The European Union has set ambitious objectives on climate and energy to be reached by 2020. The EU's Sixth Environment Action Programme identifies waste prevention and management as one of the top priorities. By increasing resource efficiency EU can fight against climate change, meet the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and diminish the environmental impacts of resource use. Increasing resource efficiency is the key factor to gain sustainable growth and jobs in the EU.There are many ways to tackle the challenges of resource efficiency, like technical innovations, public regulations and human behaviour. Education plays crucial role in enhancing the knowledge and increasing the motivation of people. We should in all levels educate tomorrow’s professionals who have right competencies to help EU member states to reached settled objectives. However, at the moment most of the higher education related to resource efficiency is still far too traditional and based on classroom teaching. Therefore there is a huge demand for resource efficiency education that more holistically serves the needs of society. In this project we created an interactive blended learning concept that innovatively combines the elements of group-based learning, university-company cooperation, international cooperation, flipped classroom and e-learning. Our tangible output was a 15 ECTS Resource efficiency/ Circular economy higher education module, consisting of three 5 ECTS study units: Food-spill; Chemical waste; Waste treatment: Biogasification and composting. During the project we created and test this concept in 5 European countries. During the project novel module was integrated into the curricula of partner universities and after the project more study units may be added to the concept. The learning approach applied in this project is Innovation pedagogy. It can be defined as a learning approach that defines in a new way how knowledge is assimilated, produced and used in a manner that can create innovations. Thus the question regarding the nature of knowledge behind innovations becomes essential. Naturally, the model for innovation pedagogy was constructed based on previous studies on pedagogy and innovation research. The core elements of Innovation pedagogy are interdisciplinarity, internationalization, active university-company cooperation and flexible curriculum. The ReLeCo project had a positive and constructive impact on all target groups, especially the students. The blended learning concept was heavily learner-oriented and already throughout the project students were directly or indirectly involved in all main activities. According to the principles of Innovation pedagogy, students are not only absorbing the existing knowledge but they are also producing new information and knowledge, even new innovations. We aimed at building up students' motivation and knowhow in resource efficiency by establishing International Resource Efficiency Hatcheries – groups of students from several countries - that will implement real-life assignments coming from companies and other organization that are willing to improve their resource efficiency. Added value for students is three-fold: substance-related knowledge on resource efficiency, enhanced innovation competences and valuable contacts to companies and other stakeholders in the field of resource efficiency. Existing curricula of participating universities was modernized with our novel concept. Thus universities were able to serve their students with higher quality education and attract new students. Thanks to our open and active communication policy, all interested European universities were able to utilize our concept. In the project there were universities and resource efficiency expert organizations from 5 countries. After the project period we intend to widen this cooperation to other interested countries, at the first place in Europe but also having a global perspective on mind. Our concept gained undeniable positive impacts also to a wide range of stakeholders outside of the academia. Companies and other actors may get direct added value to their businesses through the work of international Hatcheries. We also offered an example of better dissemination of information regarding resource efficiency, so that anybody can raise his or her awareness in environmental issues. Enriching traditional classroom-based learning with e-learning – served as an Open Educational Resource – and active stakeholder cooperation, we can speed up the transition from waste management towards resource efficiency. International challenges require international solutions and our concept is one step in the preparation of our future generation with the knowledge necessary for building a cleaner and more sustainable environment that enhances the quality of human life.

