<< Background >>Digitalisation is taking place at a fast pace in all European countries and across almost the whole world. The Covid-19 pandemic is also accelerating digitalisation at many levels. Digitalisation is transforming the economies, societies, forms of communication, jobs and the necessary skills for the workplace and everyday life. Digitalisation as a systemic enabling process that has enormous potential to boost the circular economy and contribute to the sustainable transition. On the other hand, as one of the drivers of growth of production and consumption globally, digitalisation is also a challenge for environmental and social sustainability. The scope and speed of the digital transformation varies across European countries, sectors, organisations, and places. For example, less than a fifth of companies in the EU are highly digitised, leaning toward much greater levels of uptake in large enterprises as opposed to SMEs (2020, EIO Biennial report). Despite progress in waste management and recycling across the EU, circularity rates remain relatively low. Digitalisation can help to minimise waste, enable more efficient processes in companies, promote longer product life cycles and reduce transaction costs through significantly improved information. There is an enormous spectrum of possible applications to scale-up and mainstream eco-innovations toward a sustainable circular economy. The commercial benefits of greening stem from the potential to increase market share and capture new markets from eco-innovation, eco-entrepreneurship, and eco-adoption among SMEs. The rationale here is that “green” products, niches, and practices represent previously untapped business opportunities that SMEs are uniquely suited to tackle, especially because of their small size and flexibility. Broadly, sustainable SMEs contribute to the protection of the climate, environment, and biodiversity through their products, services, and business practices. But they do so in different way; some SMEs focus on reducing the environmental footprint of their production process (e.g. resource-efficient processes) while others focus on green outputs and offer green products and services (e.g. renewable energy products). Although there are many SMEs that really care for the environment, that largest portion of them perceives eco-innovations as a burden and pursuit eco innovations only when pushed by the legislator. There is a need to prepare the training scheme for SMEs representatives (employees dealing with digital technologies, managers running business operation, business educators dealing with business education) to enlarge the awareness about possibilities of using digital technologies for green purposes, as well as to show how much SMEs can benefit from implementing sustainable digital technologies. The cost reductions for SMEs generally arise from efficiency gains since less inputs are required to produce the same output. These cost reductions are realized through the following channels. These channels are applicable to SMEs in both developing and developed contexts (OECD, 2018).• Process efficiency: By optimizing current processes or introducing new more efficient ones, SMEs minimize the required inputs and waste production.• Product design: SMEs can re-design their products to reduce the required inputs without sacrificing the product’s utility.• Waste disposal: In addition to reducing waste by improving process efficiency, SMEs can reuse already-generate waste or pass it along to other companies. This reduces cost of waste disposal.• Source of raw material: SMEs can reduce cost of raw materials by switching to recycled materials.• Infrastructure efficiency: SMEs can generate savings associated with energy efficiency lighting, building insulation, and heating systems efficiency.• Packaging and transport: By reducing the volume of packaging and switching to local suppliers to decreasing shipping distances, SMEs can further reduce costs.<< Objectives >>Digital technologies can play an important part in tackling the climate emergency, provided they are designed and deployed with the kind of positive societal impact that the Sustainable Development Goals outline at their heart. Digital technologies bring revolution in the business reality, but there is a challenge on how to target those changes, to be beneficial for the climate, the environment and the society. And how to make those who introduce these changes the most to direct them towards sustainable effects - beneficial for the economy, the society and the environment.General idea of the project is to prepare employees of the SMEs for the sustainable digital transformation. General objective: Improve the skills and competences of employees in small and medium-sized businesses to accelerate the digital transformation for sustainable development.Specific objectives:·Define a profile of expert in sustainable digital transformation with associated knowledge, skills, and competencies.·Transforming entrepreneurs' thinking to act in the era of sustainable digital transformation.·Promote the skills and operational tools necessary to manage the implementation of new digital technologies that are sustainable .·Improving and fostering a deep understanding of sustainable digital transformation and its impact on business reality, as well as business and social relationships.