“Landscape means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors” (Art.1 of European Landscape Convention (ELC)). Landscape is both a physical reality and the representation that we make of it. It is the face of a land with all its natural and anthropological elements and, at the same time, the feelings and emotions that it arouses in us when we see it. The ELC (aka the Florence Convention, 20/10/2000 came into force on 1/3/2004, Council of Europe Treaty Series no. 176) indicates that assessment of different dimensions that exist in landscapes should be taken into account. ELC aims to encourage public authorities to adopt policies and measures at local, regional, national and international level for protecting, managing and planning landscapes throughout Europe. The Covid-19 crisis seems to have hit a pause to these policies and activities, but it is not the time to ignore such issues nor forget about the training of trainers, students and citizens required to achieve these objectives. With this situation in mind, GEOLAND focuses on NATURA 2000 sites. ParticularlyGEOLAND will:1. explore and develop educational procedures for the effective participation of Higher Education (HE) students in decision-making for landscape management, planning and protection of NATURA 2000 sites. 2. enable the uptake of novel ways to engage and empower HE students in environmental science and stimulate participatory decision-making. In particular, it will provide the opportunity to students, citizens & stakeholders being interested in the definition and implementation of landscape policies to play an active part in setting sustainability indicators of desirable landscape quality objectives (Landscape Quality Objectives/LQO). 3. attempt to identify and summarize the environmental/cultural stratification in the examined landscapes through a sophisticated Landscape Character Assessment (LCA). On the basis of this Assessment, the capabilities of geospatial technologies (Earth Observation and Geographic Information Systems) and web-based GIS applications will be exploited. 4. encourage/introduce innovative pedagogies (citizen science), technologies and state of the art approaches (LCA) to higher education studies in Europe, while addressing issues of teaching and learning about Landscape as a multidisciplinary subject area in universities. PARTICIPANTSPartnership of 7 partners from 5 countries: 1 Research center, 2 Higher Education Institutes, 3 Non -Governmental Organizations, 1 ICT small-medium Enterprise and 1 chamber of commerce.RESULTS- Promotion of latest digital innovative technologies for Landscape monitoring in Higher Education.- Support of ELC comprehension from students regarding the knowledge of the landscapes (identification, analysis, assessment) and the definition of Landscape Quality Objectives in higher education.- Progress towards a coordinated and targeted approach to the best use of geospatial technologies and relevant data and their fusion on a multidisciplinary level in educational landscape ecological services.- Support the participation of students in environmental monitoring and landscape management.- Synthesize and integrate readily communicable, to a wide audience, findings suitable for awareness raising and policy negotiations among students in Europe.- Highlight the role of training students in real-life interaction between them and available geoinformatic technologies to set up a successful format.The aforementioned results will be materialised through the generation of:1. Educational Handbook for monitoring European Landscape2. Training Course - Web based GIS platform3. Policy outreach activities4. Online gallery of student’s work5. Digital educational readiness assessment tool.LONG TERM BENEFITSBenefits expected from above results will be felt in many ways, especially in the pedagogical, environmental and digital skills fields. In particular, they can be defined as follows:- Min. 30% increase (in participating organizations) in the number of students who will be aware of the most important pieces of ΕLC.- Min. 30% (in participating organizations) increase in students' awareness of Natura 2000 sites and network, as well as their environmental and socio-economic value.- Min. 500 students handling the most updated geoinformatic technological applications, products and services derived from the project.- Min. 40% (in the participating organizations) increase in the amount of students participating in proposed processes for the monitoring, management and protection of NATURA 2000 landscapes.- Identification and recommendation of policies and measures from HE students and professors aiming at landscape management and protection of landscape.

