"The project ""Digital Heritage - New Opportunities for the groWth of the cultural sector"" is a collaboration between different organizations in order to integrate new technologies for the interpretation of cultural heritage in real and virtual environments as a tool for non-formal education, with emphasis on dissemination of knowledge about culture and opening new opportunities for the development of the cultural sector.The COVID-19 crisis has hit cultural and creative industries particularly hard, with ICT proving to be the only way to communicate with the public and the only way to do business. On the other hand, these same technologies are gaining ground as a good perspective for developments beyond the current situation. The crisis was the reason for the rapid restructuring of the otherwise traditional sectors, which have so far been too slow to integrate new technologies into their field of work. The situation in the education system was similar. Many institutions were unprepared for the transition to distance learning, and the available digital tools were empty in terms of content related to the learning process.In this regard, the current project proposal is a response to the crisis, but also an example of innovation in the cultural and creative sectors, which provides a new horizon for the development of industries and cultural education, as well as an opportunity for the active involvement of young people in the process. heritage preservation and dissemination of cultural knowledge.The transnational cooperation will improve intercultural dialogue, reinforcing the idea that the things that connect us are more than the things that divide us. In history, in the present and in the future, we can and must seek 'unity in diversity', and it is the young people on whom the practical application of good wishes depends.In order to promote intercultural dialogue and support youth activism and engagement with heritage issues, the project envisages short-term mobility in the countries of the partner organizations. The young people will take part in training and practical training. This will create new opportunities for cooperation and will open new perspectives for the professional realization of young people in the cultural and creative industries. The project ""Digital Heritage - NOW"" will create three intellectual products related to the common theme - ""Presentation of cultural heritage in ruins through innovative technologies."" The project will end with multiplier events carried out in each of the countries of the partner organizations. The events will present to the general public the created innovative products and the ideas of the young people.The overall goal of the project:Creating an innovative product as a tool for formal and non-formal education and dissemination of knowledge in the field of cultural heritage and away for a new type of communication between audiences and the cultural sector. The new digital content should be successfully integrated into the curricula in both face-to-face and distance learning. The results of the project will contribute to alleviating the impact of the crisis caused by COVID-19, as well as to achieving digital readiness of institutions for the challenges of modernity, meeting the expectations and needs of the target groups.Specific objectives:- Providing experience and innovative solutions for the education and cultural and creative sectors in connection with overcoming the crisis caused by COVID -19;- Providing experience and innovative solutions for the cultural and creative sectors for active involvement in the digital environment and thus engaging the attention of new audiences, incl. and young people;- Providing opportunities for cooperation between different organizations, exchange of good practices and innovative solutions for working with young people in real and digital environments;- Creating space and opportunity for young people with different interests and competencies to work together;- Raising awareness of the need for training and education in the field of digital technologies of employees in the cultural and creative industries, as well as in educational institutions;- Increasing the level of interest of young people in culture, heritage and common European values;- Increasing the digital competencies of young people;- Promoting the social inclusion of young people in intercultural dialogue;- Mediate between the youth and the labour market;- Encourages cooperation between education providers, cultural and heritage institutions and organizations, cultural figures, workers and volunteers;- Creates an opportunity for subsequent application of the intellectual product in various fields of education, management and presentation of heritage and tourism;- Creates opportunities for future partnerships in the field of digitization of cultural heritage and cooperation between young people, institutions and public authorities."

