<< Background >>One of the biggest challenges of recent years and the near future is to tackle the serious problems caused by global warming. In addition to the high vulnerability of agro-ecosystems, mainly caused by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide level, climate change will inevitably have an impact on all levels of human life. Climate change issues are increasingly present in our daily lives and there is a growing societal need to raise awareness by increasing information and up-to-date knowledge about global warming. This is particularly true in those areas (natural, economic, social, traditional and cultural) where climate change has complex impacts. Viticulture has a tradition in Europe going back more than 2000 years. In 2016, there were 3,678,212 hectares under vines across Europe, which means that almost half (49.3%) of the total area under vines is located on the old continent. The European wine classification system, AOP, DOC, PGI, PDO, etc., guarantees the uniqueness and quality of wines from a specific terroir. The high added value, uniqueness and typicity of the wines are very closely linked to local conditions, including environmental (e.g. climate, soil) and human factors (technology, traditions). A number of wine brands rooted in this background have so far developed across Europe, but the European wine sector is also facing a number of challenges: strong and growing competition from the New World, stagnating or slowly declining vineyard areas and, finally and perhaps most importantly, the increasing impact of climate change. Climate change mitigation and adaptation is one of the most challenging issues for agriculture, including vitiviniculture. Climate change will undoubtedly have the greatest impact on the vine and wine sector in the coming years. In traditional wine regions, for example, more frequent extreme weather events are expected, including uneven rainfall, heat waves and droughts. Furthermore, existing problems such as drought in Mediterranean regions will worsen in the near future. Likewise, the emergence and migration of new pests is also partly driven by the changing climate. Given the complexity of climate change problems, there is a strong need for high-level cooperation across Europe to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. While global warming phenomena can be observed across Europe and the world (increased temperatures and extreme weather events including droughts, floods, high UV radiation, etc.), there may also be specific local problems that require tailored adaptation. Therefore, joint thinking and sharing of good practices and knowledge will facilitate adaptation processes in many traditional wine producing countries in Europe. The project aims to promote cooperation between different European universities in the field of viticulture and oenology. The main objective of the cooperation is to equip students with state-of-the-art knowledge and to enable them to respond adequately to the future challenges of climate change in the wine sector. Students participating in these courses (and using the newly developed e-learning platform in both national and English) will be able to develop their knowledge in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change both at global and local level. This is a common need for all stakeholders in the wine sector, including wine producing countries, research and education institutions, students (the professionals of the future), local businesses and policy makers.<< Objectives >>The main objective of the project is to create and strengthen cooperation between European institutions in the field of education through the improvement of teaching materials, the development of an e-learning platform and common curricula for summer courses, and the sharing of best practices. The project focuses on high quality activities and practices to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The project will provide a complex approach to improve the effectiveness of knowledge transfer on the interactions between viticulture and climate change. Therefore, the planned activities of the cooperation will respond to the common needs and priorities of viticulture and wine education. In particular, the objectives are:- Support for transnational education systems and mobility. The project aims to improve cooperation between several European universities/institutions. The common e-learning platform will provide participants with the opportunity to provide high quality education. This innovative e-learning platform, together with best practices and summer courses, will provide an effective methodology for both teaching and learning. - It enriches students' knowledge with up-to-date information on general aspects of climate change. - Enhance students' knowledge of the characteristics of traditional wine regions and the specific interactions of partner countries with climate change. A deeper understanding of the trademarks, wine-making philosophies and cultural heritage of these regions will ensure an appreciation of the different local (environmental and human) factors that influence them. Knowledge of each other's precious heritage will help to increase students' sense of responsibility to protect it. - Achieving environmental and climate goals. The project is based on the importance of acquiring knowledge and understanding the impact of climate change in the traditional wine regions of the partner countries. The aim is not only to increase knowledge of the regional impacts of climate change, but also to learn about environmentally friendly technologies to maintain economic production.