<< Background >>Health equity is important for a sustainable society, future, and good life for all. The project group members have been working on topics related to health equity for years. Some are working within the healthcare field, some within education and some provide a social service from their respective NGOs. Equity is a value-based, political concept that points to the commitment of providing safe, meaningful, and appropriate healthcare for all. Although European health care systems are developing in a positive direction for many people, there are health and service gaps which, unfortunately, are contributing to growing health inequity within our societies. Preservation of sustainable societies depends on accessibility to health services, and availably of equitable healthcare, for all. Therefore, knowledge and competence about existing health gaps and inequities as a societal problem is an issue that must be given high priority. Through our work and discussions, we have identified the need to design a framework that clearly articulates the concept and context of health equity through education and allows us to build competence in this topic. HEIs share a responsibility for the training of the future healthcare professional workforce and, thus, must design new and effective strategies to integrate health equity into the student healthcare professionals’ education in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders. Based upon this background, we have built a consortium that has the knowledge, expertise and, in short, the capability of undertaking such as a task. Close collaboration between educational institutions and individuals and groups from their extended network, namely healthcare services and providers, policy and decision makers and healthcare user groups represented by specific organisations including NGOs is necessary for understanding and bridging the health gaps. In this project, four HEIs and two NGOs will work closely as partners towards achieving this goal. In addition, we will reach to the extended network to work together throughout all stages of competence building, from designing the framework and producing open access educational materials, to implementing them in our courses. In our previous work, we have missed a suitable collaborative space for international collaborations between different sectors. Therefore, the Virtual HEQED House will be created to fill such a space here. This will be a space for networking, information, sharing of material, development, teaching, and learning. It will be a tool, a learning hub and a space for close collaboration between central stakeholders for building equity in health through education. In summary, we are addressing the need for: •understanding the concept of health equity through education •operationalisation of health equity through education •a collaborative space for educational institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders •relevant and updated learning material on health equity •building competence in health equity•knowledge construction on health equity<< Objectives >>We want to achieve equity in health through education. This means that all persons within our society get relevant and good healthcare. This is a huge aim, and we are aware that one project will not take us all the way there, but we can take important steps. We are focusing on the role of higher education, which is one of several sectors responsible for building equity in health, in becoming a facilitator of change. By defining, or describing, a framework for health equity through education (PR1), we are providing educational institutions and related organisations and sectors, with guidelines and tools to understand what health equity means and how it can be operationalised. We want to connect educational institutions, NGOs, and other members of the extended network to be able to understand the health gaps at local, national and international levels (PR2). We want this collaboration to occur at a management and administration level, but also at classroom level. In addition, we want to increase the sustainability of similar projects by providing a space where future collaborations may emerge. Finally, we want to build competence by providing educational material (PR3), we want to implement and see real changes within the project organisations (PR4) and in organisations outside the consortium (PR5 and PR6). We want to see changes in the educational programs, in the classroom and, finally, in the health care professionals that are educated and trained for meeting the health needs of our society.<< Implementation >>To achieve our goals, we have planned several activities targeting various needs and groups of participants within and outside our organisations. For describing the framework (PR1), we will map the network for health equity through education. This will require a thorough analysis and understanding of relevant stakeholders. We will then come to a consensus of key aspects within health equity through education and analyse the key concepts from this process. This will make it possible to define and describe a framework for health equity through education. We will invite leaders within the project organizations to learn how to implement and understand this framework (LTTA1), and the result will be disseminated outside the project group in the first multiplier event (ME1). For a close collaboration between educational institutions and NGOs, we will design and build a collaborative space, the Virtual HEQED House (PR2). In this Virtual HEQED House, knowledge mobilisation and construction will take place, fertilising innovative learning options inside education and possibly making them available to health services as part of continuing education. For building competence and providing students, lecturers, clinicians, and leaders with learning material, we will make a collection of learning material, that will be placed within the Virtual HEQED House as an open educational resource (PR3). Lecturers within the project consortium can learn how to use the Virtual HEQED House and its content within their educational programs in LTTA2. During the second multiplier event (ME2), we will disseminate the Virtual HEQED House and its content outside the consortium. Lecturers interested in using the Virtual HEQED House, can join the HEQED Pilot (PR4). In this pilot, we will support both lectures and students to use the Virtual HEQED House for building competence in health equity. In practice, this means that students can use the learning material, arranging classes with external lecturers or clinicians working with the NGOs becomes easy, students can develop material or text together and they can contact experienced staff from various fields. This will be an important support for educational institutions in building competence through strategies that are up-to-date and relevant. The piloting will be disseminated in ME3. To support lecturers, leaders, and students outside the project organisations, we will arrange a virtual training seminar in PR5. Lecturers interested in using the Virtual HEQED House can join the free training and either use it for their own competence building, or in their classes. In addition, we will collect all reports, evaluations, and material in an E-book (PR6). The entire project will be disseminated in ME4.<< Results >>1) Report on health equity through education, underlying values, and what this includes in our societies today (PR1.1 and PR1.2). 2) Report on the concept of health equity through education (PR1.3). 3) The HEQED framework. This framework will describe the context of health equity through education and will offer recommendations for integrating equity into health science programs (PR1.4). 4) A virtual HEQED House. A virtual space for collaboration and knowledge mobilisation and construction (PR2.1) 5) Digital handbook for designing and using the Virtual HEQED House (PR2.2). 6) Report on HEQED Open Educational Resources (PR3.1). 7) Open accessible HEQED learning materials. This learning materials will be accompanied by descriptions, guidelines, and tips for possible use (PR3.2). 8) Case series on HEQED experience. A series of case reports describing the different experiences with the health equity learning materials and the Virtual HEQED (PR4). 9) Training strategy tool. A hybrid tool which will facilitate training of health equity by using HEQED learning materials (PR5). 10) Virtual training seminar. A two-half day training seminar with synchronous and asynchronous sessions (PR5). 11) E-book on health equity within health care profession education (PR6) In addition, there are several important, though less tangible, outcomes, namely: •strengthened collaboration between HEIs and NGOs •increased competence in health equity within and outside the project consortium •global network for health equity through education •increased awareness for health equity •strengthened research consortiums within health equity •increased sustainability for other projects funded by Erasmus+ and other programs •a nuanced and adequate resource on equity in health •experience in universal design of digital collaboration platforms •develop knowledge