"<< Background >>The ubiquity of digital technologies is transforming agriculture and food production. Specifically, in the agricultural sector, the deployment of mobile technologies, remote sensing services and distributed computing are already improving small holders' access to information, inputs and markets, increasing production and productivity, streamlining supply chains, and reducing operating costs and environmental impact. But it is not just farmers. Consumers, both at home and abroad, are becoming more informed about the products they buy. They require high-quality food and fiber and produce in a sustainable way and want to know more about where the products come from. Digital technologies enable better traceability of agricultural products, providing peace of mind for consumers and greater value for farmers. Therefore, farmers need to develop a new set of skills in different fields of application. In order to address this macro-need, the Digital Farmer project, through European funding and an international multi-stakeholder cooperation between training institutions, research, universities, industrial consulting and territorial promotion companies, intends to develop a project aimed at producing teaching materials and innovative work-based learning methodologies, platforms for awareness raising and exchange of good practices and a general qualification of European VET systems related to agriculture, The ""Digital Education Action Plan"" is based on the assumption that it has become indispensable for the European population to possess digital skills appropriate to our times. The educational system consequently needs a process of adaptation in this direction, which has been made even more urgent by the Covid-19 pandemic. A fundamental aspect is the strengthening of the skills of educators and trainers, starting from the recognition of a common problem in Europe, which is the frequent lack of preparation of educators and trainers in general, not yet accustomed to the use of digital technologies in teaching and the use of forms of distance learning, especially in VET. At the same time, the agriculture sector is one of the most important areas of challenge for the achievement of several of the European Union's development objectives. The sector faces the need for a) Promoting an intelligent, resilient and diversified agricultural sector that ensures food security; b) Strengthening environmental protection and climate action; c) Strengthening the social fabric d) Promoting and sharing knowledge, innovation and digitization in agriculture and rural areas; in summary, through the European Commission's December 18, 2020 recommendation, the solution to many of the aforementioned challenges lies in a ""smarter,"" more precise and sustainable agriculture built on innovation and digital tools in agriculture. To achieve this goal, it is necessary that all stakeholders of the agricultural system are involved in a process of empowerment and awareness to approach the objectives outlined in the CAP, the European Green Deal and the From Farm to Fork strategy. This system action was precisely the logic behind the development of the Digital Farmer project, which is aimed at all European stakeholders in the agricultural sector, with particular focus on educators and trainers through a train-the-trainer approach, aimed at generating a multiplier effect in different European contexts.<< Objectives >>The innovation of the VET System cannot disregard digitalization, and in fact the Digital Education Action Plan starts from the assumption that it has become essential for the European population to possess digital skills appropriate to our times. One of the key points of the DEAP is the strengthening of the skills of educators and trainers, starting from the recognition of a common problem in Europe that is the frequent lack of preparation of a teaching staff and educators and trainers in general not yet accustomed to the use of digital technologies in teaching and the use of forms of distance learning, especially in VET.Innovation cannot ignore the importance of the environment and the fight against climate change, to which Europe has paid close attention with its accession to the Paris Agreement and the recent European Green Deal, which in its strategy aims to invest in environmentally friendly technologies and support industry in innovation. Digital farmers intend to apply these priorities to a sector such as agriculture, one of the most important challenging areas for achieving the different development objectives of the European Union, which in the Recovery Plan focuses on modernizing traditional policies such as cohesion and the common agricultural policy, in order to maximize their contribution to EU priorities. Among the challenges to be faced are the promotion of an intelligent, resilient and diverse agricultural sector that ensures food security by strengthening environmental protection and climate action, the socio-economic fabric of rural areas and responding to social concerns. It is also necessary to promote and share knowledge, innovation and digitalization in agriculture and rural areas. Through the Recommendation of the European Commission of December 18, 2020, the solution to many of the challenges mentioned consists in a more ""intelligent"", precise and sustainable agriculture built on innovation and digital tools in agriculture. With this project we intend to develop teaching materials and innovative methodologies of work-based learning, platforms for raising awareness and exchange of good practices and a general qualification of European VET systems related to agriculture, to achieve a change of system capable of having a concrete impact