- To develop students' digital competences by providing e-learning opportunities through an e-learning platform and state-of-the-art e-learning materials.Specific objectives:SO1 - Arranging, establishing and assessing existing learning materials to facilitate the knowledge of students regarding climate change and targeted traditional wine regions of the partner countries. Specifying the importance of the variety of environmental factors (climate, soil) and human factors (grape growing and wine making technologies) as the background of the unique product of the region. Describing existing and possible technologies/solutions and best practices to mitigate the negative effects of climate change (fitting to the local characteristics).SO2 – Creating e-learning materials regarding climate change and its specific interactions with wine regions. Creating a digital forms of best practices. SO3 – Establishing an e-learning platform for teaching, training and studying with customized pedagogical contents for the students.SO4 – Organizing summer courses and creating common curriculums for students. Presenting the best innovative practices to buffer the negative effects of climate change.<< Implementation >>The implementation of the project will involve a number of activities related to its technical content. These activities fit in with the main work programmes and tasks of the project. These tasks and work programmes are. 1. Assessment of relevant educational programme elements related to climate change issues and wine regions.Firstly, the project will assess the available knowledge, innovative technologies used, best practices and existing educational materials of the targeted wine regions on climate change issues and specific regional interactions. The assessment of available educational material will include specific information/knowledge on traditional methods, specific environmental conditions, emblematic wine products, varieties, specific socio-economic background, etc., relevant to the wine region concerned. Part of this educational material will form the core of the technical content of the e-learning material. 2. Creation of new e-content Based on the results of the first main activity, the project plans to create appropriate digital educational material providing specific and general multidisciplinary knowledge on the subject. The project will maintain a problem-focused approach, recognising the knowledge, education and training requirements of viticulture and winemaking. The planned e-learning materials and pedagogical content: - increase general knowledge about climate change and its impacts on the wine sector- improve knowledge of the different traditional wine regions of Europe and their interaction with climate change- stresses the need for sustainability in quality wine production- increase knowledge on the use of technologies to mitigate the negative effects of climate change3. Create an e-learning platform to provide new learning opportunities.Educational materials developed by partner institutions will be adapted to e-learning format. The e-learning platform will provide a range of learning opportunities and will be available for self-training and self-monitoring, as well as short videos, webinars and podcasts on best practices. The platform will also provide a forum for users to discuss specific topics. Using the platform will enhance users' digital competences and skills. 4. Modify and test the online self-learning training materials to make the results of the project more widely available at EU level. This user-friendly facility will motivate students to self-educate and to acquire relevant competences, knowledge and problem-solving skills related to climate change and vitiviniculture interactions 5. Adapt the educational material of the e-learning platform to the different educational and training programmes of the participating institutions. Each institution will use the results of the project in their own educational programmes. The e-learning material will be part of the programmes, either as a separate course or integrated into existing courses. 6. Creating new curricula for summer courses on climate change and vitiviniculture, taking into account the specificities of traditional wine regions. Design and organise related summer courses with this new content.<< Results >>The expected outcomes and outputs of the project are:1. The project will foster cooperation between European universities/institutions in the field of education and research on climate change issues. Large scale insights are essential to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, but also knowledge of local specificities will contribute to a common reflection on ways to tackle different problems. 2. The development of state-of-the-art educational material and its online implementation, providing general knowledge on climate change and its interactions with viticulture and winegrowing. This material also includes the specific background of the different wine regions, including human and environmental factors. Learning about each other's cultural/traditional/social backgrounds will help to promote joint thinking and work within Europe. 3. Improving the mobility of students and teachers between European countries. As with the previous idea, this helps to learn about different cultures and ways of thinking.4. The user-friendly e-learning platform developed as part of the project will provide students with an effective learning opportunity. This platform provides opportunities for self-learning and improves users' digital competences.5. Curricula for summer courses. The syllabuses contain a brief description of the course topics and can be part of the personalised learning material. Together with the e-learning material, they provide an opportunity for the participating institutions to develop, where possible, joint educational programmes at different levels. 6. This outcome of the project will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about existing technologies and practices to buffer the negative impacts of climate change on viticulture and winegrowing. 7. Finally, an important expected outcome of the project will be the strengthening of students' environmentally friendly mindsets and attitudes. In addition to problem solving and collective thinking, the use of environmentally friendly technologies is essential for a sustainable environment.