<< Background >>CONTEXTThere is growing recognition and awareness that nature can help provide viable solutions that use and deploy the properties of natural ecosystems services in order to address urban environmental, social and economic challenges. The European Commission (EC) defines NBS as “Solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions”.The EC has several objectives focusing on NBS, being one of them the advancement in “the development, uptake and upscale of innovative NBS”. In order to reach this objective, the EC has funded several NBS implementation projects under the H2020 programme (EdiCitNet, CLEVER Cities, proGIreg, URBiNAT, CONNECTING Nature, GrowGreen, UrbanGREENUP, UNALAB, CLEARING HOUSE, REGREEN, RECONECT, Operandum, MyBuildingIsGree). Cities are showing a growing interest in the integration of NBS to address urban challenges. Currently, NBS projects for cities are mainly developed by external entities specialized with the necessary knowledge to develop such complex projects, where experts from the fields of botany (e.g. plants resistant to pollution), technology (e.g. irrigation, impermeabilization), design (e.g. integration of the project in the existing urban environment) and economy (e.g. economic impacts of the implementation of NBS as savings in the Health sector, possibility to create extra incomes for citizens as in the case of urban cultivation) are required. In order to further strengthen the integration of NBS in cities, experts working in the public sector need to be empowered and trained with a transdisciplinary knowledge. In turn, this will help: (1) introduce NBS projects in the cities with more efficient action plans and visions targeted at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially SDG 13 Climate Action; (2) integrate NBS in the urban and climate action plans; (3) develop new innovative NBS projects; and (4) receive,implement, and manage NBS projects developed by external entities.<< Objectives >>“Green Skills 4 Cities” aims to establish a transdisciplinary educational platform targeted at the development of skills in the field of NBS implementation in cities. The project will bring together trainers and learners from the fields of botany, technology, design, and economy and cities involving them in an unique transdisciplinary learning environment aiming at the development of curricula targeted at working in the public sector.GOALS:The project goals are: > Develop curricula of professionals targeted at NBS implementation, thus increasing cities sustainability; > Increase the quality and relevance of higher education, focusing on the transdisciplinary dimension, to better respond to the labour market needs;> Reinforce networks in the field of urban sustainable development, establishing collaborations between HEIs, RTOs and Municipalities, thus facilitating the introduction of the learners in the labour market;> Produce results that are reusable, transferable, up-scalable.CONCRETE OBJECTIVES:In order to reach these goals, the project has the following specific objectives:> OBJ 1 Setting up a “Training for Trainers” Programme to enable trainers to develop transdisciplinary educational formats for learners;> OBJ 2 Setting up a “Long-term Programme” aimed at creating a transdisciplinary educational format embedded in each of the participating Educational Institutions academic programmes;> OBJ 3 Setting up a “Short-term Programme” aimed at the development of a one week format for professionals (lifelong learning);> OBJ 4 Setting up a series of dissemination activities in order to promote the upscaling and replication of the project. All the activities will be jointly designed and implemented by municipalities and HEIs and RTOs.<< Implementation >>The project is going to implement educational activities with the following characteristics:> Trainers will be trained to work in a transdisciplinary environment, incorporating teaching methodologies from other disciplines;> Curricula will be jointly developed by Educational Institutions and Municipalities;> Learners will work on the Urban Challenges defined by the Municipalities;> Municipalities will review the work of the learners;> Trainers and learners will be involved in a transdisciplinar environment learning about botany, technology, design, and economy;> In the three training programmes (Training for Trainers, Short-term and Long-term Programmes) learners will receive classes with “Flip Teaching” methodology: they study the resources made available online and the theoretical transdisciplinary classes are used to solve doubts, consolidate knowledge, and envision new ideas;> Theoretical transdisciplinary classes will be given online at the same time to all the learners participating from the different countries;> Within the Long-term Programme, students from different disciplines will work online to jointly develop a project targeted at the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions for a specific municipality;> Within the Long-term Programme, the “Learning by Doing” methodology will be applied: design students will build a working prototype of the project jointly developed with the other students, thus testing its performances.<< Results >>The project outcomes and results will be related to the project objectives:OUTCOME 1 - “TRAINING FOR TRAINERS” (related to OBJ 1):“Training for Trainers” is aimed at enabling trainers to develop transdisciplinary education formats for students.It will include:> educational resources aimed at enhancing the transdisciplinary skills of the trainers and to allow them to co-design the “Long-Term Programme” and “Short-term Programme”. They include the description of the basic concepts and fundamentals of each discipline and the teaching pedagogy and methodology.OUTCOME 2 - “LONG-TERM PROGRAMME” (related to OBJ 2):The “Long-term Programme” is an educational format embedded in the academic programmes. The learners will be selected within the students of the 3 educational institutions (IAAC, UNIGE, WU). It aims to form professionals able to work in municipalities and public bodies on urban sustainability enhancement through the implementation of NBS. The students will be involved in a transdisciplinary theoretical module and a practical module in which they will cooperate transnationally towards the development of a project addressing urban challenges selected by the cities.It will include:> Curriculum and guidelines for the “Long-term programme” - report including the characteristics of the curricula developed, the students selection process, the guidelines for the course implementation, the evaluation implementation procedure.> educational resources (e.g. books, videos, etc.) addressing botany and technology dimension, design dimension and economic dimension.OUTCOME 3 - “SHORT TERM PROGRAMME”(related to OBJ 3):The “Short-term Programme” is a 5 days long educational format targeted at lifelong learning. It aims to introduce the participants with the key concepts related to urban sustainability and NBS implementation and guide them to a better understanding of the theory through the development of a practical exercise. The learners will be professionals, employees of municipalities and public bodies and university students in the fields of botany, design, architecture, urban planning, engineering, business. The learners will be involved in a transdisciplinary theoretical module and a practical module in which they will develop a project addressing local urban challenges selected by the cities.It will include:> Curriculum and guidelines for the “Short-term programme” - report including the characteristics of the curricula developed, the learners selection process, the guidelines for the course implementation, the evaluation implementation procedure.> Educational resources (e.g. books, videos, etc.) addressing botany and technology dimension, design dimension and economic dimension.OUTCOME 4 - “DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES”(related to OBJ 4):The dissemination activities will take place along the entire duration of the project. They will be done through the use of online media channels (e.g. the website and social media channels of the project and of each partner, through external platforms and journals, etc.) and through 7 multiplier events specifically organised to promote the main results of the project and foster its replication. In detail:3 National Symposiums, one for each country where the programmes will be implemented, to disseminate the results of the whole project. 1 Webinar to promote the educational programmes and to present the NBS projects produced by the learners to municipalities and public bodies.1 Webinar to promote the results of the Training for Trainers programme to Higher Educational Institutions and RTOs.1 Webinar to promote the results of the Long-Term Programmeto Higher Educational Institutions and RTOs, municipalities, public bodies and students.1 Webinar to promote the results of the Short-Term Programme to Higher Educational Institutions and RTOs, municipalities, public bodies, students and professionals.