The high and growing global burden of cancer urges the need for effective implementation of primary cancer prevention (PCP) programmes targeting modifiable risk factors. However, evidence-based programmes with proven effectiveness under controlled environments often fail when implemented in the real world due to ineffective adaptation and implementation strategies addressing context-specific barriers, leading to programme failures and public health inequities. The PIECES project will develop, assess, and disseminate a cancer-specific methodological implementation framework, the integrated PCP Implementation Toolkit (PCP-IT). PCP-IT will provide an evidence-informed systematic process for (1) identification, selection, and tailoring of PCP programmes, and (2) developing evidence-informed implementation strategies tailored to local barriers and constraints. The PCP-IT will include a comprehensive repository of PCP programmes, their Theories of Change, and materials for systematically adapting the programmes to local needs and cultural constraints. The project involves 16 consortium members and implementation sites from 10 countries of diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and access to up to 77.7 million inhabitants. PIECES provides an ideal naturalistic laboratory to improve and study the up-scaling and implementation of a wide range of primary PCP programmes targeting major risk factors: tobacco, alcohol, low physical activity, HPV infection, sun exposure, and diet. A multi-site case comparison study will be conducted to assess and optimise implementation outcomes. An in-depth realist evaluation using various sociological theories will be conducted to explain the processes by which the outcomes are achieved. The consortium will employ a high-level external Advisory Board with renowned experts, facilitate continuous engagement with stakeholders, and align with the EU and relevant scientific societies to ensure the future continuity of both the repository and PCP-IT. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on ‘Prevention and early detection’.

Screening for vision and hearing disorders in children has shown to be highly effective. EU-directive 16620/11 invites EU-member states to give priority to such screening programmes. Early detection and treatment of a lazy eye (prevalence 3%) prevents lifelong visual impairment. Early detection and treatment of hearing impairment (prevalence 0.15%) prevents delayed speech and language development. Across Europe inequity exists in the provision of childhood vision and hearing screening programmes (VAHSPs). High-Income Countries (HICs) have VAHSPs, but they vary with regard to age and frequency of testing, tests used, uptake, screening professionals, referral pathway and funding. This makes it difficult for healthcare providers and policy makers to decide what VAHSP to implement in Low- to Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and how. In this study, cost-optimised, evidence-based VAHSPs will be implemented in two LMICs, based on collated evidence from existing VAHSPs in Europe. Data on VAHSPs, demography, administration, general screening, screening professions, uptake and treatment availability will be gathered in an established network of professionals in 41 European countries and used in a disease/health system modelling framework to predict benefits and cost in the most optimal health system, taking regional diversity and organisational and resource requirements into account. Model-developed VAHSPs will be tested in the county of Cluj in Romania for vision, and in three counties in Albania for hearing screening. A generic strategy for implementation will be developed by detailed tracking, and from identified requirements, facilitators and barriers. The decision-analytic modelling framework and the strategy for implementation will be packed into a transferable TOOLKIT that will assist healthcare providers and policy makers worldwide in their decisions to introduce or modify VAHSPs, and increase effectiveness, efficiency and equity of child healthcare.

The overall goal of this project is to improve higher education provision in Kosovo and Albania, by building institutional capacity for international relations whereby establishing or making fully functional respective offices (including capacity for project cycle management) in all nine Kosovo and five Albanian consortium members. This project will build institutional capacity for the internationalization of HE in Kosovo and Albania, by improving capacity for project development and management through international expertise made available by European HEIs partnering in this project and exchange of good practice between the consortium members. This will make way for local higher education institutions to engage confidently in various academic and research cooperation initiatives in the region, in Europe and wider.The aim of the project is establish and develop fourteen fully functional offices of international cooperation that will also include the function of project cycle management. Currently, none of the new public universities in Kosovo and Albania has the capacity to fully run an International Cooperation Office, at a time when over 50% of students in European Higher Education institutions are studying or participating in one or another form of international studies and when a significant part of university life takes place in the form of various exchanges and mobilities. This makes it of paramount importance to build respective capacity for all members. This will ultimately contribute substantially to the quality of provision and will enrich university life and experiences of the student population in Kosovo and Albania. Therefore, having in mind the possibility of Erasmus + project to support this idea, we initiated the work as a consortium on developing this idea. The project will have very high importance in addressing increasing isolation, lack of quality international cooperation and lack of project initiatives from Kosovo and Albania universities.

The Republic of Albania recognizes the central role of “education as a public good able to promote development” (Law no. 80/2015). The new 2015 law paved the way to an overhauling reform for improving standards in education, link HE with the labour market. Universities in Albania, with some exceptions, are at initiative stage of technological innovation needing the creation of modern ICT based structures and a trained staff. Also, no systematic information system on HE are available with phenomena of mismatch of skills in the youth market, as the current youth unemployment rate indicate. The project addresses the National priorities of enhancing university-enterprise cooperation (fostering graduates employability) and improving education quality in Albania by developing in the beneficiary Universities the graduates’ data platform, as an ICT based integrated tool for the monitoring of HE performance and its long lasting impact on society; the improving of educational supply and the matching of the demand for and supply of qualified labour. The platform will allow the collection of comprehensive data on HE system, with the information provided directly by the graduates; an evidence at disposal of policy makers on which to base decisional processes. The platform will also allow enterprises to search and compare graduates certified CVs according to specific skill giving the graduates a more democratic access to labour market and reducing skill mismatch. The project will support the Albanian universities in meeting society needs thanks to intensive knowledge, best practice transfer and reccomendation development: the activities planned will enhance university staff skills on graduates’ career development, developing professional traineeship and structured cooperation with the business world, effective tools for career guidance and students' orientation on the labour market, advanced and competitive research tools for HE monitoring and Albanian labour market analysis.

The BIOSINT project proposes activities grouped into five work packages that fully support general and specific objectives of the Erasmus+ program. It intends to improve education and development of students of biomedical sciences, as well as teachers and administrative staff of participating higher educational institutions (HEI). Through the implementation of education through internationalization at home (IaH) framework and strategies and internationalized curriculum (IoC) and syllabi, the intention is to strengthen digital capacities, literacy and competencies as well as intercultural skills and attitudes at individual and institutional levels. The specific objectives of the BIOSINT project are promotion of academic mobility of individuals and groups, high-quality learning outcomes for participants, cooperation, quality, inclusion, fairness, excellence, creativity and innovation in higher educational area.The proposed project theme will be implemented by HEI from WB area (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania) whereas HEI from Belgium, Romania and Serbia will have advisory and transfer knowledge roles. The HEI of WB are insufficient with internationalization of curriculum, virtual mobility and services/capacities necessary for internationalization. Therefore, many impacts of project results are expected. The most valuable short-time changes are expected from students and teachers who will improve their digital literacy, cultural competency and readiness for future work in global health within “new normality” era of digital society during and after COVID-19 pandemic. The attraction of interested students, which attend HEIs which do not participate directly in the project, is important for achieving medium-term and, in particular, long-term project impacts. The project has ambition to raise lastingly the capacity of HEI of WB partners and professionalism and competence for management according to IaH and integrated virtual biomedical education strategies.