teaching activities, each year with a specific thematic and geographical focus, will contribute to the development and elaboration of teaching manuals and learning material on transdisciplinary comparative research, b) establishing close collaboration links with non-academic sector (private sector, NGOs, politics) and the c) the implementation of a train-the-faculty program. By carrying out these steps the project partner HEIs will become regional points of reference for transdisciplinary research and innovative teaching. At the same time KNOTS will foster internationalization of the project partner HEIs and enhance their ability to academic but also transdisciplinary networking and cooperation. The project outcomes will be made available to students and trainees at the end of project year 3 in modules of transdisciplinary research tutorials in each project partner HEI. Besides, teaching manual, learning materials, and academic as well as non-academic papers documenting the systematic development of this pioneering methodology will be made accessible for the interested public through an open access source. Several events (summer-schools, conference) throughout the project life-time will also be open to interested members of non-participating HEIs, but also to the wider society.

Due to a strong hierarchy in Asian society, there is hardly any real reflection on the trainings and teaching approaches and possible improvements in university teaching and industry settings. However, the way content is trained and the pedagogical skills and used tools of trainers and teachers are at least as important as the content. Using the right pedagogical approach and tools can significantly increase the impact of teaching and training in a higher education and for any business sector. With an Industry rapidly developing, Vietnam and Thailand are in big need of better skilled teachers and trainers and for a stronger collaboration with the related academic providers of pedagogical training.Increasing the skills of any person performing teaching and training and equipping them with the right methods and tools is the aim of the INCEASE project team, introducing PARTICIPATORY approaches and REFLECTING methods such as the “vignette research” together with the right supportive digital training tools. INCREASE will:- Develop and introduce new courses on currently underrepresented innovative participative and reflective methods and tools for teachers and trainers as pre-service and in-service training and on different levels and apply those on 2 selected economic sectors (food and hospitality) - Develop and implement a participatory process to continuously identify and address needs, resources and strategies for educational organizations and companies (participatory lab approach) - Introduction of innovative digital trainings solutions- Frame all activities in a sustainable network and approach (Inspire garage) to ensure easy reproduceable and adaptability to other sectors and content to maximize the impactWith this, the INCREASE project aims to sustainably modernise and update the pedagogical and didactical training capacities of teachers and trainers in Thailand and Vietnam across Universities and Businesses to increase its value for society and Industry.

The 4° Industrial Revolution global transformation is also transforming the Financial Sector due to the technology invasion. The HE worldwide are trying to tackle to this revolution. TRUST project aims to improve the quality of the HE in Vietnam and Philippines to answer to the labour market needs of the Financial Services Sector in partner country. TRUST project objectives are the designing/developing of a new Master on FINancial TECHnology-FINTHECH; and the modernising of other masters of Business and Economics with specific contents on FINTECH in Vietnamese and Philippines Universities. Concrete results are the implementation of the new master on FINTHECH and of at least 2 masters of Business and Economics modernised in each HEI in 3 Philippines and 3 Vietnamese universities. They will be delivered in blended modality (workshops/distance learning) thought the TRUST e-learning platform to at least 120 students each partner country. TRUST aims to prepare students in the financial services with the use of technology equipping them with the needed skills to answer to the emergent financial labour market needs. The project also aims to equip the HEIs of partner countries by increasing the professional development of HEIs professors and staff, and also by purchasing the needed Fintech specific software each Fintech solution for the masters development and implementation in each VN and PH HEIs. The project impact will be the professional development of HEIs staff; the enriched training offer of VN and PH HEIs in FINTECH; the increased cooperation between HEIs and the Financial Services industry in Vietnam and the Philippines. The long term impact are the increased employability chance of HEI’s new graduated, including the promotion of new graduated entrepreneurship, enriched preparation on the FinTech topics of HEIs’ staff and improved quality of educational offer on FinTech of HEIs, the strengthened of University/business cooperation in Vietnam and the Philippine.