The project aimed at fostering student mobility. Students gave good feedback and, hence, gained knowledge profit.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe lockdown that forced teachers to make distance courses overnight both opened up avenues for those who had never used such tools before and showed the limits of an improvised shift to distance learning. This project will respond to that context with the design and experiment of a model of distance education that allows all students to develop competencies, whatever their background, and that makes the most of the possibilities of new technologies for a pedagogy that engages, motivates and supports all kinds of students. The purpose of the Project University Goes Digital is to improve digital skills of University teachers, to reinforce their capacity to respond the challenges Universities are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic or will face on future similar challenges. With active involvement of the lecturers and students from the beginning of the project, ATHENA will create, test and implement innovative digital practices, putting technologies in use to create new pedagogical approaches and achieve better learning and teaching experiences. The project seeks to foster cooperative learning environments, making them transformative and inclusive through the effective adoption of new technologies, such as e-learning, gaming platforms, virtual and augmented reality, systematically modelled to activate key competencies in digital learning. The project will create templates that lecturers can adopt and adapt to their classes, using different pedagogical approaches. It will be a toolkit that includes ebooks, videos, games, quizzes, AR and AI. The partnership is formed by 4 Universities (PT, FR, IT, AT), 1 technological partner (PT) and 5 associated partners: the Francophone University Agency (AUF) and others four from PT, Brazil, Cape Vert and Tunisia. The Universities partners will bring the know How of the courses areas and the capacity to implement the project. Webwise develops innovative learning resources based on technologies. The 4 associated partners will be involved on the dissemination and exploitation of results, maximizing the potential of the network.Target groups: lectures from HE and HE Students.RESULTS:O1 - a multi-regional Platform Digital Learning Live HUB for Lecturers (eLEARN-HUB) to support lecturers to implement online/e-Learning courses. The eLEARN-HUB wil have: 1) a Pedagogic Model of Digital Learning, with course learning design (learning outcomes, syllabus, schedule, teaching methodology, assessment, academic resources, technological tools); and 2) a Prototype of Digital Learning Solution.O2 – an Universal Toolkit for Digital Learning, to be used and tailor made by lecturers form all the scientific areasO3 – O6 – four online courses: Technology in Architecture, Organization and Leadership, Logistics and Research Methodology.The 4 Courses will be tested with pilot groups of professors and students, with active online participation of teachers from non-European Countries (Cape Vert, Brazil, Tunisia). The final version of the courses will be implemented in training events with lecturers from the 4 partners. In the testing phase, using pilot courses and staff training events, Lecturers of the 4 Universities of the project will be given the skills to develop digital tailor made courses for their students, using: GBL VR/AR, video classes, and AI systems. MAIN ACTIVITIES:Activities from the Management and Quality Management PlanActivities from de Dissemination Plan4 learning Teaching and Training Activities to train the Lecturers in Online Courses on Technologies in Architecture, Organization and Leadership, Logistics, and Research Methodology.4 Multiplier Events (master Classes), one in each Country of the partnership to disseminate the project results and deliver a Lecture by an expert on the subject. PEDAGOGIC METHODOLOGY Athena employs innovative, student-centered, and personalized learning pedagogical approaches through the involvement of all the stakeholders in a design thinking process to create a pedagogical model for digital learning and a digital technological solution for online learning. EXPECTED IMPACT1. Empowerment of Lectures and Students regarding their digital teaching and learning competencies.2. Increase Universities’ capacity to face the challenges of digital learning.3. The capacity building of a large network in several regions of the world (Europe, Africa, and South America)4. consolidation of a transnational network of cooperation to improve the Higher Education European Space, creating common solutions for global challenges.

iFEMPOWER aimed to empower female students to get engaged in entrepreneurship by reinforcing their skills and mindset needed for self-employment. The project addressed the lack of entreprenerial motivation and attitude among HEI students and the gender gap in entrepreneurship. Female entrepr.s face several challenges, i.e. the lack of equal access to capital and training, access to business networks, and the need of reconciling business/family. The lack of a supportive environment and financial background, and the specific sociocultural attitudes towards women entrepreneurs negatively affect the entrepreneurial spirit too. As a consequence, students often do not receive competitive knowledge valuable in the labour market. Creative and innovative learning environments are also missing.The project was implemented to achieve the following objectives:1) empowering potential female entrepreneurs among HEI students from any field to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills (both soft and hard) to launch their enterprises,2) developing innovative tools, educational & training methods for the empowerment of female entrepreneurs in HEIs,3) promoting entrep. mindset, making entrep. attractive for youth and raising awareness on the importance of improving conditions of female entrep. by building a strong network among HEI and business.iFEMPOWER gathered important organizations from the knowledge triangle to build a bridge between the academic and business sector. The partnership consisted of 4 HEIs: Bifröst University (IS), Corvinus University of Budapest (HU), Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania (RO) and Sigmund Freud University (AT), 3 business actors: ONECO Consulting (ES), Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (PT), Steinbeis GmbH (DE), 1 business support organization: Andalucía Emprende Foundation (ES) and the Coordinator, HÉTFA (HU), a private research institute. During its 3 years, iFEMPOWER implemented interlinked activities. First, exploratory research was carried out on female entrepreneurs and SMEs in Europe; the findings were summarized in a Research Report (IO1). Second, an International Module consisting of a Curriculum (IO2) and Teaching Material (IO3) was developed and tested at HEIs and accomplished by students from several fields. The courses were backed by a Mentorship Programme (IO4) to provide background knowledge on the usual hindrances of being a female entrepreneur and potential solutions. Students with the best business ideas had the opportunity to participate in 2 intensive study programmes (IO5), where their ideas were further developed and presented to investors and mentors. In addition, each PP set up Entrepreneurship Support Points (IO6) to provide personal counselling for anyone interested in women entrepreneurship. An Online Toolkit (IO7) was developed to provide specific suggestions to visitors’ problems. The toolkit is available in 7 languages on the project’s website ifempower.eu. Lastly, iFEMPOWER monitored and assessed all activities and prepared a Final Study (IO8), highlighting the transferable practices and formulated policy recommendations. 2 LTTs (training activities) for university teachers in ES and PT, 2 multiplier events in ES and PT and 3 online multiplier events ensured that outcomes were channelled into the relevant stakeholders. All activities and outputs are publicly available at www.ifempower.eu, as well as on the EPALE and WEgate platforms. Thanks to the project more than 250 students got familiarized with entrepreneurship and acquired high-level, transversal and case solving skills enabling them to launch their businesses, while min. 8 students have actually started their enterprises, thanks to the project. HEIs established intensive cooperation with partners from the business sector during the development of an international curriculum and teaching material that includes non-formal education, interactive work, mentorship, hence bringing academia closer to answering the needs of the labour market. 20 university teachers were involved in teaching and other project activities, out of them 13 teachers were trained to teach the iFEMPOWER module by raising their skills too. More than entrepreneurs were involved in the mentorship and made contact with students by establishing long-term cooperation with them. 22 university students worked with mentors and started to build up the necessary network for their businesses. The online toolkit and the support points have addressed at least 160 students by giving counselling. In the long run, HEI partners will keep teaching the iFEMPOWER modules and organizing summer schools sustaining the project’s achievements and contributing to raising the number of female entrepreneurs in the future as well. Findings summarized in policy recommendations channelled to stakeholders will improve the business and educational environment for female entrep.s and policy changes in HEI, entrepreneurship, business support fields.