on the achievement of greater environmental and economic sustainability of the agricultural sector and the renewal , greater attractiveness and effectiveness of the European VET system The project, through a train-the-trainer approach and innovative training activities, aims to contribute to the transformation of VET institutions to better include in their programmes digital innovations in the agricultural sector with a dual action on trainers and students, creating an international and multisectoral network to achieve together a set of objectives:- Standardize and improve digital skills to be used in the pedagogical field of educators , and VET trainers at European level in the field of agriculture - Enhance the use within VET educational paths of recent innovations and new technologies in the agricultural sector - Ensuring continuity, while innovating, work-based learning in an international environment through the Erasmus programme - Promoting the adoption of innovative practices related to digital agriculture in individual local contexts with positive effects in terms of environmental sustainability in the companies and organizations involved - Improving the skills of participating organizations in digital agriculture and teaching skills through transnational cooperation<< Implementation >>The project includes the following tasks: WP1. Coordination and monitoring: Partners will adopt common implementation and monitoring methodologies, so as to work consistently on deadlines, objectives and indicators. During the transnational meetings partners will also organize and develop the dissemination activities of the project and develop further ideas, follow-up strategies and stakeholder involvement. WP2 Local Roundtables (M2-M6): Each partner will activate their network to activate an ""innovative ecosystem"" related to digital tools and recent innovations in the agricultural sector. Through roundtables, individual partners will collect best practices and the latest innovations applied in their local context in relation to the agricultural sector and digital education. The results will be summarized in final reports that will be the basis of the content to be developed. WP3 International Workshop (M7-M12): Before the start of the Workshop, local reports will be forwarded by the different partners to the coordinating body of this activity Cosvitec, which will summarize the material received in two final reports that will be discussed during the WI: the first will be the basis of the drafting of the Manuals Digital VET Trainer in Agriculture (O1, O2). The second will serve for the emergence of good practices and innovative systems at local level, but also to identify potential fields of application of WP4 Training International digital internships (M13-M18): IT will take place in asynchronous and synchronous mode.At least 4 weeks before the start of training, the first version of the manuals (O1, O2) will be forwarded to the participants. The part in presence, lasting 5 days, will be divided into two phases. The first will deal with the topics already addressed in asynchronous mode, while the second will deal with the techniques and methods of implementation of wp5 digital internships Digital internships and elaboration of the Digital VET Trainer in Agriculture (M19-M27): internships abroad in digital form are one of the innovative project actions and their implementation will ensure continuity of work-based learning within the Erasmus+ programme, which has achieved extremely positive results over the years. In addition, the elaboration of the manuals will serve to facilitate the replication of this experience even to bodies that have not directly benefited from the WP6 Project Activities MO6 Production MOOC Digital VET Trainer in Agriculture (O3) (M1-M28) will be built around the first 2 project outputs and aimed at transmitting the basic skills for effective distance learning and increasing skills related to the 6 macro-arguments of innovation in agriculture and on the methodologies and techniques of carrying out digital internships WP7 Network of Digital Farmers (O4) Platform Development (M1-M30): The platform will be a tool of fundamental importance for all project objectives. In fact, the platform will enable empowerment actions of stakeholders active in the field of VET, the exchange of best practices and innovative methodologies, will positively influence the aspects related to dissemination and will offer networking opportunities that can trigger future projects and further developments WP8 Dissemination and Networking Activities Dissemination and networking activities: The promotion of activities and dissemination of results are an element of fundamental importance to ensure the success of the project.fundamental importance to ensure the success of the project and to generate a multiplier effect both in the territorial contexts of the territorial contexts of the project partners and at community level. To this end, a dissemination event will be organized dissemination by country. The materials produced and the results achieved will thus have a further opportunity for dissemination as well as the opportunity to promote further follow-up projects initiated by partners and stakeholders.