The need for climate action and sustainable resources management is more important than ever. The Green Deal presented by the European Commission on 11th of December 2019, sets the goal, Europe to be a climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal addresses the immediate need for specific actions that support Circular Economy, helping to reduce CO2 emissions, transform the energy industry, move the production to a more environmental-friendly stage and many more. The way to becoming Climat-Neutral continent will put in front of us new types of challenges. One of them lay in front of small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) which have an essential role in achieving a greener economy as it is indicated by the Green Action Plan. The upcoming regulations based on the Green Deal are extremely needed, but also they put many of the traditional business models in a transitional situation. The small business struggled in the past decay to recover from a financial crisis, finds it hard to adapt quickly to the challenges ahead. The most sensitive are the SMEs, where change management is challenged by the lack of present financial or human resources, sustainability and knowledge, especially for micro SMEs. BALANCE is a project that steps on the key learning points from the Green Action Plan for SMEs, to combine best practices around EU and back them up with financial knowledge in order to create a valuable and training program which curriculum is based on ECVET for the transformation of the small business into more greener without having to sacrifice the financial sustainability of the enterprises and allow them to keep their employees.The direct target group of Balance project are the SMEs (SME’s decision-takers, SME’s Consultants, Entrepreneurs) They will have access to the training program, e-learning program materials that will help them transform their operations. The SME's consultants are included as a direct target group in order to accelerate the dissemination of the results and reach up even more SMEs. Indirect target group - Employees in SMEs. The project’s results tackle the financial sustainability of the SMEs, who are providing 133 million jobs across the EU. The investment in knowledge in SMEs prepares them to become capable to handle the transition period and sustain the current level of employment. Moreover, they will know how to pre-qualify their staff when changes are applied. BALANCE has the objectives to:1. Provide a Report over best environmental practises already implemented within EU2. Provide financial analysis on those measures3. Create a dedicated training program for Greener SMEs 4. Provide SME's consultants with a training program5. Develop E-Learning program accessible to all6. Provide workshops and Multiplier events and help more micro SMEs to embrace a greener futureThe direct results will be:- Report: Green policies and financial sustainability - presenting examples in the partnering countries and provides financial analysis over the current best practises in the business sector.- Training program: Green and stable SMEs - comprising of the training ECVET based curriculum and materials, presentations, framework - providing the needed information to SME's decision-makers how to transform their operations without causing a financial stress to the enterprises- E-learning web platform: Greener and Sustainable Business - complimenting the training program and responsive for desktop version, mobile and tablets for promotion on the green measures and including video materials, case studies, quizzes and other training materials.The activities and intermediate results will include:- Synthesis report of focus groups results and the surveys at EU level and needs analysis of SME’s decision-makers for change-management, environmentally measures and financial sustainability- 6 national reports on best environmental practices across the partnering countries- Project Management Plan, Quality assurance plan, Dissemination strategy - 18 workshops, 6 multiplier events and 4 transnational meetings The project will be carried by 6 partners from Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Belgium. Four of the partnering organisations work directly with the target group as adult training organisations and consultants of SMEs, one organisation is a VET provider with Environmental Science Education program and one organisation is working on a European and international level for providing geographic and environmental education as an association.The expected impact on SME's decision-makers and consultants will be to enhance their knowledge of how to make a successful transition towards greener operations without having to sacrifice financial sustainability or employees. Through the project, it is expected project to reach 200000 people for the first two years and to involve directly over 500 SME's and consultants in the different activities and 600 stakeholders.

