Context Digitalization forces businesses to transform but many lack understanding of how to redesign processes. Future staff need new combinations of skills to ensure a smooth transition towards the digital age. Universities' role in this: -changing teaching to provide students with the needed skill sets-assuming knowledge leadership to be drivers of digital change within local communities and corporate networks-transforming their own functioningAs it is not clear under Digitalization, which competencies graduates need in the future and how they are acquired, business and universities need to work together sharing resources and experience, bringing together experts and setting up frameworks of co-operation.CHEDTEB addressed the digital challenge bya.providing education b.driving progress and innovation in local (business) communities c.proposing reform of university organisations Objectives •Promote digital transformation and support the competitiveness in regional areas •Enable universities and local communities to bundle resources, skills and ideas for digital transformation in order to -stimulate a common transnational learning process between companies and universities -set up an interdisciplinary Joint Degree in 'Digital Transformation' -develop new tools, case studies and teaching models in university-business collaboration-inspire international students by trialing innovative curriculum ideas -blueprint a transnational pilot project in higher education as a model for the universities involvedParticipants/Target GroupsUniversity staff: Partners’ research, teaching, admin staff, other HEIs involved, in total c500 Local companies, networks: SMEs, consulting, trade groups, associations, in total c200University students: Business and Tech students, in total c220Program’s attractiveness-Partners from one high-income and two low-income countries (limited exposure to international education and international business) -Intrinsic value to students, administrators and teaching staff from partner universities.-Learning, working and 'growing' with peers from international partner institutions-Affordable and accessible conditions -Access for skills and services to global markets, innovation and digital value chains-Carving out individual opportunities ('hidden' project agenda)-Corporate partners from emerging economies interacting with peers from developed areasParticipation eased by-low travel costs and virtual mobility -mixing peer groups from partner institutions and local corporate networks-encouraging personal exchange-cross-cultural communication training-warm-up periods, social / cultural activities at workshops and multiplier eventsOffers to target groups-Corporate, NGO and public institutions: working groups, conferences, social media, surveys, interviews, webinars-Researchers and teachers: involvement in workflow, output, communication, dissemination and training, surveys, interviews, webinars-Admin staff of universities: specific working groups and phases, specific training courses, multiplier events, other dissemination and communication efforts, webinars, surveys -Students: specific workshops, idea lab, pitches, conferences, working groups, social media campaigns, surveys, webinars, training courses.Activities -Intellectual outputs: research, modelling, sharing, drafting, campaigning, publicizing, advocating-Courses: training, brainstorming, activating, pitching, debating, modelling, validating, organizing, campaigning-Multiplier events: presenting, sharing, transferring, debating, disseminating, validating, organizing, campaigningResults, impact-Laid foundations for future innovative joint degree on digital transformation -Elaborated instruments designed to help businesses and universities address digital challenges-Research papers, tools and products meant for wider use by agents of digital change in companies and universities -Designed joint degree (curriculum, principles, model of multi-university co-operation in teaching and learning)-Increased awareness of Digitalization with students, admin professionals and teaching staff -Tested learning content and project outputs-Supplied proposals for tackling digitization of universities with focus on internationalizationResults were organized in 5 intellectual outputs:1.Guide to implementing Blockchain and Smart Contract Technologies 2.Impact assessment of Big Data analysis & application cases3.Toolbox for digital transformation management & curricular impact for higher education4.Curriculum of a Master’s degree in Digital Transformation of Corporate Business5.White paper on digital transformation of universities’ internationalizationLonger-term benefitsOutputs form a virtual centre of digital transformation. Partners’ and companies’ staff are now better qualified to act as innovation agents, educators / tool providers and implementers.

