RURACTIVE aims to foster a just and sustainable transition of rural areas by developing smart, community-led, tailor-made, place-based and inclusive solutions within local Multi-Actor Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs) in 12 pilot area (Dynamos - Ds) in 7 EU, 2 Associated Countries and Switzerland. RURACTIVE will unlock the innovation potential of rural communities by addressing six integrated Rural Development Drivers (RDDs) – namely multimodal mobility, energy transition, agri-food and agroecology, culture and cultural innovation, health and wellbeing, nature-based and cultural tourism – and transversally integrating climate change mitigation and adaption, biodiversity and social justice and inclusion. RURACTIVE will empower rural communities to act for societal change, by making available existing knowledge around smart solutions that integrate various forms of innovation (digital and technological, technical, organizational and social, business models and financial) and enhancing rural communities' capacities and skills, by providing training, capacity building, and knowledge transfer. Implementing a methodology for RIEs establishment in 12 Ds, RURACTIVE will work towards inclusive decision-making processes for all, including vulnerable groups and people at risk of exclusion, providing RIEs with instruments and capacities to collaboratively co-develop, co-implement and co-monitor smart and community-led solutions. Also, by offering an open set of data-driven tools (Decision Support Tool, Adaptive Monitoring tool), a digital infrastructure (RURACTIVE Digital Hub), and defining a programme for external Innovators, RURACTIVE will provide a fertile ground for change in rural areas. Results will be out-scaled through knowledge exchanges and networking at EU level (open contest for Additional Ds and RURACTIVE Forum), the deployment of training and capacity building activities for further rural communities and the creation of open e-learning courses and MOOC.

Learning science helps to train students in observation, reasoning and argumentation, which are some of the foundations for all learning. It also helps improve transferable skills, such as logic, critical thinking and organisation. In order to develop an awareness of the complex interactions in contemporary society between science, technology, society, education and the environment, it is important to have an understanding of scientific practices and processes. This understanding also helps students to become active, scientifically literate citizens. With waning interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among young people, OTTER aims to enhance understanding of education outside the classroom (EOC) methods and how they can be utilised to increase interest in STEM subjects among students and improve their acquisition of scientific knowledge and transferable skills. The project will connect EOC experts from Finland, Hungary, Spain and Ireland, strengthening networks within Europe and building a foundation for the development of EOC pilot schemes within the four focus countries. The effects of these pilots on the performance of participating students, including their levels of sophisticated consumption and scientific citizenship, will be analysed to better understand the effects of EOC on EU citizens. The pilots will build on recent momentum in tackling environmental issues and help to promote sophisticated consumption by incorporating a theme of reducing and managing plastic waste. The analysis will seek to identify differences in the effect of the programmes on students from different geographical locations and of different genders, comparing those who participated in the EOC pilot schemes with students who only participated in formal education. OTTER will further aim to improve accreditation of EOC teaching methods within Europe, contributing to the selection of accreditation tools available for use beyond the end of this project.

The overarching aim of the project is to contribute to equipping all citizens with the skills and competences for the green transition. The specific objectives of the AELIA project are to: •Promote sustainability in all education sectors through designing and putting to the test guidelines for sustainability plans •Support educational institutions’ management and leaders to apply sustainability plans including monitoring and evaluating their sustainability levels through capacity building on the guidelines for sustainability plans•Increase the provision of quality educational resources by developing an educational framework based on a widened participation of all relevant stakeholders, based on excellence, expertise and a multitude of insights and perspectives•Build the capacity of educators and equip them will knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to integrate sustainable development and green transition in their work and become change multiplier agents•Strengthen the acquisition of knowledge and skills and empower all citizens to take action on climate, sustainable development and green transition •Enhance policy learning and mainstreaming by strengthening transnational cooperation and multi-actor dialogueThe project is partnership of organisations in Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Romania and Austria and will have a duration of 36 months.During this period, the project's main results will be:- A guide for sustainability plans for educational institutions available in all partner languages and in English. - An co-designed educational framework with educational resources and online open course addressed to educational leaders, teachers and educators at all levels- Crowdsourcing platform and webinars for citizens- A white paper on integrating education for sustainability at all educational levels The proposed educational intervention has the potential to have a significant impact at local, national and European levels

Higher education (HE) in Morocco is regulated by statute with the state, through the Ministry, responsible for the planning, organisation, development, regulation and guidance of the system. Moroccan HE has been undergoing a process of reform for some years with recent publications indicating a rising awareness of the need to accelerate those that are more closely linked to the needs of the country, it students and its employers. A significant step was taken in 2014 with Law no 80-12 setting out the establishment of the Agence National d’Evaluation et d’Assurance Qualité de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique (ANEAQ). The ANEAQ will be taking a leading role in the implementation of the activities. The project will address a national priority by bringing together leading actors, experienced in the latest developments in national (and international) QA systems for HE, with the Moroccan authorities and universities. The Project will guide the development of a QA ‘tool kit’ to support policies and procedures relevant to Morocco. Amongst the deliverables, the project will establish a Code of Practice for the Management of QA, which will be used by the universities and by the Agency in its evaluations of the effectiveness and efficiency of university Quality Assurance systems. The project will play a major role in more closely aligning Moroccan HE with some of the most successful aspects of the European Bologna Process and thus contribute to enhancing recognition, mobility and internationalisation.

Despite a large amount of International and EU legislation supporting the right of all children to have an Inclusive Education (IE), the realisation of fully inclusive education systems is yet to happen. Schools across Europe are still ill-equipped to embrace the diverse range of learners’ support needs. Some of the barriers preventing fully inclusive education are negative attitudes and stereotypes, often caused by a lack of knowledge and acceptance of persons with disabilities. The ACT-INCLUSIVE project will fight against the attitudinal barriers that still preclude IE, by strengthening advocacy and empowering students with disabilities and the entire School Community. Using formal, non-formal and informal education activities, students, educational professionals, and school staff will have access to new knowledge and practical tools about Inclusiveness in school that will allow them to become Actors of Change Towards Inclusive Education. The project will start with a research activity where we will elucidate the issue at both EU and country levels. It will aim at identifying good practices (specifically in the field of awareness-raising and non-formal education activities), training needs and gaps. Then, the consortium will organise a series of awareness-raising and capacity-building workshops and events for the identified key target groups. The content of these workshops will be preceded by the production of 1) a Training and Awareness-Raising (TAR) Manual, based on the key learning outcomes for all key target groups. 2) an ACT-INCLUSIVE Toolbox, presenting non-formal education activities aiming at raising awareness and sharing knowledge about IE. 3) A Comics Book & Audiobook on Inclusive Communication. Finally, to multiply the reaching out the potential of the ACT-INCLUSIVE project and its outputs, (a) we will run an online Awareness-raising campaign & (b) we will organise a final EU Conference to further promote the project outputs.