Smart-Rail has established the following objectives that are aligned with the requirements of the topic MG 2.2 and the various policy objectives: •Introduce a wide set of innovative measures aiming to improve the freight rail services offered to the shippers, focusing on five key topics: reliability, lead time, costs, flexibility and visibility. •Contribute to a mental-shift of the rail sector toward a client oriented and supply chain focus. •Develop working business models for cooperation of different stakeholders. •Develop a methodology and architecture for exchange of data/information required for the optimisation process, between stakeholders, making use of existing initiatives where available (for instance the European Corridor Management and national logistical information centres). •Establish and maintain communication with the different levels of stakeholders •Establish three Living Labs that each focus on different aspects and markets and implement the developed tools, methodologies and concepts. The purpose of the Living Labs is to test and improve the innovative measures in a real life situation. Specific and more dedicated business models, information systems and new rail services will be tested. The living labs to be implemented are: • Living Lab 1: Dedicated services; Wagonload trains. • Living Lab 2: Managing connectivity of rail with other modes; Control tower for long distance rail freight transport. • Living Lab 3: Reliability of rail and (unexpected) obstructions on the track; Betuwe route (Rotterdam-Genua corridor). •Broad and effective exploitation of the results of the project facilitated by a Smart Rail portal where all relevant information, data and tools can be exchanged and where stakeholders find each other and can share their experiences.

Two projects are conducted under the joint headline “Lore-Lorentz goes Europe”: Project A: Thinking European: Transnational Quality Management for the Provision of Drinking Water; Project B: Working European: 4you – 4 Fields of Work in Economics and Administration open up the European Job MarketProject background: Lore-Lorentz-Schule Düsseldorf is committed to international understanding and quality development in vocational education through its school programme and its mission statement. For many years work placements abroad have been conducted especially with the Environmental Technicians, Business Assistants specializing in foreign languages and Foreign Language Assistants. Project A: Number of participants and their profiles: 14 pupils are taking part from the educational profile “Leaving certificate of full-time vocational school State-certified environmental technician including university entrance qualification” Activities: The participants will work in company laboratories of large waterworks in Austria and Italy. During their placements they will apply skills and competences which they acquired in class and will expand their technical and professional skills in the following areas: mastering of chemical and biological methods of quality control in monitoring drinking water, comparison of different methods of the extraction of drinking water, comparison of statutory norms and regulations in Germany and in the partner states as well as acquiring competences in IT-skills, language skills and organizational skills. Project A will be conducted in close cooperation with the school’s partner “Stadtwerke Düsseldorf” (municipal utility, water and energy company). Project B: Number of participants and their profiles: 16 pupils are taking part from the educational profile “state-certified business assistant specializing in foreign languages including university of applied sciences entrance qualification (full-timevocational school)”. Activities: The participants will open up opportunities of the diverse European job market through the example of four institutions. They will apply, practice and improve skills and competences from the fields of economics and languages which they have already been practicing in class. The aim of this professional path is to become qualified and internationally applicable through profound technical competences in the foreign language. The course of education prepares mainly for the fields of implementing procedures in a multi-lingual common European market or in international oriented administration and aims to make students familiar in dealing with factual, legal, administrative and personnel related processes of the inner European and international markets. They are prepared to apply means and techniques of modern office communication for text production, presentations and data processing and transfer. The four chosen partners are very suitable to open up European perspectives on the job market because of their areas of operation. Projects A and B: Intercultural competences: The participants will gain intercultural competences through their participation in work processes of the partner organizations as internationally operating companies and by participating in the social life of their European neighbourhood states. They will be able to experience cultural differences and similarities and will communicate the idea of Europe back into our school and inspire other pupils in other educational profiles to seek occupations abroad, be it as work placements, university education or employment. Procedure of project implementation, targeted results and impacts, long-term benefits: The partner institutions and participants have been chosen on the basis of specific criteria and long-term experience. The supervision of the participants is conducted in cooperation with parents, teachers, and supervisors of the partner institutions. The realization is primarily prepared, monitored and evaluated by the school and follows ECVET quality standards: quality and management aspects are coordinated with the partner institutions and are based on the European Credit System for vocational education. Competence-oriented ECVET-partnership and learning agreements are formulated and implemented. The Europass-CV is applied in the process and competence-oriented Europasses are issued. The aimed result for the participants is an increase in competence on the levels of professional, technical, linguistic, information-technological, organizational, social and personal skills. The aimed results with the partners are the improvement of good-neighbourly relations across borders, the increased willingness to offer work placements for applicants from abroad, the orientation along ECVET standards and the intention of finding new partners abroad. The idea of a closer union among the European states and cultures is an overall aim which we hope to further through a multiplying effect.