"Background“MOOCs are online courses designed for large numbers of participants, can be accessed by anyone anywhere as long as they have an internet connection, are open to everyone without entry qualifications, and offer a full/complete course experience online for free."" (HOME project, 2015).Increased access to the internet means increased access to MOOCs, and in this context, MOOCs have been heralded by many as having the potential to revolutionise technology-enhanced learning – scaling up access to affordable educational opportunities for everyone on the planet. The cost of actually producing MOOCs was identified by the LoCoMotion project group, as a barrier which would prevent the majority of educational institutions from participating in the expansion of education through the MOOC medium. While many MOOCs are available free of charge to participants, they cannot be produced for free. In 2013, the most widely promoted MOOCs were reported to cost anywhere from USD 45,000 to USD 200,000 to develop (Peterson, 2013 https://goo.gl/aKpRL9 ) – beyond the budgets of most institutions. The project group believed that if these high costs of producing MOOCs could not be overcome, the majority of institutions could well be excluded from developing MOOCs for their needs. They would be excluded from using MOOCs to cater for minority languages, specialist topics or topics that change quickly over time, and could eventually develop an over-reliance on MOOCs produced by big-brand, big-budget institutions rather than having the possibility to develop MOOCs themselves - more relevant to their needs and contexts.ObjectivesThe LoCoMotion project aimed to develop and disseminate methodologies for low-cost production of MOOCs. By investigating and verifying the cost-effectiveness of a range of low-cost production techniques, it set out to increase the capacity of institutions to develop MOOCs and reduce the barriers they faced in relation to the affordability of developing them. The project thus set out to contribute to an increase in the development of MOOCs in Europe, improving the sustainability of MOOCs, and increasing the range of topics available from those of general interest to more specialised audiences, minority languages and topics that change quickly over time.OrganizationsFive institutions took part in the project.Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland (Coordinator) - a higher educational institutional with over fifteen years' experience in online distance learning using low-cost development methods, and experience in MOOC production. The Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands – a university which is very active in Open Education, being a key member of the Open Courseware Initiative in Europe and active in the production of MOOCs for Coursera and edX; The University of Girona, Spain – a university which is active in the development of MOOCs and has run training courses on ""DIY"" MOOC production; Fachhochschule Bielefeld, Germany - active in the rapid low-cost development of e-learning content; and Bath Spa University - a university with extensive experience in distance learning and e-learning research.Main activitiesThe core activities in this project included development of a 'primary' MOOC by the project team; development of 'secondary' MOOCs using low cost approaches; and identification and dissemination of low-cost methodologies for MOOC production.ResultsThe primary MOOC, 'Making MOOCs on a Budget' was designed using direct instruction, constructivist and connectivist techniques to actively engage participants in testing the recommended methodologies for their cost-effectiveness and to collaboratively identify others. The MOOC was delivered 3 times, to a total of approx. 1,000 registrants.Ten secondary MOOCs were developed by the partners of the project. An extended virtual symposium was held over a 4-week period which provided an opportunity to engage with leading figures in the area of MOOCs and technology-enhanced learning. Dissemination of low-cost approaches to MOOC development took place through more than 50 in-situ/online presentations. The team collaboratively developed a low-cost MOOC development guidelines tool based on the experience of the project.An important conclusion of the project is that more needs to be done to support the creation of an enabling environment for MOOCs within institutions (provision of facilities, support and freeing up academic time). If this happens over time the results of this project will become more useful and relevant.Long term benefitsThe 'MOOCs4ALL Making MOOCs on a Budget' MOOC and all other outputs of the project have been made available on WikiEducator, where they can be accessed and further built on as a support to people who wish to make low-cost MOOCs in the future."