<< Results >>Digital Farmer is an ambitious project that aims to make a concrete contribution to achieving the following outcomes:- Qualification of digital skills to be used in the pedagogical field of VET educators and trainers at European level in the field of agriculture;- Introduction and greater use within the educational paths of recent innovations and new technologies in the agricultural sector; - Development of a new methodology for the realization of forms of work-based learning through digital tools- A greater awareness, in different local contexts, of innovative practices and digital agriculture with positive effects in terms of environmental sustainability in the companies and organizations involved; - Empowerment of organizations involved in digital agriculture and educational skills through transnational cooperation. To achieve the aforementioned general outcomes through the achievement of the following specific results: - Production of teaching materials related to ICT tools in teaching: within the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators, the partnership will deal with the production of Open Educational Resources in the 6 key areas identified: 1. Professional Engagement, 2. Digital Resources, 3. Teaching and Learning 4. Assessment, 5. Empowering Learners, 6. Facilitating Learners' Digital Competence - Production of teaching materials and information documents in relation to the 6 in-depth areas identified in the design field (Decision Support Systems, Block Chain Technologies, ICT Information and Communication Technologies, NIR and Drones, Farmbot, e-Commerce Software, Marketing and Advertising Platforms) and guidelines related to the conduct of ""digital internships"" for the elaboration of the Digital Traineeship manual in Agriculture. - Empowerment of 21 trainers and educators from 7 Member States and their organizations: progress will be assessed through ex-ante/ex-post evaluation questionnaires, DigCompEdu Check-In for participants and SELFIE for their organizations; - Design and implementation of 84 ""Digital Internships"": through the joint action of the members of the partnership, the participants in the International Training and the host companies/bodies themselves, learning paths based on innovative practices in agriculture will be structured. The route will be characterized by a first week in presence and the next continuation for a further 4 weeks at a distance, through digital tools - Creation of the Network of Digital Farmers: a platform will be developed for: a) dissemination of European policies and recommendations on distance learning and digital skills; b) provide a tool to improve the digital skills of educators, trainers and facilitators through the dissemination of OER related to digital tools in agriculture (produced in the design and non-design field) and European best practices and tools available c) provide a space for comparison for educators, trainers and facilitators with an international section in English and a specification in which stakeholders can compare themselves in their mother tongue; d) matching between companies and trainees/training institutions for subsequent implementation of ""digital internships"""

SMARTEnvi project seeks to develop, pilot and test innovative digital tools, training methods, and materials for reducing hazards to our environment and water resources by rehabilitating open dumps. The intellectual outputs of the project, namely smart decision tool for rehabilitation of open dumps, competence tool, multilingual e-learning-platform, learning modules, and smart guidance manual, will help develop competences in various sustainability-relevant sectors so that target groups will be able to deal effectively with rehabilitation of open dumps. The target group includes engineers and other technical personnel in relevant sectors, decision-makers, and researchers. The project will also provide testing of innovative practices to prepare the target groups to become true factors of change.Solid waste created by people especially in urban areas is a significant problem all over the world that governments are obliged to solve. The disposal of large amounts of these solid wastes from multiple sources generates a high economic and environmental burden to local governments. If not disposed properly, solid waste cause environmental problems and affects human life adversely. Today, the most commonly used method for the disposal of solid waste is the landfill method. However, before the landfill applications, solid waste were disposed randomly to any area outside the city by open dumping. Even in the countries which started to use the landfill method, abandoned open dump sites continue to danger the environment and human health. There are three significant and vital problems in the open dumps: 1) CH4 gas, a greenhouse gas that’s 28 times more potent than CO2, generated from biodegradable solid wastes in anaerobic conditions. The CH4 is explosive when present in the range of 5–15% by volume in air, and becomes flammable when this rate is higher than 15 %. 2) Leachate and the change in soil properties. Leachate is caused by infiltration of rainwater into the solid wastes as well as by the water content of the solid wastes themselves. Change in the soil properties accelerate the magnitude and speed of the leachates which may contain many organic and inorganic pollutants. This leachate percolates through the soil and reaches the groundwater resulting in a substantial risk to local groundwater resources and to the natural environment. 