<< Background >>The project title is Structural Capacities for Tackling Wicked Problems, implemented by a Consortium composed of three project partners and the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje as project coordinator.Modern policy implementation and organisational frameworks fail to create a sustainable approach in the resolution of wicked problems as growing global concern. They include problems that are hard to define, difficult to solve and need various approaches for their potential solution. Poverty, climate change, health, gender equality, and justice are all wicked problems that are part of the SDG Agenda. SCORE aims to create a cooperation structure and develop a model for tackling these problems. Wider transnational capacities are involved, proposing a bottom-up approach in social-planning processes. Our aim is to demonstrate that such problematic can be solved through cautious approach of HEIs in the process. SCORE promotes and strengthens the European cooperation on this topic while designing and piloting novel research in tackling climate change. Specific topics that are to be addressed include environment and climate change, inter-regional cooperation and research and innovation. The project consortium will mutually benefit by active participation. Practically, project participants will be able to demonstrate decisiveness and capability in solving numerous problems in the relevant area, setting the foundation for other organisations to be able to implement such approaches. Furthermore, through the project implementation and follow up phases, a new generation of scholars will gain the knowledge, tools and methods for solving wicked problems. Sharing good practices and developing inter-connected higher education systems will be supported through sustainability network, models, e-tools and guidelines generated by SCORE.<< Objectives >>Implementation of SCORE sets an overall objective of developing a model and creating a cooperation structure with the project partners in tackling wicked problems. The inclusion of HEIs in addressing such challenges will set the foundation for present and future generations. SCORE aims to enhance various approaches in targeting such complex topics.Specific project objectives include:-Developed and evaluated model for transnational and inter-organisational cooperation of solving wicked problems,-Establishing inclusive bottom-up social planning approach,-Applied pilot research on air pollution as a wicked problem, and-Established transnational interdisciplinary structure for solving wicked problems.Air pollution, as wicked problem par excellence, is properly objectified as founding example for the proposed approach. Inclusion of project partners and various cities in its resolving, will serve as a proper example in the assessment of different economic, political, environmental and social policy responses.SCORE aims to target and involve a wider range of institutions and organisations, such as:-HEIs of the project consortium,-HEIs in the international and national networks of project partners, and-National and European policy creators.<< Implementation >>The project implementation is based on the inclusive approach with practice feedback. The activity plan is based on three horizontal activities and six project outcomes and it is divided in eight components, which further contain tasks that contribute to the main objective of the project. Appropriate activities are made to ensure quality project management and dissemination. The outcome project activities are organised in the following structure: analyse, agree, develop, test, and disseminate .<< Results >>The project will deliver the following results - State-of-art analysis that will present state-of-art development on wicked problems research and approaches- SCORE E-tool for holistic bottom-up approach for identifying solutions to wicked problems- SCORE model guidelines ensures that the model and the e-tool can be used to perform research on wicked problems by other academics within the partner institutions and other HEIs that are the target groups- Informative Kit for Wicked Problems for Policy Makers that should equip policy makers with all the necessary knowledge about wicked problems and what role can SCORE model and e-tool play in identifying solutions- SCORE Experimentation Report is a summary of the transnational research performed by the partner organisations that used the developed model and e-tool on the wicked problem of air pollution- Sustainability network will be established as an online platform to ensure the sustainability of the model, e-tool and the guidelines.

Changes in rural areas, such as depopulation, land abandonment and the loss of biodiversity, may proceed very slowly yet are often irreversible. Policymakers can steer these developments in order to reduce their negative impacts but this requires knowing whether current policy instruments are effective, who is benefiting from them and in what measure, what driving forces will be most influential and how they will affect people, planet, profits and land-use. To be truly useful, this knowledge must transcend siloed thinking and be the corollary of a joint effort uniting different actors under a common cause. PoliRur will provide this knowledge by combining several key activities needed to design effective place-based, human-centric and forward-looking rural policies. These include actionable research that takes place within an inclusive learning environment where rural populations, researchers and policymakers come together to address common problems; an evaluation exercise that uses text mining to assess the perceived effectiveness of past or planned policy interventions; and a foresight study that tries to glean the development trajectory of agriculture and its allied sectors until 2040 using several scenarios in which the evolution of rural populations occupies a central place. As a result of these activities, PoliRur will leave decision makers at different levels of government better equipped to tackle existing and emerging rural challenges, rural populations more empowered and rural areas more resilient.

