ORE4Citizens will bring science and research closer to society focusing on the education system and society at large through Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) and STEAM to raise awareness and engagement on the contributions of research to the socio-economic development and the societal challenges and strategic priorities in the Basque Country and Europe. The activities - of the Researchers’ Night and Researchers at Schools, supported by Awareness Campaigns and Impact Assessment- will take place in the Basque Country, with the following objectives: 1. Bridge the gap between ORE science and perception of citizens, students and pupils. 2. Increase social awareness, citizen commitment and acceptance of scientific activity in the area of Offshore Renewable Energies and their contribution to the EU missions. 3. Promote STEAM vocations among young people. In particular towards disciplines necessary for ORE, to contribute to the value chain of the Basque Country and Europe. 4. Create female references in science and promote the scientific careers of women and girls and attract talent. Showcasing real women that today have an important role in the scientific and technological development. 5. Show the value of scientific activities funded by the European Union and how they contribute to society, with special emphasis on the Green Deal. 6. Showcase the scientific and academic capabilities of the Basque Country in ORE (R&I and training) and its contribution at European scale. KPIs and, means of verification and main numeric targets for ORE4Citizens objectives are set, as well as a number of results contributing in significant scale to the expected outcomes and impacts. A broad collaboration network of public institutions, private entities, research organisations and tertiary sector entities have signed their compromise to participate in the dissemination and development of the activities to maximise the impact while ensuring equal opportunities for the entire population.

The welfare sector in Europe faces fundamental challenges (demographic change, migration, inclusion, digitalization, etc.), which require new solutions. These challenges can be faced by the development of social innovations that often emerge under market conditions in social startups or social enterprises and which can be politically forced. However, the vast majority of well-established charities are not among the driving forces of innovation. The curriculum provides leaders of established charitable organizations with the opportunity to learn, how to develop social innovation and how to support and empower others to do so. It also offers the opportunity to network with other innovation-oriented leaders in Europe. Central to this Erasmus+ project is the development, testing and implementation of a curriculum and related teaching materials for social innovation in social welfare. The curriculum will be available at the end of the project to empower managers in greater numbers to promote social innovation, with partner organizations committing themselves to acknowledge (accreditation) and implement the curriculum. The program will take place in two cohorts of 12 people each. The participants are characterized by an interest in innovative solutions, entrepreneurial thinking and experience in leadership. The cohorts serve as test runs for the trial, evaluation and further development of the curriculum.The project is organized in 3 phases: in the first year of implementation, the curriculum and teaching materials are to be developed in 2 workshops, participants are to be recruited and selected and the start of the training units is to be prepared. In the second year, the curriculum with a cohort of 12 persons will be carried out, evaluated and developed accordingly:1.Training Unit (TU) in Heidelberg: Understanding of social problems, their framing in different welfare state traditions and their potential for solutions. Introduction to the theory of social innovations and regional examples.2.TU in Bilbao: Understanding of the importance of regional innovation systems. Creation of ideas for one's own social innovation through methodical approaches such as Design Thinking.3.TU in Trier: Further development of the innovative idea from Bilbao into a prototype. Testing the prototype through methodical training and development of a social business model.4.TU in Oslo: Implementation and dissemination of social innovations considering aspects of organizational development. Presentation of the social innovation in a pitch (award of the 3 best innovations). Evaluation and revision of the curriculum and teaching materials.In the third year of implementation: second cohort participates in further education at the four sites as in the first cohort, only with revised curriculum and teaching materials. Re-evaluation of the curriculum and preparation of teaching materials for publication. Multiplier event for dissemination in Brussels.Results: 1. Curriculum is developed, tested and evaluated on 2 cohorts. 2. Teaching materials for the promotion of social innovation are written. 3. An accompanying network of social innovators is set up. 4. A database of European social innovations has been set up.5.The curriculum is accredited as a Diploma of Advanced Studies.The curriculum combines different methodical approaches such as teaching in classical seminar settings, design thinking, lab formats, case studies, practice analyses and a pitch.Impact: At local level, individual social enterprises are supported to develop new social solutions. For the first-time teaching materials for the promotion of social innovations are available for teaching. The participants in the curriculum will be connected in a European network and can exchange ideas and support each other in the implementation of social innovations. The multiplier event presents the curriculum to a variety of stakeholders (umbrella organizations, social enterprises, foundations, policy makers, etc.) and helps to spread the curriculum. A data base provides examples of social innovation for research and teaching.Long-term benefits: Accompanying the project is the build-up of a European network of social innovators and a database of European social innovation examples. Thereby additional participants shall be recruited for further training (also after end of project) and a support network (for the provision of examples of social innovations) shall be established and made available, e.g. to social service providers, researchers and teachers. The aim is to empower a larger number of managers in Europe for the promotion of social innovation and, at the same time, to focus on social innovations in teaching and research. The partner organizations and other European universities will implement the curriculum and train managers themselves.

European soils face pressing conditions for their health. An alarming 60-70% of EU soils are considered unhealthy, attributed to factors such as pollution, urbanization, and intensive agriculture, further exacerbated by climate change. This degradation results in economic, societal, and environmental repercussions, including decreased land productivity, migration, land abandonment, and biodiversity loss. Addressing this challenge necessitates holistic measures, especially since soil restoration can take centuries. The project initiative, aligning with various EU policies, emphasizes the importance of comprehensive soil restoration efforts. It plans to establish six Soil Health Living Labs (SHELLs) across diverse EU climatic zones, including Sweden, Spain, Spain-France, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria. These labs are envisioned as innovation hubs, tailored to address the EU's specific soil health objectives, notably objectives 4, 6, and 8. Through collaborative efforts within these SHELLs, the goal is to develop, test, and validate potential solutions, ensuring scalability beyond their immediate regions. iCOSHELLs places a strong emphasis on inclusive stakeholder engagement, from researchers to landowners. Its systematic approach includes building stakeholder capacities, bridging gaps between science and practical applications, deepening understanding of soil indicators, replicating effective soil recovery methods, and championing supportive soil health policies. Additionally, iCOSHELLs seeks to redefine the concept of Living Labs (LLs). Challenging the traditional model, which often revolves around isolated research entities, iCOSHELLs envisions LLs rooted in co-creation, broad engagement, and real-world application. This transformative vision aims to evolve existing SHELLs into standardized, widely recognized labs, setting a foundational blueprint for future LLs. Moreover, as a comprehensive soil data repository, iCOSHELLs promotes collaboration, ensuring replicable.