SUPPORTER advances inclusive gender+ equality within the ERA. It supports institutions to develop intersectional, innovative, inclusive and impactful gender equality plans (4I-GEPs), tailored to sports higher education institutions, and explicitly addressing gender-based violence including sexual harassment (GBV). Building on state-of the-art knowledge and the expertise of advanced gender+ equality institutions, SUPPORTER co-creates an innovative capacity-building and mutual learning programme, delivering support and mentoring towards the development of the 4I-GEPs. Guided by inclusive and innovative epistemologies and co-creative methodologies SUPPORTER acts: -horizontally, by fostering institutional capacity and culture based on the principles of Diversity & Inclusion within an intersectional framework, ultimately enhancing the sports institutions’ reputation, attractiveness, inclusiveness and research excellence; -vertically, by triggering a transformative, institutional inclusive and sustainable change to sports institutions to address inequality-driven challenges and advance gender+ equality, focusing on GBV, thus also enhancing the institutions’ efforts towards meeting their gender+ equality objectives in the ERA context. To achieve these objectives SUPPORTER adopts a twinning-inspired approach, methodologically based on 3 interlinked processes (analytical, reflective, implementation), combining 4I learning and mutual learning schemes with co-creation and dissemination activities, engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, and building on knowledge and expertise from previous projects and tools. The multiplier effect of SUPPORTER, starting from the eight partner institutions and gradually reaching the sports ecosystem, has the long-term potential to trigger gender+ institutional change in a variety of further institutions, reaching society more broadly and contributing to wide-range systemic societal changes in line with the Ljubljana Declaration objectives.

"The current project ""Optimal use of ICT opportunities for educational and scientific conferences in global crises"" is aimed at improving the quality of higher education in conditions caused by crises similar to COVID-19. One of the specific characteristics of higher education as a high value of the knowledge created and transferred in education is the activity for organizing and conducting educational-scientific conferences. The sharp need for education and science to move entirely to distance form due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has placed a number of universities that have reached a high level of scientific and educational credibility in a state of lack of preparedness and ability to maintain the level of conference events. To help universities maintain the quality they have achieved in the traditional academic standard, the partnership on this project will focus its efforts on illuminating the specifics of distance learning when organizing conference events in all components of organization and conduct, technical dimensions and recommendations. , as well as the qualification of the academic staff in the universities. This structures the project into three main activities - development of an intellectual product ""Guidelines for organizing and conducting conferences in remote form"" (the basis of project implementation), conducting training for teachers in order to gain sufficient understanding of the specific approach and new dimensions of quality and lastly, holding real conference events by the three university institutions. The partnership covers university institutions from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia (sports sciences), and an organization specializing in distance education from Malta. The project emphasizes the aspiration of the partners to achieve a significant regional impact along with the European challenges for general digital education. The target group of the project presents in the first place the teachers in the institutions of higher education. Upon completion of the project, the results of the implementation will be expressed in the following:-a tool will be created to actively confront obstacles in the educational process in emergencies such as the COVID-19 crisis and the need to move remotely to university activities;-conditions will be created for increasing the number of participants (including foreign ones) in educational and scientific conferences with a significant reduction of the spent resources;-a prerequisite will be created for increasing the use of distance conferences in the learning process through the developed skills of teachers to include them as a teaching method;-a document will be available - Guidelines for organizing and conducting remote conferences;-the widest possible access to the document at European and international level will be ensured by presenting it in English;-regional use will be achieved through translations into Bulgarian, Romanian and Serbian;-will create a basis for objectively establishing the quality of digital conferences as a means of developing education and science;-the qualification of lecturers, who are an active part of the participants in conferences organized in digital form, will be increased.The achieved results of the project will have an impact mainly on the quality of higher education and communication of scientific knowledge. In the emergency of pandemics such as those caused by COVID-19 or other global crises, academics will have a much calmer acceptance of the need to transfer academic life to a remote environment. The achieved goal - created conditions for organizing and conducting quality educational and scientific conferences will affect different levels of functioning of higher education systems, and in the first place the impact will affect the project participants, institutions, higher education systems and maintenance of the quality of HE."

Sport is becoming increasingly recognised as a sector having a potential to positively impact on the realities and challenges faced by our society and the expectations from national governments are growing.In order to meet its huge potential and bring positive change in society (health, social inclusion, employability), the sport sector needs a workforce of people involved in sport organisations (e.g. sport federations, clubs) with the right skills and competences, supported by a fit-for-purpose programme of education, training and professional development.The S2A Sport project took place during 30 months and focussed on the skills needed by sport administrators working in paid and volunteer roles in the delivery of sport. Based on the cultural and terminological differences, a common definition of sport administration was agreed by the partnership:“Sport administration embraces the processes and/or activities of running an organisation operating within the sport sector at all levels; it includes a variety of tasks across a wide range of functions in accordance with the purpose and direction of the organisation. More specifically, Sport Administration functions are implemented by all those individuals, both paid and unpaid (volunteers) who work to ensure the effective running of a sports organisation.”These persons acting is the area of sport administration have a key role in the processes and activities of running a sport organisation and so in the development of the whole sport sector at local, regional, national, European and international levels. Main activities and responsibilities of these individuals are different depending of the country and type of organisation, and the main reason of this project can be explained by the fact that there was a recognised gap between the competences of sport administrators and those expected and required to fulfil their mission and respond to the need from the sector. What are the main tasks and activities of sport administrators on a daily basis? What are the competencies and skills that they need to perform efficiently in their position? Is there a fit-for-purpose education and training offer responding to the expectations from the sector? These were the main questions that the S2A Sport project, bringing a partnership composed of 8 national partners and 4 European networks, have been trying to bring a response. The work program implemented an innovative methodology developed by EOSE in response to the main education and employment challenges in the sector and aligns with the main EU policies and tools in the fields of sport and vocational education and training.This methodology, known as the « 7 Step Model » (http://eose.org/approach/7-step-model/), provided the opportunity to implement seven specific working steps and various consultation activities (internal/external) to conduct an analysis of the characteristics of the labour market in sport administration, to define main activities and tasks carried out by these persons within sport organisations (e.g. responsibilities, level of performance, career pathways), to develop detailed occupational standards to describe skills and knowledge required for competent performance at work in sport administration, and to provide information and advice to produce fit-for-purpose courses that meet the needs of the labour market.A pilot training programme week was organised during the final part of the project to test and assess some of the learning outcomes and approaches proposed by the project together with a sample of 40 sport administrators coming from different countries and cultures. This testing gave the possibility to collate feedbacks from participants and enhance the proposed content of the project’s outputs and ensure a response to their expectations and needs. Several transnational projects focussed on the position of coaches or players but the S2A Sport project is the first one to centre the attention on those individuals having central positions in the running of sport organisations across Europe. This initiative has been perceived positively in a sector that is recognised to be dynamic and growing, and as mentioned earlier having a potential to positively impact on the economy, health and social inclusion dimension of a country.

