"The Europe 2020 Strategy as the basis for socio-economic development identifies smart growth, supporting the development of a knowledge-based economy, innovation and new technologies. The strategy is devoted much attention to the improvement of youth education, the introduction of new teaching methods, the elements of creativity and innovation. Challenges of the modern economy, the constant development of modern technologies and the dynamics of labor market demand from the education at all levels related to modern, innovative technologies. The question is how to share necessary and difficult knowledge in such a way that stimulate creative thinking, determination, ability to analyze and solve complex problems, while demonstrating the application of theoretical knowledge in mathematics, physics, computer science and electronics in problem solving? The answer is learning programming, shaping the attitudes of experimental problem solving, concept development, modification and improvement of own projects. Meanwhile, among the 30 European countries, the ability to program people aged 16 to 24 places Poland only at 22 positions (Eurostat). Computers are found in 94.6% of Polish households with children, and only 8% of the population declares having programming skills. The main barriers identified among students are: - lack of programming and robotics classes at school; - high cost of commercial activities - lack of information on available educational resources - low self-esteem / lack of belief in one's own abilities especially in the students The barriers that teachers face: -using computers only during IT lessons ""A clear discrepancy between the core curriculum and teacher competencies - the school is not always an attractive place for programmers."" - no resources for teacher training and insufficient time and resources for additional activities (primarily the scope of the program). - insufficient hardware facilities (no robots at school) The project is addressed to 2 groups: secondary school teachers and high school students Main goal: to increase innovation and interdisciplinarity of education among 6 secondary schools of partner countries by developing and disseminating to 08.2020 18 educational materials for pupils and 18 for teachers on the use of robot programming for STEM education Detail objectives: - increased knowledge of 100 teachers in the use of programming and robotics in STEM education; - increase in innovation and internationalization of the institutions involved (8) through the exchange of good practice, joint development of universal educational and training materials and promotion of open education Project partners: Silesian University (leader), Edu-Res Foundation, Academic Complex of Secondary Schools No. 2 in Chorzów, 1 ERICO LYKEIO AIGIOU, GRAMMAR SCHOOL JURIJA VEGE IDRIJA, IIS Sandaski, SOU ""Jane Sandanski"", IIS ERASMO DA ROTTERDAM"

The European agri-food sector faces pressing global challenges, including food security, climate change, and sustainability. To address these, it must adopt a knowledge-driven strategy rooted in cutting-edge research and innovations towards a sustainable food system. Promoting interoperable R&I careers that bridge academic and non-academic (NA) sectors is essential for fostering new solutions. LETSGROW is based on three pillars: training, mobility of talents and policy development to support this effort. These aim to foster collaboration between sectors, ensuring knowledge and resource exchange that mutual benefits. This mutualistic approach can nurture a fertile environment for R&I talents. Training focuses on equipping R&I talents with the evolving competencies of both sectors. LETSGROW addresses current gaps by building up talents’ skills as well as the institutional competence to support talents and their careers, offering a set of 37 training activities. Mobilities play a critical role in preparing R&I talents to work across sectors. LETSGROW offers: quality-based talent selection, a mentoring system, a return plan to maximise impact, and mobilities coupled with training. The cross-sectoral exchanges will allow NA talents to gain practical, industry-related experience, while gaining insights from academic research. Mobilities are designed so R&I talents gain critical competencies while involved entities establish and promote future collaborations. Evidence-based and needs-based policy is essential to enable positive change, and lessons learned from both training and mobility activities will feed co-creation of policy recommendations to enhance R&I talents career interoperability and employability. LETSGROW’s combined impact of targeted training, cross-sector mobilities, and supportive policy development will promote competitiveness of the R&I talents and the consortium, which gathers 11 Partners (7 from 5 Widening countries), including 4 NA entities.

In the context of climate change, Europe is facing new challenges that are threatening food security. There is thus an urgent need for the development of innovative strategies to improve plant tolerance to stress. Notably, recent years have already shown an unusual frequency of heat waves during the summer, a stress condition particularly threatening for yield as it cannot be mitigated in the field. Like many other kinds of stress, heat stress has a detrimental effect on growth due to reduction of the cell division activity in meristems. There is accumulating evidence that this growth reduction depends at least partly on the activation of the plant DNA Damage Response (DDR). The HeatDDR proposal aims at building on the acquired knowledge to decipher the links between the DDR and plant heat stress responses, and to fine-tune these cellular responses in order to allow plant survival without impairing growth. By bringing together groups with complementary expertise and private companies interested in this topic, HeatDDR will combine multiscale approaches including biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, computational biology and plant phenotyping to tackle this question and to train a new generation of scientists specializing in this emerging field. Trainees will work on both Arabidopsis and crops and will thus be aware of different plant models, and on specific challenges associated with breeding. Through the HeatDDR programme, ESRs will receive hands-on training on advanced laboratory techniques and develop transferable skills, thereby ensuring their successful integration on the job market either in the academic or in the non-academic sector, and setting the ground for the construction of European network of collaboration in this field.

This is a higher education student and staff mobility project, please consult the website of the organisation to obtain additional details.