Two projects have been conducted under the joint headline “Lore-Lorentz goes Europe”: Project A: Thinking on a European Level: Transnational Quality Management for the Provision of Drinking WaterProject B: Working on a European Level: 4you – 4 Fields of Work in Economics and Administration open up the European Job MarketProject background: Lore-Lorentz-Schule Düsseldorf is committed to international understanding and quality development in vocational education through its school programme and its mission statement. For many years work placements abroad have been conducted especially with the Environmental Technicians and Business Assistants specializing in foreign languages.Project A: Environmental techniciansNumber of participants and their profiles: 6 pupils have taken part from the educational profile “Leaving certificate of full-time vocational school, state-certified environmental technician including university entrance qualification”Activities: The participants worked in company laboratories of large waterworks in Austria and Italy. During their placements they applied skills and competences which they had acquired in class and expanded their technical and professional skills in the following areas: mastering of chemical and biological methods of quality control in monitoring drinking water, comparison of different methods of the extraction of drinking water, comparison of statutory norms and regulations in Germany and in the partner states as well as acquiring competences in IT-skills, language skills and organizational skills. Project A was conducted in close cooperation with the school’s partner “Stadtwerke Düsseldorf” (municipal utility, water and energy company). Project B: Business assistantsNumber of participants and their profiles: 7 pupils have taken part from the educational profile “state-certified business assistant specializing in foreign languages including university of applied sciences entrance qualification (full-time vocational school)”, 2 third-year pupils and 5 second-year pupils of this three-year course.The aim of “state-certified business assistants/foreign languages (English, Dutch)” is to become qualified and internationally applicable employees with excellent foreign language skills, focussing in particular on aspects of management in the multilingual domestic trade within the EU or in internationally oriented administration. As specialists they should be familiar with managing the thematic, staff-related, legal and administrative conditions of domestic and foreign trade as well as the correct use of technical support of modern office communication with regard to text production, presentation, data processing and transfer.Activities: The participants could prove their competences in working life and develop their vocational and foreign language skills. Above all, they could learn a lot about the European job market because the partner institutions in the Netherlands are particularly suitable being internationally operating logistics companies and a knowledge institute specialising in the regional development of bilateral German-Dutch relations. Projects A and B:Intercultural competences: The participants developed intercultural competences. They became integrated into the companies/institute and participated in the work processes of international companies and in the social life of their European neighbours. They were able to experience cultural differences and similarities and could find their own position in international contexts.Procedure of project implementation, targeted results and impacts, long-term benefits:The partner institutions and participants have been chosen on the basis of specific criteria and long-term experience. The supervision of the participants was conducted in cooperation with teachers and supervisors of the partner institutions. The realization of the project is primarily organised by the school and follows ECVET quality standards which provide the framework for management and applied instruments: Competence-oriented ECVET-partnership and learning agreements, EUROPASS mobility document etc..Project result: All participants have increased their competences on a professional, linguistic, technical, organizational, social and, most of all, personal level. The partner institutions, i. e. school and companies, have intensified their good relations. The participants and organizers have brought back their experiences into the school community which is a source of inspiration for younger and new pupils. Consequently, not only the mobilities but also Europe as a working place and the European idea have become more tangible.Although some mobilities did not take place because of Covid-19, this could not diminish the value of the project per se.