Context. For nurses with mobility in their career, defining nursing practice across Europe can be challenging. While nursing is regulated sectorally in terms of determining competence, there is no specific requirement to demonstrate how each country might facilitate trans-cultural elements of nursing within their healthcare setting. This is particularly important when it comes to mobility of nurses, as movement to meet workforce demand promotes healthcare improvement and growth of jobs in accordance with 2011 EU Communication on the Modernisation Agenda for Higher Education (COM(2011) 567 final) and Europe 2020 (2010). This innovative project provided a suite of five tested and evaluated Reusable Learning Objects plus supplementary resources and training aimed at increasing cultural awareness and cultural competence for nurses, nursing students and other health professionals. The project provided training for technical and teaching staff in five partner school on the development of Re-usable Learning Object RLOS using the ASPIRE model, which may be transferred locally for teaching and learning development. Aim To facilitate learning relating to transcultural nursing competence and professional values for nurses, nursing students and health professionals, through developing five sustainable Re-usable Learning Objects (RLOs) illuminating patient care within a transcultural model (eg Narayanasamy, 2002). Activity 1. More than 650 Nursing students, practitioners, teachers and service users from five nations participated in developing and reviewing Open Education Resources promoting trans-cultural awareness and professional competence in nursing. It is anticipated that the materials will reach more than 3000 nurses and students of nursing and healthcare globally through the RLO portal, EPALE and the project and school websites. 2. Multimedia materials for blended learning and five Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) were developed, tested and implemented using a participatory design workshop approach applied using theoretical frameworks focused upon cultural learning and a practical framework for the development of digital learning materials (ASPIRE) (https://www.futurelearn.com/). Underpinning frameworks for development implementation and evaluation are published (McSharry et al 2020; Brown et al, 2018; 2020) 3. Case study scenarios and narratives for the RLO’s focus on professional nursing situations requiring competences identified by EC/36/2005 amendment EU/55/2013 and enable learners to explore trans-cultural expectation within nursing action. 4. Written and video materials summarising and presenting the project are available on the TRANSCOCON website (www.transcocon.ac.uk). Five RLOs are hosted in perpetuity by the University of Nottingham on the HELM Open Website and linked to the TRANSCOCON website for ease of access. Materials are available within the four languages of the project. 5.Staff training offered sustainable knowledge for further development within each participating school. This innovative approach to cross cultural digital learning development was evaluated using a SWOT analysis of the project presented at INTED 2019 and published (Brown et al, 2019). 6. Students were engaged in blended learning approaches and face to face discussions based on extension work. Two international blended mobilities (Germany and Nottingham) offered RLO content to 78 nursing students. Students also worked together from participating schools and with visiting exchange students throughout the project, giving face to face opportunities to explore cultural views. Student evaluation of C3 was integrated in the material development and is published (Ho et al, 2021).Process: TransCoCon worked in cycles relating to intellectual outputs with transnational meetings acting as “milestones”. Each meeting included sharing of outputs and process results from the previous meeting. Outcomes were agreed and the next cycle planned. The hosting partner organised the meeting; the lead for the previous work package led their conclusion and the lead for the next work package prepared and introduced the team accordingly . This sharing enabled risks such as time keeping and communication issues to be addressed. Outcomes including development, implementation and evaluation of the RLO were central to working cycles and were documented within minutes. These also form the basis for emerging publications. Longer term Impact: The team has developed high quality, free to use and evidence based suite of RLOs, which can be used globally to prepare healthcare students and others to appreciate the impact of professional trans-cultural mobility. The RLOs motivate and encourage student and nurse participation in trans-cultural working and in mobility, thus enabling international sharing of important experiences which can improve patient care quality, enhance professional performance and create more reflective citizens.