3) Structural stability in open dump sites. Due to the abovementioned vital problems, open dump sites that are no longer in use need to be rehabilitated and the existing ones should be improved. The European Union has a directive on landfill of wastes (No: 1999/31 / EC), which defines the limitations and procedures to be taken in order to prevent or minimize the threats to the environment. Within the scope of this project, it is planned to produce outputs for target groups on the rehabilitation of open dumping sites which are forgotten and/or ignored after the establishment of a landfill, but still exist as a potential hazard. In many countries that are members or candidates of the European Union, open dumps still represent environmental problems. The partners of this project come together because open dumps represent an environmental hazard in their countries and there is substantial need for decision tools incorporating new technologies, up to date modern training tools and materials, and methodologies. The partnership consists of universities, private organizations, and municipalities with high reputations in their respective fields which got together according to requirements of the project and experience of the partners. There are nine formal partners and six associated partners from five different countries in the proposed project: the applicant Gebze Technical University, Pamukkale University, and Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, from Turkey; Training 2000 and Municipality of Fano from Italy; Silesian University of Technology from Poland; Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and Research and Development Biointech from Bulgaria; and Universitatea Petrol-Gaze din Ploiesti from Romania. Associated partners comprises of professional organizations like chamber of civil and environmental engineers, network of municipalities, private organizations, and societies. All consortium members have necessary experiences which fulfill different tasks foreseen in the project. Because the problem is a common problem in the countries of partners, the solution requires transnational cooperation and sharing the resources and developing results applicable to this international problem.In addition to above mentioned contribution, the SMARTEnvi project may support to creation of new job opportunities by providing up-skilling or re-skilling of those affected from adverse employment conditions via its products such as smart decision tools incorporating new technologies, up to date modern training tools and materials, and methodologies.

"<< Background >>Modern world has met with plastic/polymeric materials for the first time in the 1400s after Columbus encountered a natural rubber ball in Haiti. Today, polymers have found a wide range of applications thanks to their lightness, easy formability, and find a wide range of uses, from kitchenware to artificial heart valves.A large amount of polymers is used in packaging of food, textile, and machinery, and they are important parts of solid waste disposed of in solid waste landfills. According to the EU reports, PM packaging parts represent about 8% of the overall refuse in the landfills. Besides all, microplastics which are tiny fragments below 5 mm in size, are a big problem for leakage of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. They can remain intact for many years. Reuse in manufacturing, incineration for energy generation, biodegradation in compost or in soil can be counted as disposal processes for plastic wastes. To reduce all negativities caused by polymers, ""A EU Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy"" and “Plastic Waste: a EU strategy to protect the planet, defend our citizens and empower our industries” has been developed. In the EU, around 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year. EU reports also states that only 6% of plastic products are demanded in the EU as recycled plastics. Polymeric waste is frightfully increased with ‘single-use’ plastics each year. Reusability and nature-degradable polymer production are important parts of these strategies. According to the European Green Deal Communication, reducing wastes, compensating carbon footprint emissions, saving resources, and sustainability are key priorities for the EU now and in the future. For a more liveable and GREEN world, biopolymers should be developed and used. The FutureBio project was carried out to contribute to these basic priorities. Project aims to make the use of innovative practices among university students, academic staff, industry employees, and the community and to increase the competencies of academics and students with in-place training.This project has been prepared in accordance with the European Union's strategy of developing cooperation, increasing quality and encouraging innovation in the learning activities of individuals and groups in the field of education and training. In the preparation of the project, especially the difficulties and crisis caused by Covid-19, the importance of digital education for digital transformation in accordance with the Digital Education Action Plan was taken into consideration. Considering these issues, it is our priority to develop a high-performance digital technology for university students and industrial workers within the scope of the project. In this way, we aim to develop high quality digital technologies for education of universities and industrial institutions providing information of polymer and biopolymer and theirs manufacturing technologies all over Europe. We aim to improve capacity and flexibility in education by making digital tools. The project will apply the most innovative training technologies based on E-LEARNING and mobile learning tools with INTERACTIVE VIDEOS and animation applications in game format and VIRTUAL REALITY tools that contribute to improve the trainees’ motivation and engagement. The learning material will be structured according to a competency based learning approach. The use of e-learning and other related technologies in the FutureBio project can provide new opportunities for learners increasing flexibility, motivation and engagement.Students can take control of their own learning and be an active part of the learning process. In addition, mobile learning offers a number of new opportunities for learners and teachers, including the relatively low cost of Technologies.