<< Background >>The decade for education for sustainable development launched by UNESCO (2004- 2014) has enabled the development of Education for sustainable development (ESD). ESD is integrated to varying degrees in different countries at the university level and there is potential for intensified implementation in the future (Leal Filho, 2015; Sprenger & Nienaber, 2017). However, the stakes are high. On the one hand, students are already citizens. On the other hand, they are in the process of professionalization. Raising their awareness of global change is a lever to enable them to take into account sustainability issues in their future professional lives. The project proposes to develop ESD at the university level by guiding university teachers towards digital and innovative teaching practices. Intercultural learning aims at providing insights into cultural orientation systems, reducing stereotypes, and counteracting ethnocentric attitudes. One goal of intercultural learning is to deal with commonalities as well as differences between cultures.This will be done in the present project under the perspective of an ESD. The goal is the insight that one's own cultural identity is only one among many and that one's own cultural standards can be put into perspective. If one relates the cultural perspective to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 that are to be achieved globally, it becomes clear that, against the background of ecological but also economic and social challenges, traditional norms and values must be examined and reflected upon again and again, and that the norms of different cultures can serve to reflect upon one's own perspective and, if necessary, to expand it.Teaching practices at the university have been the subject of great interest over the last twenty years. The reform of these practices is one of the major challenges of European policies. Ensuring quality higher education (London Convention, 2007) enabling European universities to achieve excellence and contribute to the development of a knowledge society (Bologna Convention, 1998). Teaching practices in universities must also take into account the challenge of developing students' digital skills. The health context related to COVID poses two new challenges for universities: to implement blended teaching practices and to ensure the effectiveness of these practices. Especially in these extraordinary times of occasional restricted movement working with the help of computers and networks is very important. The V-Global project addresses the following challenges : The digitalization required by the COVID pandemic brings specific challenges for geographic and environmental learning. The real and intercultural encounter is a central feature of teaching and learning in these subjects. Through the Corona situation and the prevention of travel, a new barrier has arisen that cannot be easily eliminated until today and in the near future. Here, new formats had to and must be found that enable intercultural encounters. Digitization is a central approach here.Another challenge is that many signs of environmental and global changes cannot be visited directly because students, for example, have limited financial resources, have physical disabilities, or their family situation does not allow them to go abroad.Sustainability and ESD is closely linked to values, norms and attitudes that differ culturally, and can to be worked out in a dialogue. Work in the same direction that Global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goal “13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning”. The project deals with the plan to make the EU's economy sustainable. This can be done by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, and making the transition just and inclusive for all.<< Objectives >>The project has 7 objectives : Objective 1: Further development of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)The first objective is the further development of ESD at the university level through a blended learning approach, based on digital and real teaching practices.In recent years, a process of integrating education for sustainable development into university curricula has begun in Europe, especially in geography. This process has been implemented differently in the individual countries and is definitely not completed, but is currently even being extended.Objective 2: Development of a collaborative blended learning teaching concept in ESDThis collaborative approach is designed to achieve long-term cooperation. Synchronous and asynchronous formats are used.There is already the experience of some partners who have already carried out a project in this way bilaterally - due to the corona situation.Objective 3: Similarities and differences of intercultural ESDThe objective of the project is a content-related and personal dialogue in order to work out similarities and differences with regard to an intercultural ESD. This represents a central aspect of intercultural education besides the mediation of insights into cultural orientation systems.Objective 4: Fostering inclusion and wider accessibility to ESD The project conception enables a wide accessibility. On the one hand for students who have limited financial resources, physical disabilities or whose family situation does not allow participation in a field trip/excursion. On the other hand, there is the possibility that other university institutions or other interested disciplines, can use the concept. Objective 5: These experiences and their dissemination will enable the creation of a European network of university teachers. Objective 6: Evaluation of the developed teaching concepts Objective 7: Contribute to the improvement of European higher education policies. Call 2020 Round 1 KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices KA226 - Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness Form ID: KA226-80A75193 Deadline (Brussels Time) 2020-10-29 12:00:00 EN 2 / 173<< Implementation >>The kick-off meeting (First transnational meeting) will plan the launch of Project Result 1. We will interview university teachers who work with ESD through blended learning and supported by web-based tools, such as virtual field trips and virtual labs to identify the possibilities and barriers related to taking such an approach (task 1). We will also analyze the curricula to identify the institutional