·Building soft and hard skills to structure, organize and control innovation and digital transformation processes.·Increasing business efficiency through use of sustainable digital technologies.·Improving the understanding and ability to manage change and challenges for digital economy companies.·Introducing new teaching methods such as edutainment, digital case studies, simulations, and games.·Encouraging learners to think critically about the globalising world, looking for lasting solutions and a holistic approach. Hopefully with this project, we make a progress toward greater awareness of the employees of the climate change, but also, we make a great step towards sustainable development of SMEs.<< Implementation >>To achieve all projects objectives, Partnership needs to perform the following activities:·Structuring an innovative blended training scheme on Sustainable Digital Transformation in SMEs, which should prepare companies to adjust to the virtual business environment and take advantage of the participation in the processes of sustainable digital transformation (referring to the indicated professions),·Elaborating and producing Open Educational Resources, build on the following components:a)interactive video pills, which can be freely accessed online for at least two years after the project end, to allow a vast audience of trainees to acquire and maintain technical/managerial/commercial/relational skills, functional to develop the process to increase competitiveness of SMEs, through effective management of processes of sustainable digital transformation.b)Further investigation materials as supporting materials for developed OERs.·Self-assessment tool for checking own skills and assess the required range of the training.·Elaborating the manual on sustainable digital transformation – how to prepare a company to reshape an existing business model, how to use digital technologies to contribute positively to the climate change, environment protection and positive social transformation, how to earn money on the global sustainable digital transformation.·Designing the quality assurance system for inclusive education delivered with the given training scheme.·Validating the developed contents through during the multiplier events.·Managing all projects activities.·Sharing and promotion of delivered outcomes.<< Results >>The project shall produce the following Results:R1 - The methodology and curriculum for the sustainable Digital Transformation Training Scheme for SMEsR2 - Open Educational ResourcesR3 - Self-Assessment toolR4 - Check-upsR5 - Manual and Good Practices Guidebook.

There is an increasing demand for ICT professionals who have the both “deep” technology skills for programming or application development, technical support, security and networking as well as the business skills necessary to use digital technologies to increase innovation and levels of productivity within the organization. While infrastructure and technology are clearly important considerations, digital transformation is as much about the people and changing the way they approach business problems and where they look to find solutions. According to the Human Capital Digital Inclusion and Skills 2018 Report, 17 % of the EU population had no digital skills in 2017, the main reason being that they did not use the internet or did so only seldom. Advanced digital skills are becoming a prerequisite for entry into many jobs and have a wide range of applications, even beyond domains where they are needed for core tasks. Across competence dimensions, the largest skills deficit, both among the active labour force and the population at large, relates to the use of software for content manipulation. Almost one in three internet users in the EU has no skills in this area (i.e. they declared to not to have carried out any of the activities considered under this dimension, which range from relatively basic text treatment and spreadsheet-based work to video editing and coding). Digital talents are the backbone of the digital transformation of companies. The digital transformation of a territory is only possible if local businesses have the right talents to acquire and harness the required digital technologies. Digital talent is not only important for local companies. Local administrations, universities and research centres also need to attract key talents with the ability to radically shape the city’s digital ecosystem. Hiring and retaining the right talent with the appropriate skillset has become one of the most critical challenges faced by European businesses. In today’s globalised and hypercompetitive world, talent acquisition strategies constitute a top priority for businesses to innovate and grow. The project responds to the challenges of the temporary world.OBJECTIVESThe objectives of the projects are as follows:1.To transform mindsets of entrepreneurs to perform as global innovators and entrepreneurial leaders in the era of digital transformation.2.To enhance process of setting up new companies due to consuming of digital technologies.3.To promote the skills and the operation tools indispensable to manage global innovation and implementation of new digital technologies.4.To enhance and foster a deep understanding of digital transformation and the way it affects the business reality, as well as business -society relations.5.To build soft and hard skills to structure, organize and control innovation and digital