In a world grappling with complex global challenges such as population growth, climate change, and environmental degradation, ensuring security, sustainability, and food safety is paramount. Agricultural practices and food production processes are integral to public health, economic stability, and societal well-being. However, conventional approaches have often operated in isolation, limiting our understanding and hindering scalability. The WHEATWATCHER initiative seeks to break these barriers by uniting soil health monitoring, plant health assessment, and food traceability through a cutting-edge digital soil monitoring system. This system assesses soil nutrition, chemical, and biological factors impacting wheat grains from field growth to flour production, spanning multiple European regions. By actively involving stakeholders, including farmers, mill proprietors, and policymakers, WHEATWATCHER tailors its solution to practical needs. It leverages diverse sensor technologies, advanced machine learning models, and automated mapping techniques to boost efficiency and scalability. A Decision Support System and cloud platform ensure accessible insights. At its core, a machine learning model seamlessly integrates technologies, creating a cohesive solution that bridges the gaps between soil health, plant health, and food traceability. WHEATWATCHER aims to foster harmony between sensing technologies, data processing, and stakeholder engagement, revolutionizing comprehensive monitoring.

NICOPA is aimed to modernize curricula in precision agriculture using new technologies - Geographic Information System/GIS, big data, remote sensing- through analyzing and updating existing curricula according to educational needs; developing new certified curricula according to the new achievements in the area, the labor market demands and the Bologna Process; to test innovated curricula and to disseminate the results. NICOPA consortium consists of 16 partners plus 4 associated partners with the required expertise, educational skills and business connections. The outputs/results and products are: • Review of the current curricula in precision agriculture through analysis, •Agreement on instructional strategy and guidelines for BA/MSc curricula design including the use of new Educational Technologies • A set of new core curricula and transferable modules including innovative teaching facilities •Updated current two cycle curricula and programs in precision agriculture according to the Bologna requirements and the new developments • Developed, implemented and accredited new practice oriented, student- focused core, and transferable curricula including ECTS • Bringing the Higher Education Institutions of DZ closer to labor market. Besides that innovative teaching facilities: a new equipped laboratory PAL, a class VCR, a Precision agriculture using sensing data Service Office PASO. Focus on the content, agreed structure, new instructional strategy and the use of new educational technologies with regard to the European modernization agenda for higher education will as a whole function as the envisaged impact.

Teachers’ capabilities to act as active change makers in the ecological transition and to educate citizens and workforce to meet the future challenges is key to a profound transformation in green transition. Teachers’ sustainability competences have been researched widely but a gap remains between research and the actual work of teachers. There is a need to operationalise sustainability competences: to describe the direct links with the everyday tasks such as curriculum development, pedagogical design and assessment. Due to the urgent need for sustainably competent workforce, the project focuses on re- and upskilling VET teachers. EduSTA builds a community “Academy of Educators for Sustainable Future” and creates open digital badge-driven learning pathways on teachers’ sustainability competences supported with multimodal learning modules. Close cooperation with training schools actively engage in-service teachers.EduSTA starts by mapping the contextual possibilities and restrictions for transformative learning on sustainability, and by operationalising skills. The development of competence-based learning modules and open digital badge-driven pathways proceed hand in hand and is realised as learning modules in the partnering HEIs and badge applications open for all teachers in Europe. EduSTA will be impactful for pre- and in-service teachers, and at institutional and policymaking levels. A diverse palette of educational concepts on teachers’ sustainability competences and open digital badge-driven pathways will support the European dimension and facilitate recognition of prior learning as micro-credentials. EduSTA will equip policy makers with up-to-date knowledge and evidence on the transformative power the operationalised competences can offer to the society, and of the use of open digital badges in the context of sustainability competences. EduSTA will add to the attractiveness of teacher profession by establishing teachers as key actors in green transition.