possibilities and barriers for the development of virtual field trips and virtual labs from a PDS perspective (task 2). To achieve PR2, we will list already existing virtual excursions that could be used in an ESD perspective (task 3). A few already exist here, e.g. in the context of sustainable urban development. Then, we will conduct real field trips with students to obtain data that will be used for the later development of own virtual field trips. These data can be photos, 360° videos, digital surveys or mapping (task 4). On the basis of these data virtual field trips will be designed by students from the partner universities on different ESD topics climate change (mobility, housing, energy, economy, social disparities) (task 5). In a second step, these virtual excursions will be used in other courses or subjects in universities (task 6).To achieve PR3, the participatory toolkit will be connected to the project’s website. It will provide step by step instructions, demos, and proposed tools. It will include tools for different digital skills and needs, from simple to use collaborative dashboards to ppWebGIS platforms. First (task 7) will be defined the functionality needs of the toolbox, and then (task 8) the participatory toolbox will be developed To create this MOOC (PR4), we will organize a face-to-face teacher training to test the modules and materials developed for the MOOC. We will therefore first design the training architecture and the training materials (task 9), then test them during the face-to-face training (task 10) and integrate them into the MOOC (task 11).To achieve PR5, EUROGEO will examine and present an analysis structure for the Digicomp 2.1 Framework (the Digital Competency Framework for Citizens (https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC106281/web-digcomp2.1pdf_(online).pdf) and DigiCompEdu, the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcompedu). Partners will contribute findings from the Intellectual Outputs PR1, PR2, PR3 and PR4 to develop an digital competence framework for educators. Task 13: Write and design the recommendations for policy makers. Based on the review and development of the ESD using digital competence framework for educators and the outcomes of the other project results, the lead partner will synthesise the results of the review of recommendations and surveys (task 2) and produce incorporating the expertise of all partners clear and well documented recommendations for policy makers in higher education and other education sectors.<< Results >>The results will be a set of clearly defined intellectual products, divided into specific tasks. These outputs can be summarized as follows: PR1: Challenges and opportunities for a blended learning approach to ESD at the university levelWe will conduct a systematic overview (of state of the art) in blended learning and digital pedagogical practices/digital and innovative educational actions on ESD in higher education. PR2: Developing virtual field trips for global changeThe objective of this Project Result is to design a didactic and pedagogical approach to use virtual field trips in a ESD perspective. PR3 V-GLOBAL participatory toolbox for blended-learning pilots’ support This project results 3 aims to develop a free digital toolkit of participatory methods, tailored to the needs of teachers and students before, during and after virtual and real field trips. The participatory toolkit will support different steps of the blended learning methodology, will teach and encourage the use of methods of participation and collaboration in disciplines related to Global Change. PR4 : Training for university teachers in the use of virtual excursions in ESD perspectiveTo ensure an even wider dissemination, we will produce a MOOC that will allow teachers to train even after the end of the project. PR5: Policy maker reportIn order to ensure the impact of the project on teachers' practices on a larger scale, we will produce a report for policy makers. It will highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of the development ESD at university.Then, we will use social networks, a website and the websites of the project partners to communicate on the progress of the project and its results . We will also communicate at the national level through conferences (via the Hellenic Geographical Society (HGS), and the CNFG (French National Committee of Geography), European conferences (EUROGEO, EUGEO) and international conferences (IGU, AAG) to reach the widest possible audience of academics and through articles in scientific journals (notably RIPES, Journal of Geography in Higher Education).

RATIONALE:According to World Tourism Organisation (WTO) news from 8th of April 2020, the world trade is expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as the COVID 19 pandemic disrupts normal economic activity and life around the world. The economy must be relaunched as soon as the sanitary crisis will be stopped.As the coronavirus situation will gradually improve in Europe, tourism is expected to play a larger role in boosting consumption to help revive the economy. As the overseas travel have been suspended due to the pandemic, domestic rural tourism is expected to welcome more tourists, for people are chasing for a more healthy and natural lifestyle.The project will create the platform for a new era of the rural tourism, after COVID-19 pandemic crisis, as to exploit in village travel opportunities to conscious tourists by turning less-known places and rural areas into new routes of sustainable tourism, working tightly with the locals to revamp their traditions and cultural heritage and turning them into assets for socio-economic local development.OBJECTIVES:SMART VILLAGE Project intends to create a new educational curricula for upgrading until 2022 new digital basic skills and competences to more than 900 economic disadvantaged low-skilled and low-qualified senior adults impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, more exactly for persons living in deprived rural areas from at least 9 European local communities. The project will learn seniors how to create their own new business in villages by using innovative local cultural tourism opportunities based on social innovation best practices and circular economy principles. Our project can be a great opportunity for seniors to earn their own living in the economic crisis