Small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, are the dominant form of business organisations in the EU. The new economy brings with it many challenges for SMEs. In order to survive SMEs, need to be innovative. However, innovation alone does not ensure success and the ability to turn ideas into value for a company and their customers is key. This requires an entrepreneurial mind-set which turns ideas into action (Zhao, 2005). A needs analysis with over 140 European SMEs reinforced this illustrating the need for skills that identified new opportunities for the business, new ways of doing business and using technology to deliver products/services. SME owner/managers are concerned about the survival of their organisations and find it difficult to forward plan (Garland et al, 1984). It is important for SMEs to develop an internal entrepreneurial culture (intrapreneurship) to support SME owners in growing the company into the future and become more innovative. The aim of the ReInnovate project was to address this gap by providing an inquiry based entrepreneurial education program for employees in SMEs to develop research skills allowing them to create the knowledge to develop new ideas to progress their company, implement these ideas and reflect on their success. Reinnovate focused on employees in SMEs and building an entrepreneurial mind-set through inquiry, leveraging some of the responsibility from the owner/managers.ReInnovate has developed a learning methodology and accredited curriculum to support the development of SME orientated practice based research skills in order to ensure research skills were orientated towards the needs of SMEs; developed the learning material for the ‘Smart Research as a 21st Century Skill for Business' programme and developed an ICT platform to support the delivery, mentoring and development of research skills in SMEs; has tested and evaluated the Smart Research as a 21st Century Skill for Business programme with SME learners in the EU to ensure it met with requirements. 178 SME learners registered for the programme, with a total of 68 SME learners completing all of the modules; has developed a methodology to transfer the development of research skills to a variety of sectors and VET programmes. A report ‘Integration of practical research skills into entrepreneurship education’ describes the process and the results of the programme developed and the recommendations for the transferability of the course and the platform.•An SME working group of 10 SME owner/managers provided feedback to ensure project outputs addressed the needs of SMEs in their sectors. •178 SME learners across all partner countries took part in the pilot of the Smart Research as a 21st Century Skill for Business programme. •16 SME owner/managers participated in a survey to evaluate how the Smart Research as a 21st Century Skill for Business programme met the needs of their sector.•13 VET providers participated in workshops, online discussions and surveys to inform the development of the transferability model.For SME learners that participated in the pilot programme the impact has been the development of a new set of skills allowing them to fill knowledge gaps; develop an entrepreneurial culture; and also the development, implementation and evaluation of an opportunity to make their SME organisation more competitive. The SME learners noted the impact of the workplace project which had directly benefited their organisations (29% noted that it had improved the productivity of the process, 16% noted improved quality of a product, 16% noted that it solved a long standing problem, and 10% noted reduced number of defects in product/process). Participation in the programme has increased the work opportunities and progression of the SME learners and the analysis of the learner interviews and reflective learning journals all participants noted an improvement in their knowledge and skill level through participation in the programme, including communication skills, research skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills. All participants were unanimous that the learning experience had a positive impact on their professional development. For VETs the impact of Reinnovate has been to enable them to adapt their programmes to increase their target audience to individuals in SMEs as well as entrepreneurs. It has provided the potential to integrate teaching methods that develop research skills that are relevant to the needs of SMEs and to increase the number of SME learners undertaking their programmes. The project has raised awareness and improved recognition of work based research skills in SMEs. It has provided VETs with insight into the current learning needs of SMEs and a pathway for VETs to collaborate with SMEs and improve the working relationship between education and industry.

ContextResearch states that 59% of SMEs do not undertake any formal training activities (European Commission 2003). This project found that despite attempts to make learning more flexible SMEs have a preference for informal learning, however they feel it has a number of constraints. In particular due to its unstructured nature informal learning makes it difficult to identify if the employee acquired the skills and often there are a lack of staff to develop external skills. The project explored the use of Problem Based Learning (PBL) in structuring informal training in SMEs and allowing companies to leverage off of external expertise. It produced a collaborative ICT platform and two modules (one accredited) to allow SMEs to use problem based learning in their organisations.ObjectivesThe main objectives of the project achieved were:• Identify the common methods of learning in SMEs, barriers to learning and the problems SMEs face on a daily basis• Develop an organizational PBL framework with effective support mechanisms such as mentoring • Create a curriculum and online learning material to train trainers in companies to facilitate PBL.• Create a curriculum and online learning material for staff in SMEs.