"The skills that build on the knowledge and professional body of humanities, cultural and social sciences (the ""humanities"") are required. Science, industry and society need university graduates with aptitude for critical thinking, questioning, holistic approaches, contextual situations, constructive dealing with (inter-)cultural settings, creative and interdisciplinary actions. Only in this manner can current challenges be explored, understood, tackled in a future-oriented and sustainable way. The Humanities are considered to be the most important promoter and guarantor of these socially and economically very relevant skills. Highly specialized professionals need such basic skills for a successful entry into working environments. This illustrates the urgent demand of the economy and its search for talent. What is needed is a strengthening and imparting of these skills, moreover, as a result of the increasing entanglement of the economy and science, of society as a whole, and, as a consequence, of educational policy transformation. These demands are joined by a need for action formulated by political actors. Because people with skills in constructive-critical thinking, reflection, creative and interdisciplinary collaborations are important in sustaining and developing the framework, values and heritage of enlightened, open European societies and socially inclusive cultures. This is followed by the strategic partnership ""Advancing the Value of Humanities - in Academia, Society and Industry"". From the perspective of cultural sciences and selected teaching formats with an interdisciplinary interface to architecture at three universities, this partnership examines the teaching, tangibility and qualities of the skills outlined and strengthens their relevance for education, society and the economy. The strategic partnership between the University of Liechtenstein, the University of Graz and the HafenCity University of Hamburg takes up ongoing, singular aspirations and profiles of those involved. It brings them together in a complementary way through peer-learning research, cooperation and exchange and enables synergies for innovative and sustainable output in the transnational network of the European area. These teaching formats, which have been conceived, organized and documented by the partner universities on the topics of ""space"" and ""culture"", are designed as an empirical research training facility. They relate to theoretical and methodological foundations of ethnography and cultural analysis. The setting contributes in an individual and complementary way to a concrete spatial-cultural debate, because all formats are located outside the universities, at the ""port"" of the city of Hamburg, in the ""quarter"" of the medium-sized city of Graz and in the ""border area"" of rural Liechtenstein. These teaching formats are analyzed and explored by all partners as case studies in three repetitive research sections. The results are processed successively and systematically. On the one hand they are used continuously in further research and teaching-learning activities and on the other hand on a teaching-learning platform. Thus, an active, reflective and documented teaching-learning process is maintained at eye level. Together, the partners in the project network expand their own academic foundations and work on the sustainable strengthening of the ""humanities"" in the European area. The final synthesis of all parts of the research, together with the work materials, process reflections and results of the case study, is uploaded to the teaching-learning platform and linked to the respective websites of the partners. This curated public, low-threshold access to the platform thus enables discussion, use and further development on the basis of the tangible results. The dissemination via newsletter and especially the discussion at the results conference with various stakeholders, also from outside the university, provide important impulses for the ongoing and future debate in Europe on the value of the ""humanities"" in academia, society and industry."

The aim of DOKONARA - doctoral colloquium in sustainable spatial planning - is to provide scientific debates and an interdisciplinary dialogue on ongoing dissertations, including their research questions, theoretical backgrounds and empirical designs. Submissions from PhD candidates working in sustainability dimensions of Regional Development and Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, Landscape Planning, Regional Science, Geography, Sociology, Social and Cultural Anthropology and related field.In addition DOKONARA offers an integrated definition of sustainability studies and planning studies, which a) supports PhD candidates with their dissertations in the field sustainable spatial planning b) helps PhD candidates understand what it means to work in the field of sustainable spatial planning in terms of cognitive abilities, values, and traits and skills that exposure to sustainability studies fosters c) introduces candidates to important controversies and recent advances in the field d) facilitates candidates ability to think critically about real-world problems and intellectual questions that span a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields e) introduces an environment that enables Candidates to assess the quality of work in the field of sustainable planning work by others as well their own f) integrates discussions concerning intellectual autobiographies, PhD candidates portfolios and service learning g) presents material that is consistent with a constructivist and pragmatic approach to researching and h) prepares PhD candidates for future challenges