Twenty partners in Bulgaria come together for European Researchers Night ‘20 to present FRESHER (Find Research Everywhere, SHare and expERience) - a 12-month project led by the Centre for Research & Analysis, in a Consortium, now in its 5th year, with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, universities, research institutes, the only Bulgarian tech park, a chamber of industry and commerce, the local office of a pan-European organisation, education entrepreneurship, and associate partners. FRESHER offers a series of specially curated, coordinated, multi-day participatory events at over 50 venues and 30+ schools in 25 cities/towns/villages. The talks, shows, hands-on experiments, lab visits, citizen research, competitions will reach 3.6 mln, and engage directly with 30,000 in face-to-face events at schools, libraries, museums, academic and outdoor venues, public transport and online. Building on well researched, popular formats for researchers’ engagement with the public, FRESHER provides multidisciplinary content around the International Year of Plant Health. The topic will feature in the programmes of all partners to assert the relevance of research to everyday life. Building on the Consortium’s existing understanding developed through previous local initiatives including Researchers Night, and addressing findings of research (MASIS report, Education & Training Monitor 2019 for Bulgaria, Women in Digital Scoreboard 2019, Science, Research & Innovation Performance in EU 2018), FRESHER focuses on enhancing public engagement with research and shortening the gap in the decision of young people and girls in particular to choose STEAM careers. The activities will step on previous evaluation and generate fresh, aligned data. The project will strengthen the capacity of all partners to organise accessible events for the general public, and to tailor messages for underserved audiences, including girls, young people at risk of school drop-out, as well as people with special needs.

Sport has the power to change lives, create jobs, develop people, improve health, and support community development and cohesion. Given this potential, it is vital that the sector has a competent workforce of paid staff and volunteers with the right skills, as well as a clear career structure and pathways with job opportunities.ESSA provided a unique opportunity to bring the sport and physical activity sector together for the first time to analyse and understand the labour market which was unknown and underestimated in order for the sector to move forward and to build a new relationship with education and training providers, based on this new understanding of the skills needed in employment by paid staff and the huge army of volunteers.A consortium of 18 national and 5 European level partners tackled the skills challenges of the sector collaborating with the entire sport and physical activity sector through the implementation of the European Sector Skills Alliance for Sport and Physical Activity during the innovative 3-year project.ESSA Main Activities:>Analysis of national sport labour markets through collaboration with Eurostat and National Statistics Offices>Desk research to present characteristics, evolution and future perspectives of national sport and education sectors>European Online Employers Survey on Skills Needs in the sport sector, with 3812 responses from across Europe>EU Expert Advisory Group bringing together 14 EU sport networks and umbrella bodies>Wide communication and dissemination to stakeholders at all levels>Effective project management and quality assuranceESSA Main Results:>National Reports from desk research activities and analysis of the Employer Skills Survey in sport – 28 reports produced to impact the sector in each EU nation>EU Report on Skills needs identification: Situation, trends, perspectives and priorities for the sport sector>EU and National Fact Sheets: Labour market and workforce development priorities for the sport and physical activity sector – 28 summary fact sheets produced, plus EU factsheet>European Sport Skills Seminar – successful event for 82 participants from 24 countries in Oct. 2019>Sustainable work plan for sport. In terms of new knowledge and data, the ESSA project highlighted the following realities and challenges for the sport and physical activity labour market: >A growing EU Sport Labour Market >Main characteristics:-More male than female as paid staff-Growing proportion of youth and 50 year+-High percentage of part-time contracts -High percentage of self-employed people -More workers with higher education qualifications than the EU average and less with low level of qualification.And some findings from the European Employer Skills Survey:>91.5% agreed it is important that their staff have access to on-going training to keep their skills up-to-date>79.9% agreed universities/training providers should work more closely with sport employers>Skills development priorities for eight identified occupations The ESSA-Sport activities have proven to be valuable exercises with new knowledge and important messages for stakeholders at all levels. National and European level conclusions and recommendations, including concrete action plans, have been generated and will inform future action in the sector. European level recommendations were formulated under the following headings: >Improving our knowledge and understanding of the sport and physical activity labour market>Promoting the value of the sport and physical activity sector>Promoting a more inclusive workforce for the sector>Upskilling and professionalising the workforceThrough dissemination activities carried out throughout the project, and planning for sustainability, the consortium is pleased to report that fully funded ongoing activities to continue and repeat the actions of the ESSA project are already planned for 2020 and beyond.