Asian Family Businesses (FB) are the backbone of the Asian economy, however the specific characteristics of family businesses which can affect their longevity and their competitiveness remain unexplored. More efforts should be directed towards studying the contribution of family businesses to establish the proper institutional frameworks to support their longevity. In this context the project aims to create a new Master’s programme in the specialized academic area of FB Management in total 16 HEIs of Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, that is as much absent from HEI programmes in the Partner Countries (PC) involved as it is needed. The FAB curriculum will incorporate novel entrepreneurial theories, business models and innovative management tools fostering new family entrepreneurs, but also promoting entrepreneurial behaviour (including innovation) in existing family firms.Beyond coursework, the program will be structured around:- industry placement, in family businesses;- ‘FB Centers of Excellence’ in PC HEIs that will act as foci for research and innovation in the area;- country-specific VET online courses (MOOCs), introducing PC HEIs in the MOOC era;- digital learning, to allow modern forms of learning, as well as to enable contribution from experts across the globe in the development of the program;- promote cooperation, exchange of know-how and good practices in the subject area between EU and PC HEIs;-establish viable synergies and links with family businesses in order to address their needs in specialized personnel and enhance the employability of FAB graduates;-contribute to local economic growth, by providing to program participants the right knowledge/skills/tools to turn the local family-business sector into a driver of social and economic growth;-promote dialogue between the academic sector, family businesses and policy/decision makers in PC and help convey the concerns faced by FB into policy consultation processes.

<< Background >>One of the biggest challenges is the availability of healthcare professionals that are able to use the latest information technologies developed in the big data analytics era (Rozman et al, 2016). The consortium therefor created an innovative, multilingual Massive Open Online Course on Bioinformatics providing it to the widest possible audience and integrating online Work Based Learning periods (Online Seminars).<< Objectives >>The BioS project aimed at advancing the skills of European medical doctors and other health professionals through the design, development and delivery of new modular vocational curricula on Digital Skills on Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, as well as transversal skills, straightforwardly responding to the skills gaps identified by existing research evidence.<< Implementation >>BioS has developed and delivered the BioS Vocational Open Online Course (VOOC) in accordance with ECVET/EQF/EQAVET and through the BioS Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) aiming to upgrade the transversal as well as occupation-specific skills of health care professionals in Medical chemistry (biomedical analysis), Medical statistics, Medical interpretation, and Clinical genetics, by introducing them to the use of Computational Biology for clinical applications.<< Results >>The project’s objectives were pursued through the following main results:- Modular Curricula integrating latest advancements in Computational Biology for the Healthcare sector - Training Material including, inter alia, video lectures, learning activities, assessment exams- Development of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) bringing together medical doctors, bioinformatics experts, educators, researchers and policy makers - Policy Briefs and Recommendations - Dissemination material

<< Objectives >>The COVID-19 crisis once again outlined the importance of digitization of the social interaction. The most vulnerable groups are the students who have to explore the vast world of knowledge sitting hours on end in front of their computer screens. But the digital transformation goes beyond the limits of the desktop computers, laptops and tablets. Robots are the logical next generation of digital tools that can be utilized to speed up the digital transformation of the educational systems.<< Implementation >>The project team will co-create a cost-effective robot-based platform for education(ST(R)EAM IT). It will be complemented by a comprehensive, yet easy to use, ergonomic human-robot interface.The ST(R)EAM IT platform will provide students and teachers with life interactive access to any remote facility - cultural, industrial, educational, institutional, natural, etc, thus providing a powerful new accessible, inclusive, nature-friendly tool for boosting the quality of the educational experience.<< Results >>The project team will create a ST(R)EAM IT platform and train 64 teachers and trainers how to use it. They will be the backbone of a teacher-trainer community of practice which will operate as informal group and provide sustainably of the project results in the future . As part of the project 16 OERs will be created, eight exhibition fragments and four demos session on culture and history will be presented using the robot-based system, starting the process of utilizing robots in VET education.

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The educational landscape is shifting. Augmented reality is gaining traction as a way to engage students, and its impact on learning can be summarised by the Confucius quotation: “Tell me and I will forget; Show me and I may remember; Involve me and I will understand”. A user’s real, visible environment is the predominant element, with extra information intended to augment the actual environment a user sees on an ad hoc basis, rather than fully replacing it. As a result, the capacity for immersion with AR is lower than that offered by virtual and mixed realities. Nonetheless, it is likely more useful than Virtual reality (VR) in many professional contexts as being totally isolated from one’s environment is generally not the desired outcome for professional informatics tools and interfaces. Moreover, according to the Commissions Digital Transformation Monitor report, the market for both VR and AR is immature, with high potential. Currently, the vast majority of users experience AR using a smartphone or a tablet. AR with its much-reduced hardware requirements and intuitive usability (i.e. the user can still see the world around him/her) remains a more practical tool in a professional context from a technical standpoint. Furthermore, AR experimentation relies on custom, tailor-made software designed to work with a company’s physical environment and integrate with its existing systems. FANTASIA project aims at developing an educational package for the teaching of some basic scientific concepts & skills. It will be in such a form that it can be easily used by anyone regardless whether they are teachers, parents or guardians and regardless of their training. It can be used independently in class or at home, with the support of an adult. The educational material will be implemented in science classrooms as well as at homes and science centers, in participating EU countries and evaluated in regards to its educational objectives. Finally, the impact of the project on the target groups, as well as potential impact on individuals and organisations outside the partnership will be also evaluated.Content: The basic subjects which will be addressed are the concept of the spherical earth, as a planet moving around itself & the sun, the concept of the sun, the phenomenon of the change of the day/night cycle & the explanation of floating & sinking of solid objects in the water. Moreover the students will learn how to apply the scientific method in order to evaluate their beliefs concerning the above phenomena. The educational package will include: a) A fairy tale describing the adventures of a young illiterate person who starts a trip around the earth in order to explain what seems to be a “mystery” to him/her, namely the explanation of the day/night cycle. During this trip s/he will have to solve scientific problems by conducting observations & experiments using simple materials & having discussions with people who he/she will meet during his/her trip. Thus, step by step he/she will discover the answers to the questions concerning some laws of nature. The fairy tale will be in written form with illustrations & accompanied by a recorded form with soundtrack & sound effects. b) Scenarios for the educational use of the fairy tale with detailed descriptions of educational activities that children will be asked to perform with the assistance of the educators/guardians. Most of the proposed activities have been already evaluated in real science class environments during research projects. They are based on a theoretical framework with great impact in the research in cognitive psychology & science education. c) A discussion of the difficulties that students have in learning the specific concepts, a simplified description of the theoretical framework underlying the proposed educational activities and a discussion of the aim of the proposed educational activities. Therefore, educators & adults will be able to help the students overcome these obstacles. d) A description of a set of drama & music kinetic activities connected to the story to make the process of learning amusing & new knowledge which otherwise would have been emotionally indifferent will become emotionally stable & enduring. e) Augmented reality 3D content that has not yet become a reality in many scientific domains and it will facilitate effective and efficient use of digital content through the open source availability. The educational material will be suitable for use by students ranging in age from 5- 12 years. The results of the evaluation & of the impact effects of the implementation of the educational package in EU countries will provide an indication whether this will be suitable for students in other countries as well and in different languages.