transformation processes.6.To improve efficiency and boost business agility.7.To increase the understanding and managing capabilities the changes and the challenges for companies within the smart industry and the digital economy.8.To foster a cultural diversity as a motive for entrepreneurship.9. To introduce new teaching method like edutainment, digital case studies, simulations and games.10. To encourage Students to critically thinking on the globalising world, searching for sustainable solutions and holistic approach.PRODUCTS1.Designed New training Curriculum Digital Innovator and entrepreneurial leader.2.Designed and Elaborated OER for digital innovation and entrepreneurial leadership.3.Web-based self-assessment tool for digital innovator and entrepreneurial leader.4.Digital Work-place – e-platform supporting digital transformation of entrepreneurial mindsets.5.Company check-ups.Consortium consists of 7 partners from 5 countries, representing higher education institutions (Universities - Salerno, Krems, Nice and Poznań), as well as companies dealing with training and developing digital open educational resources (Conform) finally NGOs dealing with training for management (EFMD) and for local governments (PfLG). The consortium partners address topics of digital skills, compeititveness, transition, innovation and sustainability from their various disciplinary backgrounds. The partners’ integrated approach shows in the training modules content which integrates the different disciplinary backgrounds under the umbrella system understanding and based on rigorous holistic system analysis. The consortium partners share common values and principles with respect to teaching and learning e.g. on how to encourage students to actively create the learning process. This common approach reflects in focusing on student centered learning, teaching and assessment as well as field research training.

Context: BuGAM project reflects two aspects, in the context of innovative training methods (game-based training, costructivism) and in the context of education facing COVID-19 pandemic. Education is a key factor of economic development and the COVID-19 pandemic has hit it dramatically, forcing millions of students and teachers into distance learning. Distance learning can be very effective process but it requires correct teaching techniques and tools, skills of teachers and students' shift into online learning. Moreover despite the pandemic, today we observe a specific paradigmatic turn in academic teaching, based on the constructivism approach, expressed in the formula “the shift from teaching to learning”, which emphasises shifting the focus from the approach based on the transmission of educational content towards students and the role of the teacher as a facilitator. Constructivism assumes active and emotional involvement of learners in the process, based on their pro-knowledge and social interactions. Virtual business strategic game which we will develop in BuGAM project reffers to both aspects. Game-based training offers exactly the approach indicated in the literature and EU policies. As games offer people engaging and motivating experiences, incorporating game elements into the training, let the learners to be motivated and engaged, student/employee is in the centre of the event, reality is all around. By all that, our virtual strategic game refers to the contremporaty consrtuctivism approach in education. On the other hand, our virtual strategic game is based on software, is played online, is supported by ICT with orientation on work-based learning and action-learning approach. All theses are needed in distance learning in COVID-19 pandemic time. To make the game better suited to students, we intend to combine it with movie education.Objectives: We will develop a virtual business strategic game which was initially created by PUEB and sucessfully used in face-to-face lectures. Our first experience with the use of our game in online education shows its high effectiveness in answering COVID-19 challanges but also it shows the improvements needed to be done to make it more self-playable for students by combining it with movie education.Main aim is to deliver the sophisticated business simulation tools by combining the game with movie education - virtual business strategic game supporting online education at universities in COVID-19 pandemic time.Specific aims:-To develop the architecture of the strategic games while adjusting the tool to the requirement of online teaching process, together with quality assurance and effectiveness assessment,,-To develop the engine of virtual strategic game (new functionalities for teachers and students)-To create, test and implement new game scenario-To create movies introducing the logic of the game and the user panel-To develop education movies supporting in business education as integral part of game engineTarget groups:-University teachers in the field of entrepreneurship, business, management - need to get teaching tools suitable during COVID-19 pandemic -Business students - need innovative learning tools to be able to learn without participation in the classroomThe main result of buGAM project is game-based training tools with edcuational movies supporting the development of entrepreneurial and managerial skills of business students. It will consists of several elements:1. Development of the virtual strategic