• Accredit the training course and recognition of such forms of learning in one Higher Education institute in Europe• Test training in 180 SMEs.• Create a learner-mentor network supported by an IT platform.• Develop a transferability model for other companies. ParticipantsSix partners from Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania collaborated on the project, each of these partners has close links with thousands of SMEs and HEIs and have experience in research projects concerning learning in SMEs ActivitiesThe main activities of the project are concerned with:- Gaining an understanding of current learning practices in SMEs- Evaluating past and current research in the area of learning in SMEs and Problem based learning-Examination of past and current research on the use of ICT tools in supporting informal learning and PBL-Development of a handbook on how SMEs can use PBL (A tutor handbook has also been developed)-Development of an ICT platform to support PBL -Development of two courses on PBL and mentoring for PBL-Creation of a network of SME learners, mentors and HEI experts in PBLMethodology The project was concerned with producing high quality research that is focused on the practical needs of the SME and SME organizations. There was extensive research conducted into the learning needs of SMEs, problems they face and how to exploit ICT for learning purposes. SMEs collaborated with the consortium by conducting surveys, interviews, evaluating outputs and providing feedback to improve these. High quality research was achieved by providing a workpackage methodology with detailed quality objectives for collaborative workpackages. The training outputs were accredited by academic institutes and the project partners will continue to work with VET\HEIs to accredit further courses.Result-Report on Informal Learning, Problem Based Learning and the use of ICT for Learning in European SMEs-Handbook to inform SMEs of how they can use PBL, a tutor handbook has also been developed-Two online courses on PBL for business professionals and facilitating PBL-Creation of a learner network with 180 members-Development of an ICT platform to support PBLImpact-180 SMEs undertook the modules- There are 192 members of the learner network-Three journal publications, three conference papers and one book chapter have been developed to inform academic audience of how PBL can be adopted for workbased learning and a third will be developed in the coming months- Three newspaper articles have been published during the project and 4 after the project ended-Accredited programme which will aim to recruit 40 students from SMEs per year on an ongoing basis -The consortium have identified two potential projects on Problem based learning to submit in 2018.Long term benefits- Provides a platform for SMEs to share problems (In the pilot several SMEs stated that they would refer to the platform on a regular basis)- Improve the competitiveness of European SMEs (92% of those that took part in the pilot felt the programme benefited them in some way, 46% solved a long standing problem and 46% expected to see a number of benefits in the coming months)- Attracts SMEs into formal education programmes by providing a 'taster' module were they can see the immediate benefit of training- Provide a research platform for further collaboration between HEIs\VETs and SMEs (2 projects are being proposed, a knowledge alliance and strategic partnership, in addition an event was held in Ireland on 'The role education can play in supporting small business')-Allow HEIs to reach a wider audience, attract SME learners-Methodology for accrediting informal learning-Structured method for SMEs to solve problems

"Innovation is a major driving-force of economic growth, social development and job creation in the contemporary knowledge-based economic outlook. East Marmara Development Agency (EMDA) is an institution that operates in line with international, national and regional policies and strategies in order to ensure regional development. In this direction, a strategy of developing innovation management consultancy was defined both in the East Marmara Regional Plan 2014-2023 and the Regional Innovation Strategy on the Basis of Smart Specialization 2014-2018 in order to increase the competitiveness of the region. Within the framework of this strategy, EMDA carried out certain activities related to innovation management consultancy since 2016. One of these activities, which is also the basis of our project, is the InnoTEAM Competition Project. This project aims to measure, compare and improve innovation management capacities of the SMEs in the region. While carrying out this program, human resources who can analyze the innovation management capacity of the companies and draw a roadmap in this area was the most important need in the region. Based on this need, our InnoHabitS Project was designed and implemented. In this context, our project aims to raise human resources to increase innovation management capacity of the SMEs in the East Marmara Region in the light of global trends and regional dynamics.Objectives of the project are defined as increasing awareness of innovation in the region, developing a new regional innovative business model, designing an e-learning platform, online and interactive training materials, raising 15 staff from EMDA and KOSANO at the first stage and providing training to 25 SMEs, 140 candidates of innovation consultant and 70 candidates of innovation consultant trainers under EMDA-LLL at the second stage.Our project aims to raise human resources to improve innovation capacity of the SMEs in the region via lifelong learning and develop a new regional innovation business model in line with global trends, regional needs and dynamics. In this respect, the direct target groups consist of the employees of the SMEs in the region while the indirect target groups consist of the employees of OIZs, TDSz, Chambers, TTOs and other relevant stakeholders to be raised as the candidates of consultants and trainers. Initially, the target groups and local stakeholders were informed about the project activities in The Kick-Off Meeting. Then, a need analysis was made to