<< Objectives >>With VIRION we want to create an innovative methodology for the application of VR technology on school education focused on pupils between 14-18 years. This methodology will help schools, educational administrations, and content and technology companies focused on VR to better choose the solutions for their needs in this field. To do this, we will develop a portal (dashboard with AI possibilities) and create original VR content from the schools needs on STEM/STEAM matters.<< Implementation >>1) Mapping of application VR to education in schools and a proposal for the future based on this methodology; 2) According to results of 1), creation of a portal (dash-board with AI capacity); 3) We’ll ask three secondary schools in each participating country about their STEM/STEAM needs; 4) According to results of 3), production of original VR content; 5) Piloting of the methodology in the partner schools that will be extracted from 1) and the content created in 4); 6) Update.<< Results >>The main results of the project are: 1) A methodology (VIRION) for applying VR to school education; 2) Production of original VR content focused on STEM/STEAM matters; and 3) An AI portal dashboard to guide education political leaders, schools managers, and VR companies (hardwarer and software) in their decisions about VR in education.We hope that, in total, at least 800 people will participate in the activities, plus 12,000 direct and indirect impacts from the partners webs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the regular delivery of education and training. At such a critical time for our societies, access to education is proving, more than ever, to be essential and the digital transformation of the educational systems is more than needed. The sudden shift to online and distance learning has revealed the lack/insufficiency of digital readiness and has caused serious difficulties for higher education institutions to provide high quality online education. The integration of digital technology with teaching and learning practices will contribute to the modernization of the educational systems and to the digitization of course contents and by that will give students the possibility to easily share and adopt learning contents anytime and anywhere.The BIMaHEAD project gathers 5 partners from 5 different EU Member States (France, Germany, Sweden, Poland and the Republic of North Macedonia) having complementary profiles allowing them to have the ideal competence-based mix to design and implement a truly impactful collaborative project. Jointly, they have identified three urgent needs in the European Union and its higher education sector: - Lack/Insufficiency of digital readiness of HEIs ; - Low levels of digital literacy among HE students and lecturers; - The need of improving key sectorial digital competences of students in construction related degrees.The main objective of the BIMaHEAD project is to support building digital readiness in higher education institutions and to support students in construction related degrees to adjust to the new online education environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic through integrating digital technology with teaching and learning practices. In addition, the project highlights the importance of digital literacy and subject-specific digital skills for the future professionals in the construction industry (architects, designers, engineers, builders, constructors etc.) and the focus is set on a specific software product, Building Information Modelling (BIM), as it becomes an integral part of the needed qualification of the future workers in the construction sector.Specifically, the project will aim to: benchmark good practices and pedagogical scenarios (WP1 - IO1) ; design of an innovative methodological framework (WP2 – IO2) ; development of a customised content of BIM e-learning material (WP3 – IO3) ; produce an assessment report & guidelines for replicability (WP4 – IO4). As a result the following will be achieved: 4 Intellectual Outputs will be released, 5 Universities in 5 countries (France, Germany, Sweden, Poland and the Republic of North Macedonia) will be engaged in the elaboration of the tailored BIM online course and modules ; 6 Multiplier events (5 national and 1 international) would be organised engaging more than 250 stakeholders ; More than 2000 stakeholders will be made aware of the project and its results.The final result from the BIMaHEAD project is the development of a tailored online BIM course for HE students in construction related degrees and potentially being replicated in other educational contexts. The long-term impact will be to i) support the EU higher education system transition to delivering high-quality online education and ii) empower students to foster their own employability through increased sectorial digital competences and skills. BIMaHEAD will contribute to building a new generation of highly skilled professionals in terms of digital literacy which will positively impact the local, regional, national and European economic development.

The THEMATIC APPROACH of the project focuses on the COMPLEXITY of current urban conditions, actual chances and challenges in the built environment; the traditional division of disciplines is no longer adequate. For example, too often engineering focuses only on the technical-economic aspects and architecture only on the aesthetical artistic ones, thus the holistic approach is neglected. Also many major projects struggle, like the new railway station for Stuttgart 21 or the Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg. Among others, part of the problem is that mistakes are quite often detected too late and responsibilities are hard to define and assign. Thus, this COMPLEXITY requires cooperation and understanding between the disciplines. The basis for these needs to be provided already in education, and the introduction of a new TEACHING MODULE in the higher education of built environment becomes essential. Also individual disciplines do not have the necessary capacity to develop the comprehensive understanding alone. Therefore, interdisciplinary approaches are needed in order to frame and address the complexity of the praxis of contemporary built environment, in general, and the intersection between architecture and engineering, in particular. Consequently the overall goal of the project BeInterBaltic is to enhance the quality and relevance of higher education in the Baltic Sea Region by improving and adapting the current curricula of built environment disciplines of the participating universities. The project also aims (1) to develop and test NEW TEACHING METHODS and formats, (2) to equip the students with the INTERDISCIPLINARY and INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCES and skills, (3) to strengthen an interactive DIALOGUE between the universities and non-academic sector and (4) to promote and increase the COOPERATION between the universities in the Baltic Sea Region.The project consortium consists of 7 higher education institutions from six countries: (1)HafenCity University Hamburg, DE (Applicant), (2) Gdańsk University of Technology, PL, (3) Tallinn University of Technology, EE, (4) The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, DK, (5) Technical University of Denmark, DK, (6) Chalmers University of Technology, SE and (7) Aalto University, FI.The project BeInterBaltic is structured in four interlinked and parallel progressing work packages (WPs). Within the WP1 successful project implementation and dissemination of the project outcomes is ensured. The AIM of the WP2 is to bring the teachers of disciplines of built environment together in order to evaluate existing and develop new methods as well as formats of interdisciplinary teaching. These methods and formats include (1) physical and digital modelling, (2) drawing and film and (3) rhetorics and poetics, all of them focusing on chances and challenges of the built environment. Within this WP a WORKSHOP for teachers was conducted and METHODOLOGICAL GUIDELINES for teachers were developed.WP3 includes a paradigm shift from the methods of teaching towards the students and their motivation of understanding. To intensify these motivation different aspects of designing in the context of the built environment and at the intersection of the disciplines are applied: (1) analyzing through patterns, (2) gaining insides through “hands-on” and (3) performing through social interaction. These aspects depend on one another and develop the examination of the relationship between the designer and the design. Each of these steps is equally addressed in each of the three SUMMER SCHOOLS, which were the core activity in this WP. Within this WP the teaching material for a NEW TEACHING MODULE was jointly developed. The AIM of WP 4 is to point out the relevance of this interdisciplinary project for society. To meet the requirements of society students need to have (1) a critical and curious mind-set, (2) a naughty and ambitious attitude and (3) an inclusive and competent responsibility. The OUTPUT of the WP4 is the creation of a DIGITAL PLATFORM for the interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange between the students, teaching staff, industry as well as other stakeholders from non-university society. For that purpose a THEMATIC CLUSTER “Intersections of Built Environment in Baltic Sea Region” was developed. The cluster serves to all project target groups and strengthens the active cooperation between universities and countries. Furthermore the cluster supports mobility, joint teaching and research activities, as well as, provides new research topics. A MULTIPLIER EVENT in Tallinn was organized in order to disseminate the project outputs and to promote stronger dialogue between the academic and non-academic society.