<< Background >>TrainChain(Blockchain Training for Start-Ups) is a response to the needs of early-stage companies to provide training and development opportunities to their, often young and inexperienced, staff. The number of Start-Ups in Europe is increasing (Start-up Hubs Europe: in 2018 investment was more than €10 billion, vs. €3 billion, 2014), and so is the young people working at them (over a quarter of employees in young firms are under 34). However, there's less job security and the year company survival rate in Europe was lower than 50% in 2018; there are rarely formal qualifications offered, and no plan or budget for professional development and training, which can prevent young people to move jobs and thus, widen the skills gap in the job market (Eurostat). In this context, numerous studies and international initiatives (e.g. Startup Hubs Europe, EC) have stated the need to promote entrepreneurial and business-related competencies in VET centres and companies to address these challenges. This need is also supported by the findings of an initial study carried out by the partner organisations involved in the project, through which members of the target group were consulted SMEs confront several problems in the business economy, many of them face barriers in entering trade markets, transactions, data storage, cash flow and security but also for efficiently protecting IP. When it comes to data storage, many companies use the Internet of Things but don't have enough information. Blockchain technology can offer a solution to these challenges for cheaper data storage and improvement of privacy and security and IP management.The international consortium of TrainChain aims to create a personalized environment that will deliver strategies and actions that need to be adopted by learners to learn how to effectively use this technology. The actions will be focused on two main fields that blockchain technology that could be used; IoT and finances.<< Objectives >>The need for innovative methods for including newly created techniques and training tools is affecting the whole European Union, making necessary a change in the transmission of the information and training of the SMEs in new and trendy topics. In line with the EC objectives and priorities to support digital development and inclusion in the companies and SMEs and integrating blockchain on their procedures (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/blockchain-strategy), the TrainChain project aims to have an international impact. Building a pan-European public services blockchain, promoting blockchain for sustainability, cybersecurity, legal certainty, interoperability or data protection are some of the core contents of the project, coinciding with the European needs, highly necessary to all the countries equally.TrainChain aims to give a response to the necessities of the target groups in Europe as well as to impact positively in the SMEs and international reality.<< Implementation >>All major expected results are listed & detailed in the Results of the TrainChain project (please refer to the section of Implementation) and are part of: • TrainChain Programme• TrainChain Trainers' Guide• TrainChain Trainers Induction• TrainChain Blockchain Training Tool• A dedicated virtual space (TrainChain Academy) including all of the project's results, and an infrastructure to support synchronous (live help, chat, live video assistance, Skype, go to meeting/webinar) and asynchronous communication (email, online forms channelling tickets to the appropriate persons, forum, FAQ section, integrated Ffora engine), with all those wanting to use the project's outcomes. The infrastructure wills support the sustainability of the project by allowing TrainChain's learners to be informed about the project’s results after the end of its funded life. Additionally, the TrainChain project foresees a set of management, dissemination, monitoring & evaluation and coordination results, namely: 1. Project Management: - Project Roadmap, which will include the partnership agreement, detailed work plan (including information about project meetings, project activities and tasks), detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of each partner involved, and listing of project indicators and impacts to be achieved; - Project Management Handbook which will compile all necessary management and reporting tools to be used by the partners, including templates for quarterly reporting, contacts from the Staff team allocated to the project, guidelines for management, administrative work and financial control; - Interim and Final Reports: following the format requested by the Executive Agency, the Interim and Final Reports will be written by the coordinator with the support of all partners and will be submitted to the National Agency.2. Monitoring and Evaluation - Quality Management Plan, which will describe the quality-check procedures that will be implemented to ensure high quality of the project achievements (project results namely) and consistency of the work performed within the project. It will also include a description of the actions that will be taken to guarantee the efficiency and quality of the project outcomes and procedures; - Coordination and Partnership Quality Reports will be tools for assessing and monitoring the quality of the project activities and results according to defined methodology and strategy;3. Dissemination - Dissemination & Communication Strategic Plan: it will outline a set of dissemination activities including (i) Project dissemination strategy addressing the best way to promote the project; (ii) Project dissemination materials inspired in the technical proposal and on the intermediate project results; (iii) Definition of channels for communication and establishment of a differentiated mailing list of target groups of stakeholders and interested parties. All partners will be invited to either contribute to the list or to take care in forwarding project communication to their contacts. The partners will also perform “project networking” on a continuous basis<< Results >>The main objectives are the following: 1. Identify the training and development areas that will deliver the greatest impact 2. Design content for our target group and their organisations, focusing on the blockchain concept 3. Create the infrastructure that will enable and empower start-ups to provide training for their teams 4. Pioneer the in-house training model for start-ups 5. Build, test and release excellent resources that generate real value for the start-ups 6. Assist SMEs to improve their place in the business economy 7. Promote the use of new technologies in SMEs 8. Empower managers/entrepreneurs with the essential skills and knowledge regarding blockchain technology to help them run and manage their businesses successfully 9. Develop strategies and actions that present an innovative approach to blockchain technology education The results will be achieved through the consecution of the intellectual results of the project.