"ACCESS aims to face, in a preventive way, the problem of early school leaving (ESL) linked to school-related factors, by reinforcing pedagogical quality and innovation through the improvement of teachers' skills and the creation of a positive learning environment. European documents keep stressing the need for a whole school approach to tackling Early School Leaving. They underline the importance in adopting strategies aimed to: 1) buinding of positive learning environments, 2) improving teachers' competences, 3) implementing professional communities between schools and between schools and external players. They also highlight that school-related factors with an high impact on early school leaving are: negative school environment, including conflicts with teachers and peers; low school results; lack of motivation; students' perception of non-stimulating methods and low expectations. The project partners (PP) carried out a self-monitoring activity by using STRUCTURAL INDICATORS defined by the Working Group on School Policy 2015. Based on these indicators, the PPs found out the following areas of PROBLEMS: 1) adoption of a global and integrated school approach NOT ADEQUATE to: - create a positive relational environment at school and to understand the perception that students have; - ""give voice"" to the students, identify their needs, perspectives and school experiences; - develop teaching approaches and strategies that work on the relational dimension between peers and with the teacher, on motivation, on enhancement of strengths, on social and emotional education; 2) insufficient implementation of actions for the continuous professional development of teachers aimed to acquiring skills for the identification of early school leaving signals and for support activities; 3) professional learning communities not well organised. The target project secondary school teachers. The main beneficiaries will be students of the first two years. Specific OBJECTIVES of the project are: 1) increased understanding of the dynamics of early school leaving; 2) structured a periodic monitoring process for identification and preventive support of students at ESL risk; 3) increased skills in teachers, specifically in 3 areas: MONITORING AND SUPPORT; COMMUNICATION AND REPORT; MANAGEMENT AND TEACHING 4) strengthened the inter-sectorial cooperation between schools and external players according to local contexts; 5) built multi-professional and transnational learning communities. These objectives will be pursued through the implementation of innovative solutions working on these strategic assets: 1) teachers' best understanding of the dynamics of the ESL, possible risk factors and of protective elements; 2) actions for the periodic monitoring of risk factors; 3) strengthening teachers' skills to provide learning support for all students ; 4) building effective partnerships and inter-sectorial cooperation activities between schools of different types and levels, and between schools and external palyers both in terms of local contexts and in a multi-professional and transnational perspective; 5) creating conditions for potential future teachers to get in contact with situation of early school leaving and for teacher educators to implement actions focused on ESL. Intellectual outputs: THEORETICAL MODEL OF TARGET AT RISK BASED ON SITUATIONAL AND PERSONAL SCHOOL-RELATED VARIABLES (IO1); SYSTEM OF MONITORING AND PREVENTIVE ACCOMPANYING TO FACE ESL (IO2), TOOLKIT-OERs CONTAINING SUPPORTIVE TEACHIING AND ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES BASED ON CRITICAL PEDAGOGY AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL EDUCATION (IO3). These solutions will be tested on a pilot group of schools to evaluate their effectiveness and impact on prevention and rapid support for early school leaving. The main methods used are the large-scale Qualitative Research, Action-research, User CenteredDesign (UCD) and Design-basedResearch (DBR) to encourage the participation of the beneficiaries in the implementing the solutions. Project will have positive impacts on teachers by increasing their skills and on students, by reducing the risk factors of ESL. It will also generate positive impacts on school management in terms of knowhow for implementing a global and integrated approach to tackle ESL."

Buildings are responsible for around 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU, and 84% of their demand is still generated by fossil fuels. With the Green Deal, the EU signed its commitment to become the first continent to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Given the high relevance of the building sector for emissions reduction, the concept of PEBs is gaining increasing attention. Besides, construction and demolition waste accounts for 35% of EU waste. REN+HOMES tackle the sustainable transition not only by reducing carbon emissions, but also resource scarcity, energy poverty and focusing on education/participation of stakeholders. REN+HOMES i) develops a set of 23 solution: 9 hardware (industrialized panel with recycled materials, pre-fabricated BIPV insulated façade, wireless IoT device, end user platform and BMS, LPWAN connectivity, geothermal walls, BIPV/BAPV with repurposed cells, H2 storage), 7 software (BDEA, INTEMA, VERIFY-B, GRT, TCQi, RCS, CBEO) and 7 Circular Plus Energy Homes (CPEH) methodologies (for AU, ES, EE, RO, EL, FR and a universal one), ii) tests and implements them in 4 large-scale demonstrators (19.843 m2 - 2 renovation and 2 new construction sites) in AU, ES, EE and RO and iii) develpes business models combining cost-effective deep-retrofitting, demand response and energy communities. REN+HOMES i) provide excess energy to the grid or to neighboring buildings (195MWh/yr), ii) develop and install building technologies from >50% recycled materials, iii) uses products with >60% recyclability rates, iv) adopt co-design for increasing awareness and satisfaction (>70 residents per demo) and v) make use of international support to overcome legislative barrier, for the streamlining of positive energy homes, with a focus on resource scarcity and recyclability. REN+HOMES approach will lead >50M m2 of floor area renovated to CPEH standards, corresponding to 1.56 MtCO2-eq saved and 39.226 tons of recycled materials by 2050.