<< Objectives >>Our primary target group is university students. Academicians and scientists also constitute our other target group. From the industry side, plastic manufacturing firms and their employees, other public and private bodies related to polymers/biopolymers are among our target groups in terms of the use, dissemination and promotion of educational materials.Since a sustainable environment, less carbon emission, promotion of non-harmful plastics, and contributing to the use of these plastics are among the goals of the project, the entire EU community is also among our target groups.We aimed to determine the basic knowledge level of our target groups on biopolymers by preparing a short survey during the preparation phase of the project. Survey results revealed how necessary our project idea is. In the second phase of our project, more detailed needs analysis will be conducted for all of our target groups.The results of the project are to develop a curriculum, preparation of a guide book, and to produce education materials with innovative and interactive tools for university students (PR1,PR2,PR3,PR4). The project will apply the innovative technologies based on E-LEARNING, mobile learning, and VR tools with interactive videos and animations in game format. The learning material will be structured according to a competency based learning approach. The use of e-learning technologies in the FutureBio project can provide new opportunities for learners increasing flexibility, motivation and engagement. Students can take control of their own learning and be an active part of the learning process. In addition, with the in-place training activity(C2), the selected students will learn BDPs and related technologies. It is thought that the project results will contribute to the career development of university students and to close the qualified workforce deficit. All the students, academicians, scientists, and sector workers need new teaching methods and tools to match modern implementation. Mobile learning offers new opportunities for learners and teachers, including the relatively low cost of technologies, also.With game-based animations, videos, and interactive presentations, distance learning tools will be prepared for those who are interested in polymers from all age groups and want to learn about biopolymers. It is expected that the interest in the subject will increase with the online webinars that will be held during the project process.Our project team consists of experts in the fields of polymers and biopolymers, development of training methodology and innovative education materials. During the project , mutual information transfer, know-how, and brainstorming are carried out, and the partnership will be more efficient. It will develop its scientific knowledge related to the BDP through the training activity(C1) for the project staff. Therefore, we aim for the project partnership to develop itself in innovative education technologies. Thus, the potential of using these technologies in new projects will also be increased.Sustainable environment, green and reduction of harmful waste are among the needs of the EU. For this reason, it is of great importance to raise awareness on BDP among industrial institutions and employees, to research production methods, and to develop university-industry collaborations. FutureBio will act as a bridge in this regard. The needs of the industry will be investigated in partner countries and a guiding road map will be created. Thus, it is aimed to contribute to the sustainable economy and to be beneficial for the creation of a qualified workforce.along with the contribution to the sustainable environment.In the project's detailed awareness/needs analysis and dissemination activities (E1-E8), a collaboration with public and private sectors will be done. We plan to spread project results faster by taking the opinions of these institutions.In this way, new projects can be produced.<< Implementation >>FutureBio project is aimed:To raise social awareness that plastic pollution is an issue that needs urgent and immediate actionTo obtain awareness about biodegradable and compostable productsTo increase the usage of bio bags replacing and selling plastic bags throughout the country and Europe.To encourage and guide the development of biodegradable and compostable materials and productsTo guide academicians and students to prioritize these issues in their academic career planningTo increase the competencies of academicians and students with in-place trainingTo create a value chain extending from laboratory to industry, from industry to environment and economyTo provide collaboration between university and industryIn order to achieve all these goals, the project implementation is based on phases which are characterized by activities and products.All project activities are designed to have the best overall impact and sustainability on defined target groups. We divided our project into phases in order to maximize efficiency by establishing quality standards, including project implementation, widespread impact, dissemination and sustainability of the project from the project preparation phase. The project implementation phases are characterized by activities, products, and quality indicators.Research conducted during the preparation phase of the project has shown that although plastics and BDPs are very important for the future of the world, it was determined that training and educational materials are not enough at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This point is the main idea of FutureBio. For this