European mobility and international migration are contributing to the change of the European society. However, recent OECD studies (2014 & 2016b) demonstrate that this diversified panorama rose intolerance and social exclusion instead of social inclusion, especially in school environment. Teachers and schools are directly interested by these social transformations and are required to be better prepared in order to support to newly arrived students, to address their specific needs, to foster tolerance, respect for diversity and civic responsibility. Furthermore, the switch from offline to online learning caused by COVID-19 is likely to affect negatively those children, in primary and lower secondary schools, who have higher difficulties in adapting to the new online learning environment. The switch is also expected to exacerbate existing educational inequalities. More vulnerable students, such as for instance those from less advantaged backgrounds, are especially likely to fall behind during this emergency period. These students are less likely to have access to relevant learning digital resources and less likely to have a suitable home learning environment. Additionally, they may not receive as much (direct or indirect) support from their parents (JRC,2020).In this regard, the project is aimed at promoting diversity in classroom as a key competence for students from primary and lower-secondary school. For teachers, it represents a framework to be possessed before entering the teacher profession (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2013) as well as a competence that should be continuously updated in order to respond appropriately and effectively to future demands, challenges and opportunities of the society. The growing diversity in terms of cultures, ethnics and communities in European classrooms and societies, in fact, creates expectation in teachers who should possess the competencies to promote inter-group respect and understanding and to apply learner-centered teaching strategies, considering diversity as a benefit and resource.In order to achieve such an aim, the project is proposing educational tools to equip teachers with relevant intercultural competencies and tools in both ITE and CPD in order to make students aware of the relevant educational resource diversity represents in classrooms, enrich the competencies and creativity of all students, promote inter-group contact, opportunities for reflection and peer-learning and cultural self-awareness.Outputs:1. Definition of Key Intercultural Competences based on the Conceptual and Operational Framework of Intercultural Competences (UNESCO) and on the King and Baxter Magolda’s developmental framework (2005) for intercultural maturity, the project intends to develop a framework of the most relevant intercultural knowledge and skills that students should acquire in order to benefit from cultural diversity at school. The framework will be structured in three levels corresponding respectively to EQF levels 1-3. Moreover, this framework will also be multidimensional, including the following three dimensions: how students see the world (cognitive), how they see themselves (intrapersonal), and how they relate to others (interpersonal). Taking into account these features, the competence framework will be characterized also by a practical dimension: it will be structured in different competence areas (e.g. communication, empathy, listening, respect, etc.).2. Creation of a Multicultural Educational Tools and Guidelines for teachers. On the basis of the framework identified in the O1 an educational toolkit will be designed with the direct involvement of teachers and students from Partner organisations. Starting from the framework structure, the toolkit will be created in order to match it in terms of levels, dimensions and areas with specific topics and activities developed by students and guided by teachers to be integrated into a unique ICT based tool, accessible on the project website. Each group of students will be responsible for an activity and will cooperate with their peers from other countries through the use of e-Twinning.DIVERS-CULT is expected to:-Promote intercultural dialogue as a key channel for enhancing conflict resolution, mutual respect,understanding, social cohesion, inclusion, democratic participation, empowerment of citizens andinternational cooperation-Build a framework for commonly shared values which fosters cultural diversity-Disseminate these principles and tools of multiculturalism through quality education-Strengthen teachers’ self-esteem and preparation on cultural diversity management.