The Blockchain technology is a new branch of study that has not yet been widely implemented in curricula. That is why BlockWASTE will serve as a base for the beginning of the training in Blockchain technology, demonstrating, through its implementation in the solid waste management, its applicability in the Circular Economy.BACKGROUND· Solid Waste Management:Over the past few decades, we have witnessed a very rapid growth in demand for resources, all due to the industrialization processes taking place in emerging economies, and the continued high use of resources in developed countries. More specifically, the amount of raw materials extracted, harvested and consumed worldwide has increased by 60% since 1980.According to the United Nations, the world's population will grow to 8.6 billion people by 2030 (7.6 now). In addition to the population increase, the economic development process in the emerging countries will generate an increase in the population belonging to the middle class of 3 billion people, which will lead to an excessive increase in consumption of raw materials and waste generation. It is for these reasons that linking economic development to the consumption of raw materials, the basis of the linear economy, will represent an unsustainable model for the economy, society and the environment.Municipal waste constitutes approximately 7 to 10% of the total waste generated in the Union. It is estimated that global consumption of materials such as biomass, fossil fuels, metals and minerals will double in the next forty years, and that annual waste generation will increase by 70% by 2050. This waste stream is, however, among the most complex to manage, and the form of managing them generally gives a good indication of the quality of a country's overall waste management system. Proper management of MSW requires transparency and reliability of the information that the agents involved process.It is under this background that the concept of the circular economy appears as an important avenue of opportunity to change the model of production and consumption that has been in place since the previous industrial revolution.· Blockchain:A blockchain is just a database that is distributed among different participants (computer servers), cryptographically protected and organized in blocks of transactions, mathematically related to each other. In short, we are talking about a decentralized database that can not be altered. And it is in this concept of inalterability where the main key of a chain of blocks resides it allows all participants to trust the information collected within the database, and that same database can not be modified, in order to avoid falsification of information and documentation.The blockchain technology was born to support and make work an electronic payment system, but nowadays, any sector can find advantages if it applies this technology properly, such as the insurance sector, health, transport and logistics, industry (waste management, product quality, process verification, etc.) and many others, because it can help them to improve the management of the company, and also to discover and exploit new business models.Today, the world's major economic powers are investing on research and development projects based on blockchain technology. An example of this can be seen in China and the United States urging the country's companies to take advantage of the opportunities offered by this technology, or in how the European Commission plans to allocate around 340 million euros to projects using blockchain technology by the present year 2020, especially in projects that seek to achieve the objectives of the circular economy.OBJECTIVESThe BlockWASTE project will address the interoperability between waste management and blockchain technology, in order to promote its proper treatment through educational training, so that the data collected will be shared within a safe environment, where there is no room for uncertainty and mistrust between all parties involved.For this purpose, the objectives of this project are as follows:- Research on solid waste generated in cities and how it is being managed, so that it can be used to create an information base of good practices, in order to reintroduce waste into the value chain, promoting the idea of Intelligent Circular Cities.- To identify the benefits of the Blockchain Technology within the municipal waste management (MSW) process.- To create a study plan that allows the training of teachers and professionals of the organizations and companies of the sector, in the field of Waste Management, Circular Economy and Blockchain Technology.- To develop an interactive tool based on Blockchain Technology, which will make it possible to put into practice how the data obtained from urban waste would be managed, thus visualizing the way in which the data is implemented in the blockchain and being able to evaluate different forms of management.

To guarantee the voltage quality at all electric grid levels, the safe and reliable operation and to avoid costly expansion of future electric grids, volatile renewable energy sources and storage systems must be intelligently and informatively connected. The project AI4DG aims to research and develop a distributed AI on the edge platform for an autonomous and secure battery storage control system in low voltage grids with a high share of renewable energy sources using smart meter data. Due to the distributed AI on the edge approach, the system is more fail-safe and able to preprocess sensible smart meter data to ensure data protection regulations than a centralized approach. After project preparations, the partners analyze the AI requirements defined for the energy system and AI methodology for the project. In parallel, the project partners develop a detailed hardware low voltage grid simulation and a cognitive edge architecture for distributed AI to implement and validate the distributed AI system. After successful validation, the AI system will be evaluated in the field. The project results will be disseminated at scientific open access journals and conferences. The partner AtosWorldgrid will review the further development of the project results of the AI on the edge system to achieve market readiness. Due to the AIbattery storage control, costly grid expansions will be minimized in the electric grid of Stadtwerke Versmold