reason an innovative curricula (PR1) will be created to develop the knowledge and skills and to gain the ability of undergraduate and associate degrees within the scope of BDP applications. While creating this curriculum, the situation and needs analysis for companies in the sector, employees working in these companies, university students and academicians close to this field will be made. By laboratory videos and online modules(PR2), and VR applications(PR4) developed towards the curriculum. The foundations of distance education will be laid on this subject and open resources will be created for academicians, students, industry employees and interested people in this subject. As known, BDPs as material are crucial technology. Most of the current books are focused on medical or food industry applications of biopolymers. There is no Turkish educational material in this matter. To close the gap and be used as educational material all over the EU, a Lecture Guide Book (PR3) will be created in TR and EN. We will ensure the control and coordination of the project in terms of time and outcomes through 5 TPMs (M1-M5). 2 learning activities (C1,C2) will be organized in Italy. C1 will be an on-site seeing and sharing of experiences activity for academic staff who will prepare the educational modules and books. C2 will be a student training activity including theoretical and practical application. Informative meetings which will be helpful for raising the awareness of community will be held in all partner countries (E1-E7). At the end of the project, a workshop with international participation will be organized with the project closing meeting in Turkey (E8). This event will be organized to present all the outcomes of the project.<< Results >>In FutureBio, all project results have been designed in accordance with*The EU’s strategy of developing cooperation, increasing quality and encouraging innovation in the learning activities of individuals and groups in the field of education and training,*Digital Education Action Plan,*EU Green Deal Communication,*Environment and Climate Action.According to the EU Green Deal, reducing wastes, compensating carbon footprint emissions, saving resources, and sustainability are key priorities for the EU now and in the future. Compostable and biopolymers are also important keys in those strategies. And they have to be well promoted and their use must be made widespread. We believe that for a more liveable and GREEN world, biopolymer materials should be developed and used. That's why we created the FutureBio idea to combine the EU's Digital Education, Green Deal, and Environment and Climate Action Plans and Strategies. At the first stage, we first made a short preliminary study with students, academicians, and industrial workers from different professions such as engineering, social and health sciences, answered the survey from over the EU. The needs analysis showed that the awareness of BPs is far below the desired and required ratios among students, academicians and industry employees.Using a competency based learning approach, low-cost educational technologies for learners and teachers will be an effective and innovative way. For this purpose, we built our project within the framework of 4 project outputs:An innovative curriculum (PR1) will be created to improve the knowledge and skills of undergraduate students, teachers and individuals interested in the subject, in order to bridge the gaps identified between educational materials and the sector.The detailed situation analysis will be made with all target groups to reveal awareness situations for individuals and institutions. These analyses will be a road map for preparing digital modules and guide book.An online course platform will be created on the project website (PR2). The primary role of the platform will be enabling the student to learn on his own and encouraging them to evaluate themselves. It can provide new opportunities for learners, increasing flexibility and motivation. It is aimed to create innovative technologies based on e-learning and mobile learning tools with interactive videos/animations in game format.The digital materials will be tested by pilot applications. The lecture guide book (PR3), will contain examples from the project partners' works and industry applications. Most of the books are focused on the medical or food applications of BPs, and there are very few books on biodegradable plastics and their applications.On the other hand there isn't any course book in TR related to biopolymers. In this area, a scientific resource that can be used in TR universities and all over the EU and the world. To close an important interdisciplinary course material gap in TR and EU and to contribute to the literature, development of environmental awareness, to encourage biopolymers to be included in the study and research topics of students, academicians and industrial companies, raising awareness about sustainable environment and decarbonization are the aims of this Project result.The created VR training solutions(PR4) complement the PR1,PR2, and PR3.VR as a technology has the power to take the user into another place. This will be utilized in making more immersive, interactive and illustrative training materials which complement the more traditional book and online materials. Furthermore, VR solutions makes the training more motivating for all the target groups.All project results will highly impact on all target groups, and it has high potential of dissemination and transferability. As the book will fill a gap in the literature, it will be one of the basic works in the related field. The quality of each output will be controlled by its own quality tools."