CONTEXTWithin a world that technology and inventions are outpacing developments in the field of education, protecting ownership of creative works becomes especially important to STEAM subjects, where regular innovations occur on a daily basis.Therefore, the inclusion of intellectual property (IP) in STEAM education rapidly becomes a pivotal element establishing the protection of creators’ rights beseemed to their achievements. Nevertheless, due to its complexity, a surprising lack of IP education occurs in schools, with the European educational ecosystems rarely integrating IP teaching into school curricula, whereas teachers have not been introduced to IP assets in their own education as well. Within the endeavor of preparing students for the future under the prism of kids of today being properly qualified for jobs of tomorrow, school teachers should found their freedom to innovate utilizing fundamental IP practices.To that end, simply teaching students how to invent within STEAM subjects is not enough;they should also learn how to protect their work from potential legal attacks. IP education in early age is equally crucial as early exposure to innovation in terms of equipping children to become future inventors.Besides, IP rights play a hugely important role in stimulating innovation and creativity, and thus their promotion is a matter of economic growth.OBJECTIVESIn terms of IP education being crucial in promoting STEAM-related subjects, the IPinSTEAM project aims at generating awareness about the importance of IP knowledge in order to confront its large absence from K-12 curricula.In pursuance of the objective,the project will integrate IP assets into STEAM teaching through innovative training approaches that comprise the development of a practical handbook for K-12 teachers about how to transfer and implement IP concepts into their courses along with an interactive digital tool promoting real-life scenarios of IP knowledge implementation.In order to efficiently tackle the lack of IP knowledge and yet motivate teachers to influence European educational ecosystems, the IPinSTEAM approach will be facilitated by gamified learning techniques that will trigger its main participants to embrace the project strategies in real life.PARTICIPANTSThe partnership will engage:-K-12 teachers-Up to 12-year-old students-STEAM departments-Schools and educational institutions-Law departments-Policy makers-e-learning enthusiastsACTIVITIES-Set up a concrete framework through an iterative methodology based on the target groups’ needs-Create a hands-on training course comprising practical advice and specific lesson plans for K-12 to easily embrace IP assets and implement them in their STEAM subjects-Develop a digital tool aiming at assessing teachers’ understanding and retaining their newly acquired knowledge-Develop a dedicated online space serving as a single point of information under the scope of widening the project network and thus increasing its impactMETHODOLOGY-Verification of the needs of K-12 teachers related to their current knowledge about IP main assets and their role in STEAM teaching-Iterative development of the hands-on IPinSTEAM Training course and a digital tool promoting real-life scenarios based on participants’ feedback-Validation of all project outcomes through a series of exercises-Configuration of an online community that will serve as a single information spot for all IPinSTEAM enthusiasts-Organization of multiplier events to promote the projectRESULTS-IPinSTEAM Training Course-IPinSTEAM Gamified Mediator-IPinSTEAM LeagueIMPACTThe impact of the project lies on:-Awareness among STEAM teachers about avant-garde training approaches towards promoting the importance of IP implementation in education-Increasing motivation to embrace a different approach in their trainings-Improvement of their knowledge in order to properly equip students with IP knowledge in conjunction with STEAM subjectsAt local level, the project will promote techniques to improve participants' knowledge about the incorporation of IP in their curriculaAt national level,it will encourage an open dialogue about the inclusion of new elements into school curricula and potentially change of teaching materialsAt European level,it will influence policies so as to shape the future of the educational ecosystems towards fostering students’ employability and personal growth skills.LONG-TERM BENEFITSIndubitably,the project upholds a standard-based training approach towards the improvement of school education on subjects that are momentous for a functional community of future inventors through the IPinSTEAM League.Motivating European school communities to move towards promoting the value of IP in STEAM industries, the project can build long-term a united nation of inventors and future entrepreneurs that can increase ‘innovation economics’ focusing on the connection between economic growth and IP teaching.

CONTEXTThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread educational disruption, with school closures in 186 countries affecting 1.2 billion students. Almost overnight, remote learning emerged as the new educational norm, making a blend of digital and in-person learning solutions a necessity. Teachers needed solutions to ensure that students’ time a way from the classroom didn’t mean time away from learning. Virtual classrooms have replaced physical classrooms and teachers embraced technology to continue their work. However, it is not straightforward or even possible sometimes to make up for activities which until now have significant educational value when carried out physically, such as collaborative problem solving. Problem-based learning enables students to embrace complexity, find relevance and joy in their learning, and enhance their capacity to make creative contributions to real-world problems. There is a need to educate the teachers on how to administer remote PBL experiences through digital learning channels so as to ensure students continue to harness the benefits of collaborative problem solving as they used to prior to the advent of COVID-19.OBJECTIVEThe project aims to help HEIs with pedagogical faculties in supporting the use of digital learning spaces by European educators as a means to help them continue to deliver through virtual classrooms Problem Based Learning activities that were until now offered only through physical collaboration in classrooms. By helping HE institutions with pedagogical departments to extend their academic curricula with practical approaches towards remote PBL in combination with Game Based Learning, EPITOME aims to improve the current situation with respect to the teachers ability to deliver remotely, through virtual classrooms, the same quality of education they delivered in physical classrooms until now. PARTICIPANTSA software company with significant experience in the design and development of ICT-enabled solutions, a university with a pedagogical faculty focused on the integration of digital technologies to the teaching process, a parent's association of a primary school which invests in STEM, an EU wide network supporting digital learning in all forms of E&T, a technical consultancy working with HEIs for designing digital solutions and a instructional design company with Minecraft experience.ACTIVITIES- Elaboration of methods for delivering PBL experiences through Minecraft- Preparation of PBL specifications for transcribing PBL experiences to scenarios in digital learning environments- Design of PBL challenges- Development of a handbook for practitioners to implement PBL experiences in Minecraft- Creation of a custom Minecraft World- Implementation of a resource pack and mods to support the execution of the challenges- Packaging of all items under a Minecraft collection, the EPITOME Collection to be made available through the Minecraft Marketplace- Generating awareness about the outputs among the academic and school communities through multiplier events - Supporting the uptake of the EPITOME Handbook by the academic and school communities and the growth of a vivid community of adopters through the creation, population and management of the EPITOME Foundry virtual space- Promoting the use of the EPITOME Minecraft Collection available through the marketplaceMETHODOLOGYAn iterative methodology: three versions of the results are produced, one in each iteration. After each iteration the results are tested/validated and based on the conclusions the next iteration is planned.RESULTSMethods for delivering remote PBL experiences in Minecraft, specifications for creating PBL experiences in Minecraft, PBL challenges, custom world, resource pack and mod to support the challenges, handbook to support the use of Minecraft for remote PBL, instructional material, a dedicated virtual space to support use of project results by a community of adopters.TARGET GROUPIn the life of the project: HEIs, mainly those with Pedagogical faculties, professionals working with children (mainly 8 - 13 years). Apart from these direct target groups, the beneficiaries comprise also indirect target groups such as schools, children's/parents associations and organisations, policy makers and educational stakeholders deciding about subjects covered by school curricula, parents, content developers, etc. After the life of the project and subject to the delivery of concrete results, more target groups become relevant, such as companies active in educational technology, universities with pedagogical/engineering departments, educational bodies, STEAM CentresBENEFITSContribute towards building digital education readiness among the school community by enhancing the academic curricula of HEIs with pedagogical faculties so as to support the teachers of tomorrow for using efficiently digital learning spaces such as Minecraft for delivering remote Problem Based Learning Experience.

"<< Background >>Background / ContextThe Internet and social media have changed the ways citizens access and engage with news. Many people turn to online media to get the information they want (European Commission, 2018). But one of the problems that online media come with is disinformation and fake news, as they may have severe consequences and can cause public harm, threaten democracy, and affect people in making decisions. The exposure of citizens to large-scale disinformation, and false information, is a major challenge for Europe [Source: http://bit.ly/3l0vdSP].Needs / ProblemAccording to a Flash Eurobarometer study (Fake News and Disinformation Online) 37% of the respondents believe that they come across fake news every day or almost every day. A large majority of respondents think that the existence of fake news is a problem in their country, at least to some extent (85%). Additionally, many Europeans (71%) are at least ‘somewhat confident’ that they are able to identify fake news or disinformation, only 15% say they are very confident. While fake news and disinformation is a problem for several years now, after the breakout of COVID-19, the amount of fake news has increased substantially, creating serious consequences to public health. Some examples can be found in the so-called cures that affected a lot of people and made them harm their elves, such as drinking bleach, eating garlic, wearing warm socks and spreading goose fat on one's chest [Source: http://bit.ly/3euDOfx]. Based on these facts, we can conclude that fake news and disinformation can create several behavioral patterns and affect someone's decisions. In fact, some studies have shown that exposure to fake news can subconsciously alter people’s behavior and affect their decision-making. (Greene & Murphy, 2020), (Bastick, 2021). Those who are more likely to be affected by fake news are adults over 55 years old, as they are less confident in their ability to identify fake news in comparison with younger adults (European Union, 2018).At the same time, European Commission has launched intervention programs such as the #SaferInternet4EU Campaign which are targeted at schools, while many studies show there is a need to target older people (Loos & Nijenhuis, 2020).