generated by the pandemic period, keep their mind engaged and challenged and stay active in the community.SMART VILLAGE project will produce new innovative teaching and learning approaches in the form of a research study and best practices collection, 4 multiple handbooks, a training kit, a videogame as tools for acquiring entrepreneurial competences in rural tourism. The project platform of resources and community will ensure direct impact on more than 900 adults learners (seniors) until 2022 who will increase their low digital skills and long term impact on more than 500 travel agencies and from Europe.TARGET GROUP: - seniors (50+), adult learners willing to work in the tourism chain sector from rural areas, the main considered marginalised (depopulated, isolated areas or with limited access to infrastructure: road transport networks, electricity and/or to telecommunications, including the Internet) or are included in marginalised populations, being people with low incomes, people at risk of poverty or social exclusion;- adult civil servants (+40) of the local public administration and private sector managers of SMEs from the rural villages.TRANSNATIONAL APPROACHEuropean added value lies in the fact that the actions under this initiative will address some crucial challenges such as improving the digital entrepreneurship skill in rural sustainable tourism at European level. The variety of countries the project partners represent ensures valuable input from all sides. By gathering 9 partners from 6 different countries, with expertise and different fields and knowledge areas, project aims to provide learning materials specifically developed to empower elderly to create business or to work in rural tourism sector in all countries of the EU.NEED:Rural tourism across Europe are undergoing big change. Whilst persistent challenges, such as depopulation and poor quality public services, and now the COVID-19 pandemy continue to put many rural communities under economic and social pressure, there are also new and exciting opportunities for rural residents. Opportunity arises from the key drivers of rural change in the 21st century, including the attraction of the tourists for the visitor’s experience related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing. This attraction is complemented by the impact of existing and emerging digital technologies on the tourist attitude and preference for the destinations promoting low-carbon and circular economies, the bioeconomy, new value chains, new patterns of mobility. Based on our previous research, review of literature and on the current situation due to pandemic crisis, seniors can play an important role in revival of the rural tourism, but they need to have upgraded competences and skills in:- the main principles of Smart Village concept;- social innovation business models in rural tourism;- circular business models (i.e. based on Flourishing Business Canvas; Inclusive Business Model);- digital research and promotion tools and management of online reservation system;- new sanitary and hygiene rules and conditions for accommodation and services.

"The project ""MY GEO"" is promoted by a consortium of nine partner organizations and two associated partners from three European countries: Belgium, Italy and Spain. In details: - Four Universities have been identified on the basis of their solid know-how and long-lasting experience of research upon the use of GIS tools in didactics. Furthermore the four universities own several previous experiences of collaboration in EU funded projects for the modernization of teaching methodologies through the use of innovative e-tools. - Four companies have been selected since their expertise in using GIS tools for their daily work. Furthermore they have been selected since they work in different sectors: hence they make use of similar tools for different purposes and apply those in different geographic contexts. - One international NGO: network of stakeholders working to foster the use of GEO-tools in teaching and learning methodologies throughout Europe. - Two associated partners: NGO active in the field of youth policies, who will support the communication and dissemination of the project activities and related outputs. The project ultimately aims at fostering the employability of students in higher education through promoting the acquisition of key skills related to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools. To this aim the partner organizations will undertake an initial activity of research finalized at identifying GIS-related key skills widely required by the job market. In line with the outcomes of the research the project partner will implement two different Intellectual Outputs: - One MOOC for teachers in Higher Education Institutions: aimed at fostering the acquisition of key skills related to the use of GIS for teaching purposes. This Intellectual Output will ultimately lead to the MODERNIZATION of the partner Universities. - The ""PORTFOLIO MY GEO "" for student: including a list of key skills and GIS tools widely used by private companies in different sectors. Each skill and tool will be linked to a training session provided in MOOC modality: those will be targeted to students and will contribute to raise their skills in making use of the listed tools. This Intellectual Output is ultimately aimed at fostering the OCCUPABILITY of students in higher education. Finally the project partner will organize two rounds for the international mobility of students from each partner University to each partner company. The mobility will be aimed at further empowering the participants on the use of GIS tools, through work-based learning experiences. In this sense the project will foster the INTERNATIONALIZATION of partner organizations. The results of the mobilities will be collected and displayed on the project platform, as all the other intellectual outputs previously described. The platform will be an interactive tool collecting and organizing all the project outputs for their dissemination. A session of the platform will allow the interaction among stakeholders active in the filed of e-education: fostering the exchange of experiences, good practices and lessons learned, and ultimately contributing to the construction of an European ""Community of practices"" including stakeholders promoting the use of GIS tools for teaching/learning purposes."