EUBBC-Digital will create a completely new way of educational collaboration between 8 universities in Bolivia, Brazil and Cuba, with the support of 7 universities & 3 SMEs in Europe. The partners will prove that it is possible to, in the digital environment of today, create a set of “global but local” “Dilpomado programs” of interest to the Latin American partner universities through re-using and sharing a number of available digital learning units, adapting these towards the local environments for the respective regions and by creating new units for global use. It will be proven that re-use of such learning units will allow for efficient creation of local degree-awarding programs, in which the teacher-collaboration will become extremely powerful and efficient. It will furthermore be proven that such a system will allow universities in less advanced economic regions to leap-frog a significant number of barriers and collaborate on more equal, but less broad, terms with highly reputed global HEIs.The project emphasizes several new aspects: • Sharing/re-using high-quality educational units from various sources allows the partners to create new, modern courses without having all the competences and human resources within the whole program area• This “share-economy” allows a “global but local” perspective in which the degree-awarding HEIs in emerging economies combine expertise from international and local specialists, offering courses and programs based upon the local community/citizens needs• Sharing and combining expertise from international and local specialists increases the quality of the educational material• It gives learners the freedom to learn from a broad perspective of international teachersEUBBC-Digital builds, through participation of academic & administrative staff, capacity towards detailed learning units as well as new types of degree-awarding academic programs created through enhanced international collaboration with globally developed OERs

EU projects in the region are recognised by leading world organisations and by the local partners, as being impactful and standing as reasons for hope to growth and development. Through cross-fertilization, EU can reinforce its footprint in the higher education systems in the region. Panama is a small and dynamic country receptive to modernisation, and willing to introduce a regional approach. Involving Cuba - isolated so many years - is an important step towards integrating the higher education on the island in a regional context. The Cuban Ministry of Higher Education is a partner in the project and is willing to promote a comprehensive introduction of higher education internationalisation in the country.To achieve concrete results and avoid opportunistic behaviours with uncertain long-term benefits, universities need to engage in a structured internationalisation process.FORINT aims to integrate the international dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of Cuban and Panamanian higher education system, and to strengthen the universities' capacities for education and research and improve their academic quality and standards. The project will use a comprehensive methodology directed at the target audiences of universities ( faculty, administrators and students), addressing a full spectrum of internationalisation objectives, including raising awareness, increasing the visibility of institutions within the region and establishment of international contact points in each partner university.Measurable results will be achieved during the lifetime of the project, visible as concrete international partnerships enabled by the partners’ participation in international and regional conferences.The outcomes of the projects will be turned into guidelines accessible to all institutions in the region willing to replicate the process. The FORINT portal will extend the impact of the project beyond its lifetime, facilitating international cooperation.

The project enhances the quality of Colombian, Cuban and Panamanian universities by transferring the EU expertise to design and implement a quality referential (framework, tools & methodology) based on impact assessment. This tool complements the actual QA systems currently limited to quality of teaching and research. This fosters an evolution towards an impact-driven culture in the institutions which improves the quality and relevance of the services that they provide to their community. The project results in an impact QA system, inspired by EU experience and customized to the 3 national contexts. The HEIs are capacitated for applying the quality referential at the institutional level (impact is measured and included in strategic development) and at the functional level (more activities/projects are targeted at local communities and their impact is maximized). The fitness for purpose and practical relevance of this QA system are verified by its implementation in 11 universities, under the mentorship of European experts.Results and best practices are compiled in two publications series: one for senior university management explaining how to measure, monitor and increase impact and collecting best practices. The second series, for faculty and specialist staff, provides guidelines and inspiration on how to maximize impact of universities activities for local environment and illustrates it it by a case studies compendium. Main findings and recommendations are shared with the 3 countries stakeholders during the project conference to build awareness and stimulate replication.The project promotes cultural changes in the universities who understand better how to answer the needs of their environment how to engage into innovative and more impactful activities. Regional & local communities benefit from the concrete results of the pilot projects and tighten their links with HEIs open to the local environment.