<< Objectives >>Project Idea / SolutionBreak the chain aims to help adults identify the impact that fake news and disinformation have on their behavior and find ways to alternate the situation. The project will provide a holistic approach, focusing on introducing all the relevant information about fake news and disinformation, their impact on our decisions and ways to detect them.Project Objectives- Raise awareness about intentional disinformation and fake news-Assist adults in detecting and coping with fake news and disinformation online-Enhance adults’ media literacy skills-Support adults educators in developing innovative training approachesProject Target Groups- Direct: Adults (those aged 55+), adult trainers- Indirect: Schools, Training centres, NGOS, policy makers, Research Institutions, journalists<< Implementation >>Project’s objectives-Raise awareness about intentional disinformation and fake news -Assist adults in detecting and coping with fake news and disinformation online -Enhance adults’ media literacy skills -Support adults educators in developing innovative training approachesProject’s results-Adult educators gain new tools for enriching the provision of their training courses-Adults being in place to spot fake news-Adults understand the scope of disinformation and its impact on their behaviour-Adult educators improve their competencies and knowledgeEnvisaged activities: -Identification of the knowledge and skill of adult trainers on the topics of fake news and disinformation and the documentation of their current educational practices on these topics-Identification of the situation of fake news and disinformation in their country and the level of media literacy across their population.-Design of the training methodology and the documentation of desirable learning outcomes will support the elaboration of training material directed to existing knowledge and skills gaps and envisaged training practice.-Development of Manual that will be divided into two parts. In the first part, all relevant information about fake news and disinformation will be presented for assisting trainers to achieve a comprehensive viewpoint on the topic. In the second part of the Manual digital tools and methods will be described for supporting trainers to foster their media competencies and incorporate technology resources into their training programs.-Development of web application containing a pool of activities in the topic of fake news and disinformation, which will send reminders to users for checking the new activities.-Development of a Dynamic Demonstrator presenting real-life scenarios in the topic of fake news and disinformation that will be used as a complementary tool to the learning process.- Set up the Break the Chain Community virtual space to support the project's adopters and practitioners.- Promotion of the Community and the project's outcomes through dedicated multiplier events.-Promotion of the project's activities in the envisaged target group through dedicated dissemination activities.-Implementation of exploitation activities aiming to reach interested parties after the completion of the project.-Development of a webinar for adult trainers.<< Results >>The tangible outcoumes of the project are the following: -A guide for adult trainers aiming to provide innovative approaches in the development of educational activities about fake news and disinformation.-A web application containing several activities about the impact and detection of fake news and disinformation online.-A dynamic demonstrator that will present real-life scenarios of fake news and disinformation, aiming to facilitate the understanding of these concepts and deliver an engaging educational experience.Another tangible result will be the ""Break the chain Community"", a dedicated virtual space that will include all of the project's results and infrastructure to support synchronous (live help, chat, live video assistance, skype, GoToMeeting/webinar) and asynchronous communication (email, online forms channeling tickets to the appropriate persons, forum, FAQ section). The Community will be used by those wanting to use the project's outcomes. The infrastructure will support the project's sustainability by allowing Break the chain learners to be informed about the project’s results after the end of its funded life.The project is also envisaged to have some intangible results, which are the following:-Adult educators gain new tools for enriching the provision of their training courses-Adults being in place to spot fake news-Adults understand the scope of disinformation and its impact on their behavior-Adult educators improve their competencies and knowledge Other outcomes that will be produced during the project are: Other results of the project are:1. Project Management Plan: The coordinator (EduCentrum) will develop a guide for the overall management of the project, including the essential steps for implementation of the project and the financial procedures. 2. Sharing and Promotion Plan: A specific strategy for promoting the project, along with the definition of channels methods and tools will be produced by the sharing and promotion partner (HESO) and will be updated every quarter. Additional dissemination results comprise: - Project’s website-Project’s social media-4 newsletters-4 infographics-2 articles-4 press releases- Project brochure-Project presentation-6 Multiplier events - Backlinks to the project site on the websites of partners3. Graphical identity of the project: the project logo and the design of the promotional material will be defined upon the starting of the project. 4. Webinar: One webinar will be organized for introducing adult trainers on the topic of fake news and disinformation online.5. Exploitation and Outreach Plan: An exploitation plan and relevant indicators will be produced by P3-KOMICHA6. Quality Assurance Plan: ICMEDIA will develop a quality assurance plan and define the quality procedures to be followed during the project implementation and the elaboration of its results7. Validation Plan: E-SENIORS will develop a validation plan for ensuring that the results are addressed to the target groups’ needs and are of high quality."