"Adult learning opportunities are essential to ensure economic and social progress, as well as personal fulfilment of individuals. The EU Strategic Framework for Cooperation in Education & Training highlights the crucial contribution of adult education and training to competitiveness, employability and social inclusion. In this context Strategic partnership project ’’Multi-purpose center for adult education in clean environment – ECO-Center” (Erasmus+ programme) proposes approach for combating adult unemployment in Europe having currently threatening dimensions. Recent development of ecology sector created employment opportunities and increasing needs of education as well. The vast expansion of economic activity is the main reason of the environmental decline and imposes negative effect on the global ecological situation. In this context, the objectives pursued by the project – ECO-Center are to:- incorporate principles of adult education in the planning and development of programs/courses that meet organizational and adult learners’ needs- design and deliver adult learning experiences that address learners’ needs through the integration of adult learning philosophy and principles into practice- promote education, monitor and evaluate program effectiveness and use the data for program improvement, technical assistance for organization of mobility process, capacity building and accountability- apply EQF and ECVET validation instruments to facilitate recognition of skills and competences adopted at national level via adult education- facilitate public understanding, information exchange, demonstration of professionalism and promotion the philosophy, goals and objectives of adult education.The ECO-Center consortium is formed on the basis of shared understanding and consideration of the need for provision of adult education of learning providers and a training program in clean environment. It unifies 5 partners from 4 countries – Bulgaria (P1 – P2), Cyprus (P3), Germany (P4) and Turkey (P5) and comprises 2 Universities (P1, P5), a R & D Center (P2), a research institute (P4) and a SME (P3).The Project is structured in 5 phases that comprise ordered work in terms of activities performance and technical, human and financial resources implication.Preparation: establishment of project multi-purpose ECO-Center for adult learning providers’ education & training and constitution of its operational departments. Implementation: working out of a scheme for e-learning of adult learning providers in clean environment.Follow up: results evaluation, appraisal, and verification.Dissemination & use: performance of dissemination activities assigned to involve short- and long-term beneficiaries and to cover overall project work.Closure: final project and post-project life activities to sustain its achievements and make them transferable to wider audience.The methodology used in carrying out the project activities comprises application of good managerial practice and includes:- proper budget control to avoid financial conflicts and ensure contractual obligations minding;- time management of project activities: distribution of project tasks by time intervals, type of activity and partner(s) responsible;- monitoring and evaluation the quality of the projects activities and results;- performance of regular quality checks and applying of quantitative and qualitative indicators of achievement;- elaboration and application of a multilevel contingency plan for risk handling.The ECO-Center results include:- ECO-Center concept development and need analysis;- Design, creation and operation of e-based platform for project implementation;- Establishment and functioning of a model for organization and operation of education process in clean environment based on improved accessibility;- Generation of a database of training courses in accordance with the project scheme: academic, work-oriented and enrichment; implementation of a training road-map;- Creation of a concept for organization and caring out the evaluation, appraisal, and verification of project results and their sharing;- Performance of evaluation events, workshops, webinar, bilateral meetings for sharing and dissemination of project results;- Preparation and issue of booklet ""ECO-Center achievements and prospects: towards sustainability"".The impact of ECO-Center project is realized among core players and wide audience at national/EU level. Project achievements contribute to the implementation of the concept for the major role that adult learning can play to improve workers' ability to adapt to changes in the labor market and society. The project exploits new approach for assisting those affected by unemployment, restructuring and career transitions, job seekers, and newly recruited, promotes their social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, and shows new prospects for qualification adoption."