draw a general framework of the project outputs and activities. Within the scope of a new regional innovation business model, “An Overview of Innovation Management and Innovative Business Model Workshop” was held to discuss the problems which the SMEs encountered and develop suggestions to on innovation management as part of the need analysis. Additionally, online survey and depth interviews were conducted with SMEs as part of the field study. After reviewing literature, researching international, national and regional policies, strategies were developed to constitute a new regional innovation business model with the contribution of all partners.In the light of the regional needs and global trends, training materials were designed to improve the innovation management capacity of our target groups. Through these materials, 2 stages training programs were carried out to raise human resources in the region. At the first stage, 14 staff of EMDA and KCI received trainings by the project partners as the candidates of trainers and innovation consultants to guarantee the sustainability of the derived services. 14 SMEs were analyzed in terms of innovation management capacity and prepared action plans specific to the firms by the trained staff as a part of on-the-job training. At the second stage, these trained staff provide online trainings to the target groups under EMDA-LLL due to COVID-19 restrictions. With these trainings, 44 employees of 35 SMEs from different sectors, 125 candidates of innovation consultant and 38 candidates of innovation consultant trainers from OIZs, Tekno parks, TTOs, Chambers and universities were entitled to get participation certificates. Furthermore, an e-learning platform was developed to provide free access to training materials and resources for improving knowledge on innovation management and brings all partners and the target groups together. Within the scope of project dissemination at international level, the project was evaluated as a good example for the other development agencies after presenting in the ""Developing Skills for the Future of Economy"" event organized by EURADA. After all, project results were introduced to the attention of regional and national stakeholders to develop further collaboration opportunities at the closing symposium. To sum up, the innovation management capacity of the SMEs in the region was improved and human resources were raised through the project outputs and activities."

<< Background >>NIST’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) underlines that it should be done a crucial step toward remedying shortage of “people with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the tasks required for cybersecurity work.” Such a workforce will include “technical and nontechnical roles that are staffed with knowledgeable and experienced people.” But it is difficult to produce a workforce with these interdisciplinary skills and to solve the problem of communication among educators, researchers and people who use information technologies. Collaboration and communication between these groups are necessary. One problem is that companies, particularly SMEs with less ressources need help to appreciate the competences and skills gaps of their employees, methods to evaluate the existing situation as well as using training possibilities to reskill their employees.<< Objectives >>The project will like to implement some solutions in this context. It has as objective first the development a Framework, which provides a mechanism for VET and companies to describe the digital gaps and other ones necessary in cyber security for professionals and not professionals in order to avoid cyber-attacks and help them to improve this situation. Taking into consideration of advantages of interdisciplinary training and mentoring programs particularly in the field of cyber security the project will develop, and test digital interdisciplinary training programs supported by e-mentoring for SMEs and adapt it for VET.<< Implementation >>There will be 3 transnational meetings in our project. It was planned in the 3rd, 13th and 20th month of the project. Some additional project meetings will be held as we think that 3 meetings will not be enough to run a 24-month project. These meetings are online and held regularly every month. The project senior management team will organize these projects. The projects will be led by the project coordinator, the WP leader.There will be 7 multiplier events in our project. Each partner institution will organize these activities to popularize the project idea in its own country and to share the developed products.Each partner institution will run the Interdisciplinary Training for SME employees and teachers in Cyber Security activity in its own country. Each institution will provide these trainings to 10 SME staff-teachers as it is directly related to the purpose of our project.<< Results >>So the outcomes of the project will be first a Framework which provides a mechanism for companies and VET to describe the digital gaps in cyber security for professionals and not professionals, to summarize the existing training (courses), to identify opportunities for improvements of these by using interdisciplinarity andmentoring and by developing a learning and mentoring methodology. Secondly a digital Interdisciplinary cyber security training for SMEs supported by mentoring andan adapted model for a VET special course will be developed and tested. A digital platform to support this training will be developed and connected with existingsources of information. Reports, how interdisciplinary skills provide advantages for SME and VAT will be developed as results of interviews. An European transferabilitymodel for the tested of interdisciplinary training and mentoring in cyber security will be also developed.Dissemination tools listed below will be developed as some outcomes need to be developed in order to disseminate our project.Project LogoProject Web pageProject Leaflets-BrochureProject posters-roll ups (at multiplier events)Social media accountsNewslettersPromotion materials (pencil, notebook, etc)