The aim of building the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is to promote, on the one hand, education designed according to a knowledge and skills approach and, on the other hand, to improve professional integration of students (Bologna process, 1998). However, European universities often face a high failure rate in bachelor's degrees.For decades, European educational policies have aimed at improving teaching and learning to encourage academic engagement and integration and the professionalization of teaching staff. Providing better conditions for study, monitoring and a better balance between studies, training and professional careers is a major objective of the reform of universities in Europe to face these challenges. Thus, the organization of the various teachings at the university and their relationship by a skills approach in a transdisciplinary approach is therefore important to question.In a context of strong professional uncertainties, social and economic changes characterized by restructuring of production sectors, by frequent renewal of professions, by an evolution of the forms and organization of work, the individual is supposed to take initiatives, adapt, be autonomous in carrying out tasks, and often change jobs several times during their professional career. Thus, it is no longer a question of producing reproducible behaviors, but of developing dispositions to generate adapted behaviors in the face of diverse and changing situations (Chauvigné and Coulet, 2010). These new societal requirements question the modalities of higher education and the role of professionalization. Thus, the development of university training focused on professionalization is reaffirmed as one of the joint priorities by the Member States. The university has a role to play in making the link between the provision of training and the needs of the economic world. It is thus a question of accompanying this evolution of the socio-economic world by the teaching and professional skills of the academic staff. How to adapt university teaching systems to serve the socio-economic world? How to support students to build their professional project and reflect on the various experiences acquired in training, in internships, in other contexts of life? Finally, how can the dynamic articulation between training and research support actors to question the meaning of their practices? How to promote the transfer of student skills and knowledge for professional integration?The TASTstrategy project aims to develop the teaching strategies to combat university failure and to tackle skills mismatches. The strategic partnership project is organized over two years.First of all, during the first year, it is a question of analyzing the needs of the students and the academic staff concerning the development of competences and more particularly the transferability of competences from one teaching to another (disciplinary courses and more professional courses, internship, training through research, etc.) so that students can mobilize them in their future jobs. The different educational approaches used will also be analyzed. Then, a hybrid-training program will be designed for these multi-category actors of academic staff. The objective of this training is to promote and support the transdisciplinary teaching by a skills approach. Thus the project develops and assesses new practices to meet the learning needs of students. These practices will be based in particular on the links between theory and practice, the development of reflexivity of students, training through research in a transdisciplinary and professionalizing approach.During the second year, training will be implemented in partner universities. Finally, once trained, the academic staff will implement the training outcomes with the undergraduate students. Its effects will be assessedThis project therefore targets them interdependent public.Students enrolled in undergraduate studies because the dropout rate is the highest. The objective is on the one hand to develop their skills and the transferability of these and on the other hand, to improve their reflexivity to allow them to build links between practice and theory for ultimately a better professional integration.The academic staff (teacher, researchers, trainers, professionals) who teach different courses. It is about understanding their professional practice in connection with the skills-based approach and proposing new student-centered teaching strategies.The project is innovative through three key aspects: development of skills of students transferable in professional contexts, professional development of academic staff and in particular the development of their skills and their capacities to offer innovative pedagogies, its combination between action research -innovation in a higher education environment.

In all the countries of the world a significant proportion of youngsters have serious learning difficulties that can lead to an absence of a diploma at the end of the period of compulsory schooling and the interruption of their studies. The early school leaving (ESL) makes it difficult for them to become socially and professionally integrated. The consideration of the educational institutions or even of parents is uneven across countries and remains globally insufficient. Among the twelve key measures to reduce school ESL on European level (2013) is to “support cooperation between schools, local communities, parents and pupils in school development and in initiatives to reduce ESL”. The project aims to respond to this recommendation. It aims to open to synergies with organizations providing formal and non-formal education and to improve transition between the different sectors of education, training and youth at local, national and international level. The project provides tools and practices to teachers, to youth workers and parents to develop their collaboration to actively participate in the fight against early school leaving. The final result of the project is the creation of a tested and validated common training program for teachers and youth workers that takes into account the specificities of the territories. This published program will be complemented by a guide for teachers and youth workers.The project first brings together European participants from Denmark, Spain, Hungary, France who have been working for several years on issues of inequality in school, inclusion or early school leaving. Territories linked to the geographical and socioeconomic disparities and with the highest number of youth in difficulty will be favored: urban areas with a high proportion of youngsters with a migrant background or Roms, the youth victims of social problems or delinquency, cities in industrial decline, or isolated and marginalized rural areas.The strategic partnership project is organized in three years. During the first year the census of good practices and statistical data on the ESL on the territories are conducted. A joint training program for teachers and youth workers on the one hand and the sessions for parents on the other hand are designed. During the second year the sessions for parents in each country and the training course will be implemented. The training course is divided into two mobility of 15 selected teachers and youth workers from each country. It is a hybrid training combining the use of a digital platform (in each country) and face-to-face sessions (during the mobility). For parents, sensitization sessions for their children's school accompaniment are organized. Once formed or sensitized, the various educational actors and parents will implement an experience of collaboration and support for young people during the third year. The project develops and evaluates the new practices to cater for the needs of disadvantaged groups and to deal with differences in learning outcomes linked to the geographical and socioeconomic disparities. The training course aims to improve the competences of teachers and youth workers. The project uses pedagogical approaches centered on the activity of the trainees, the exchange of practices at international level as well as at local or national level. The inverted classroom model, which is based on a personal work of the trainee based on online documents and on questioning and face-to-face exchanges, especially between teachers, youth workers and training managers, will be used. This type of teaching methods is particularly suitable for professional development. The mobility will promote collaborative and holistic approaches to teaching and learning and will strengthen their professional, personal and intercultural skills and exchange on their practices. The good practices in dealing with diversity in the classroom will also be proposed. The collaboration between teachers, youth workers and parents to implement the learning outcomes of the following year will be a lever to change the practices of professionals and parents' behaviors and thus strengthen their links for the benefit of youngsters. The evaluation that will be conducted at the end of the period will validate the relevance of the training.The participation of various institutions, stakeholders on the issue of ESL (school, youth clubs, cultural and sports associations, associations of parents, universities) is a major asset for the success of the project.