The ''LET'S STEM IT'' partnership has been conceived against the background of the current crisis and the lack of growth and youth’s unemployment that have been upsetting strongly Europe’s society in the last 5 years. Education is therefore called to respond to the urgent need of highly skilled engineers and technologists and labor supply must match demand as recognizsed in the Flagship initiative “An Agenda for new skills and jobs” in the EUROPE 2020 strategy of the EC. The General objective of the LET'S STEM IT project is to guide increasing Europeans' interest and skills in STEM and to provide the schools with the necessary tools in order to engage their students, teachers and other actors, in related activities.The project aims to develop teachers’ and educators’ competences - especially integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teaching skills, based on collaborative problem-solving (CPS) - sharing experiences among countries involved in the project (the project was compatible with PISA 2016 aims to evaluate students’ performance in mathematics, science and financial literacy; performance in problem-solving and reading). Specific Objectives of the project: -Offer teachers collaboration in creating innovative STEM school curricula-Contribute to developing and implementing innovative STEM education in order to enhance the quality of science teaching and learning –to develop teachers’ and educators’ integrated teaching skills, based on collaborative STEM education.-Develop a student-centered approach to STEM education, facilitating inquiry-based teaching, collaboration and active learning.–To explore new forms of teaching, learning and assessment of students achievements–To guide teachers and educators, how to motivate children and inspire their passion for discovery and learning–To share experience of good practice on increasing students' interest in STEM and technical creativity; developing students’ skills of logical and critical thinking The ''LET'S STEM IT'' project is focused on the fact that the level of employability, competitiveness and wealth of our society will depend on the ideas and skills of its population. These have always been the EU’s most important assets. As the world becomes increasingly technological, the value of these national assets will be determined in no small measure by the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the EU. STEM education will determine whether Europe will be able to solve immense challenges in such areas as energy, health, environmental protection, and national security. It will generate the scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians who will create the new ideas, new products, and entirely new industries of the 21st century. The target group of the project - teachers and educators, who are not afraid of challenges and are seeking quality of teaching and learning and higher learning achievements of students in STEM education, are open-minded, communicative and collaborative, and are ready to provide meaningful learning experiences for 21st-century students. Participants will be science, mathematics, ICT, technology and design teachers from schools and directorate of educations(local authorities) and academics and lecturers from partner universities. Our main target group are teachers, of course also pupils, but also, school Principals, Policymakers, STEMcenters, parents, other institutions related to the school education.The Final beneficiriars will be the students who will carry Europe further.The main activities will undertaken: - 5 short-term joint staff training events - 2 Trans-national project meetings - Seminars-Local Trainings-Dissemination-E-conferanceMethodology to be used in carrying out the project: The training comprises 8 hours of lectures and demonstrations and 15 hours of hands-on workshops. These sessions will be framed with field trips and hands-on outdoor activities that will regard innovative ways for creating links between schools, research centres and non-formal learning settings. Careful analysis of the present situation in terms of attractiveness of the STEM disciplines in the concerned partners at all levels of school education. This includes a collection of data, Inquiry-based learning, short-term joint training events within the involved corporate.Potential longer term benefits include the skills acquired by the students such as critical thinking and ICT skills will make them more employable in STEM related areas in the future. Innovative teaching resources created during the project will be available online after the project is finished for use by other teachers. LET'S STEM IT project will strengthen European integration by increasing cooperation across different institutions, and by bringing together different cultures. It will also promote the idea of European citizenship and the extended local community.