"Teaching is a multifaceted activity demanding a wide range of knowledge as well as hard and soft skills. The current pandemic situation has made plain that academics more than ever need to possess not only technology skills but also the desire to adapt lectures to technologies and design thinking to proceed. Moreover, numerous studies have revealed that students achieve more when they have role models to look up to, the people who motivate, inspire and guide them accordingly. It becomes especially important in times of uncertainty.There is a significant amount of academics, and especially senior academics, who lack skills for design thinking, do not use innovative methods, and still prefer traditional methods in distant learning. Thus, there is a need in the practical course ""Overcoming Technophobia"" which would introduce with the best examples of good practice in remote lecturing and provide practical tools on how to do it.The project ""Leading Universities - Catalysts for Change (CATCHANGE)"" aims to develop a set of three interrelated courses for academics, and they are1) ""Academic Leadership"";2) ""Design Thinking Skills"";3) ""Overcoming Technophobia"".Therefore, the project will provide a possibility for academics to rectify deficiencies, acquire new skills and develop key competences. In total, during the project there will be trained 45 academics (15 academics per country). The acquired skills will turn academic staff into new leaders, so they could become role models for their students and teach the skills to students too. Eliminating the existing gaps, the 3 developed Intellectual results will lead to effective improvement and overall boost of higher education quality."