game engine (IO1)2. New scenario of virtual strategic game (IO2) 3. Movie tutorial for students to present the game logic and game interface (IO3)4. Movie education on entrepreneurship, business and management (IO4)5. Quality assurance (IO5)We expect the following results:1) Higher competencies of the target group representatives (business students) such as business system thinking, internationalisation, strategic thinking, decision making, performance management, problem resolution, strategic management, teamwork, employee and stakeholder development, communication skills2) Higher competencies of the teachers using developed curricula and business simulation games3) Higher efficiency of higher edcuation facing the COVID-19 pandemic,4) Increased understanding and interest for the business simulation games used as the teaching technique5) Enriched training resources, publicly and free of charge available for academic community.Project's direct impact is foreseen in consortuim countries but it should impact the education sectors widespreaded in other countries, mostly European.- Short -term impact - participants and participating organization, business students, universities, business trainers and educators, business consultants, employees from consortium countries- Long-term impact - Enhanced awareness on new needs and expectations of managers, employees; quality services of business teaching, network of instructors

The UDI-A project wants to empower HEI from partner countries to play an effective impacting role in fostering sustainable and inclusive development in their region and country. African partners will play this role by helping their students to connect with local economic activity and local social processes in a way that these students will either create new value chains or help to enhance the existing ones. UDI-A project aims to enhance the quality of teaching and research at four African universities (in Angola and Mozambique) in selected areas, where there is a lack of qualified teachers and a high demand for graduates. In both countries, the project counts one big established university in the capital city and one smaller institution in a province.Each of the African universities will work in pairs with one European partner (TWIN). Academic staff at the African institutions will be trained both in terms of scientific content and teaching methodologies. Administrative staff will be trained in international affairs, student placement and entrepreneurship. The Consortium will organise collective training activities with an emphasis on soft skills development, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Each African partner will select 16 academics and 4 administrators (CHAMPIONS and JUNIORS) to take part in the training and other project activities. As from the 4th and final semester the activities will be open to other staff members and students as well.The two year project will result in 4 x 20 staff members, internationally networked and trained to provide state-of-the-art higher education and services in their respective areas.In parallel to the training, these teams will build or renew at each of the four African institutions a 'Centre for Academic Development and Innovation' (CADIs). The CADIs will provide the infrastructure and framework conditions to help promote and ensure continued networking and training for more cohorts of staff beyond the project lifes

"Le@d 3.0 Academy intends to create a long term knowledge alliance between Academy and Industry (A&I) to widespread the use of Web3.0/OER by adult educational actors (teachers/trainers/coaches/tutors coming from Universities, Business Schools, HR & Corporate Academies) in the development of the soft e-Leadership skills (Se-Ls) of their final end-users (students/managers/entrepreneurs). Le@d3.0 Academy focuses on ""trainers"" as changing agents to develop those Se-Ls that are required by the labour market in the Digital Age. More specifically the project aims at: a) identifying new Leaders’ soft competencies needs (decision making, people management, strategic vision design, creativity, intra/entrepreneurship, innovation) for actual and future leaders and identify how they can be raised making use of innovative learning methods b) identifying trainers’ missing competencies to effectively develop Web3.0/OER based learning programs and innovative learning approaches to develop soft e-leadership skills c) shaping, deploying and testing an open virtual environment & an educational tool kit for trainers enabling learning processes aimed at developing Se-Ls in today’s and tomorrow’s leadersd) setting up a learning community (Community of Practice–CoP) of trainers to effectively employ Web3.0 in soft e-skills education.Le@d 3.0 Academy wants to be the learning virtual platform for those adult educational actors from A&I that work on the development of the Horizontal skills set of the “e-leader” and that want to identify how it is affected by Web3.0/OER.9 Full partners and 2 Associate from 7 countries (IT-DE-FR-UK-B-PL-PT) can assure a wide dissemination of the project outputs and results among primary target group (trainers from Academy and Industry) and secondary ones (students/managers/entrepreneurs). The project is based on an “open flexible approach” to learning processes to be used in formal, non-formal and informal education on soft e-Leadership skills."