<< Background >>Addressing inequalities in access to university is critical to addressing issues of social exclusion across Europe. Research widely indicates that educational choices and aspirations are relational and that young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds do not have access to the cultural, social or academic capital needed to access HE. Multicultural, diverse and disadvantaged student ambassadors have the potential to work inclusively with young people from similar backgrounds, supporting them in developing valuable knowledge, skills and identities for HE access and progression. This project will develop and embed new approaches to working with student ambassadors to empower them to promote more inclusive universities.<< Objectives >>Main objectives of the project are: (1) identifying inclusion strategies in European universities and promoting social inclusion in HE for disadvantaged groups in relation to academic access, retention and success (2) develop models of cross sector working with student ambassadors to reach increased numbers of diverse and disadvantaged young people, promoting social inclusion; (3) develop a package of training modules for student ambassadors and cross sector organisations working with them to be shared locally, regionally, nationally and transnationally; (4) engage, connect and empower young people by developing regional, national and trans-national networks of student ambassadors.<< Implementation >>The project multiplier events will include an online international conference where research findings about current European university inclusion policies and practices, and models of effective inclusive student ambassador pedagogies and practice (R1) will be shared. Using the training curricula initially developed (R2), the Learning and teaching activity will provide opportunities for student ambassadors and staff to co-create and develop locally relevant training curricula and activities to address the needs of specific groups (such as Roma or refugee and migrant students). A report of policy recommendations (R4) will provide guidance on approaches to developing integrated ambassador schemes that effectively promote inclusion. Four local multiplier events and four final conferences will provide opportunities to disseminate project findings (R1, R2, R3, R4) and promote the concept of students ambassadors for inclusion.<< Results >>Project results will include: 1. A research report regarding the best practices in promoting social inclusion through strategies supporting HEI the access, retention and success of diverse and disadvantaged students 2. A curriculum for working with and training university students ambassadors/volunteers 3. Handbook of Best Practice and Resources for Student Ambassador Training 4. Policy recommendations for inclusion of disadvantaged groups through embedding student ambassador activity.The project will have a number of outcomes. These include increasing the intercultural and inclusive competence and understanding of best practice in working with diverse and disadvantaged students in partner universities, other local and national organisations and HEIs. Partner universities will introduce and/or extend student ambassador activity that supports inclusive practices and promotes the access, retention and success of diverse and disadvantaged students. The project will provide multicultural, diverse and disadvantaged student ambassadors with access to learning networks; increase their confidence, skills and knowledge, promote civic engagement. The project will promote co-operation and collaboration between partner universities. Through the publication of project results on the website, online platforms (e.g. EPALE), professional and academic open access journal articles, and through multiplier events , the project will promote inclusive ambassador training and activity that supports access and progression of diverse and disadvantaged students to universities across Europe.

One of the greatest challenges facing regulators in the ever changing landscape of novel nano-materials is how to design and implement a regulatory process which is robust enough to deal with a rapidly diversifying system of manufactured nanomaterials (MNM) over time. Not only does the complexity of the MNM present a problem for regulators, the validity of data decreases with time, so that the well-known principle of the half-life of facts (Samuel Arbesman, 2012) means that what is an accepted truth now is no longer valid in 20 or 30 years time. The challenge is to build a regulatory system which is flexible enough to be able to deal with new targets and requirements in the future, and this can be helped by the development and introduction of Safe by Design (SbD) principles. The credibility of such a regulatory system, underpinned by the implementation of SbD, is essential for industry, who while accepting the need for regulation demand it is done in a cost effective and rapid manner. The NANoREG II project, built around the challenge of coupling SbD to the regulatory process, will demonstrate and establish new principles and ideas based on data from value chain implementation studies to establish SbD as a fundamental pillar in the validation of a novel MNM. It is widely recognized by industries as well as by regulatory agencies that grouping strategies for NM are urgently needed. ECETOC has formed a task force on NM grouping and also within the OECD WPMN a group works on NM categorisation. However, so far no reliable and regulatory accepted grouping concepts could be established. Grouping concepts that will be developed by NanoREG II can be regarded as a major innovation therefore as guidance documents on NM grouping will not only support industries or regulatory agencies but would also strongly support commercial launch of new NM.