"<< Background >>Europe has been fighting the global COVID19 pandemic, which has dramatic effects on people’s lives and society in its entirety.Beside the enormous economic consequences, due to repeated lockdowns in protection of the health of the population and the heath services, the educational sector suffered in particular. VET centres and schools were repeatedly closed to the day and educational processes disrupted. As a first response, remote schooling was introduced and became fundamental to ensure the continuity of learning in situations where in-person classes are suspended. Online educational platforms enable students to learn at their own pace and give them more flexibility during the day, but students with special educational needs (SEN), e.g. in need of customised methodologies and technical foresights, were partly excluded due to the lack of accessibility. A significant number of learners and teachers were not substantially prepared for successful, accessible and well-balanced remote schooling. This lack of digital competences is an international one. Consequentially the digital gap was visible during the lockdown and the closing of the educational institutions for up to 24 months all over Europe.This resulted in a manifold of issues on different levels, which need to be addressed urgently. On:1-Administrative level of each individual VET centre and school to facilitate the process of getting digitally ready,2-Methodological level, where teaching staff were/are not prepared to tackle digital education, due to the lack of digital skills,3-Learner’s level, not being able to cope with digital education, due to the fact that they are not used to digital educational methodologies and instruments, although they are experts in using technologies in other fields, e.g. gaming, social networking, phoning etc.4-Social level: families were not always able to address their children’s educational needs, e.g. access to computers, tablets or suitable internet connections are not always available.In addition to that, learners with special needs or other disabilities were forced to stay at home without the specialised support that they would otherwise have access to at the school or other structured facilities, with significant consequences on various levels: risk of isolation; interruption of educational pathways; loss of daily habits, especially relating to social spaces; stress and worsening of problem and frailty behaviours; family's difficulty in reconciling work and care needs.<< Objectives >>The above mentioned needs, which arose during the ongoing COVID19 pandemic in educational settings with a special focus on the SEN and accessibility will be addressed in this project.The project is going to provide short-, medium- and long-term solutions, innovative approaches and instruments for VET educators and decision makers with a clear focus on the educational environment and accessibility especially for learners with special needs for a good, well-balanced, inclusive digital education, by:1-producing a DIG-i-READY Good Practice Catalogue, with a special focus on implemented solutions during the COVID19 crisis2-developing a DIG-i-READY Handbook providing carefully designed Digital Competence indicators and guidelines for “going digital”, a collection of accessible and inclusive digital tools, recommendations for a systemic change for a “new and inclusive normal” and producing a localised version of the DIG-i-READY handbook in the 6 partnering countries (CY; I, A, D, LV, BG)The outcomes can be immediately used to face the COVID19 emergency but also will be a useful resource when other ""emergencial situation"" (earthquakes, floods, other epidemicalcrisis, etc) emerge.<< Implementation >>All activities are divided into different phases, subsequent and interlinked with one another. Work within the different activities will be distributed among partners according to their field of expertise. Phase 1: DevelopementAll activities will be focussed on the development of the proposed Project Results. On one hand on the DIG-i-READY - Good Pactice Catalogue, summing up the results of the Mapping of Existing and Good Practices, providing scientifically evaluated existing practices, methodologies and tools in the field of digital education in Europe that specifically address PwD and are focussed on experiences made during the COVID-19 situation and additionally providing a framework of good practices characteristics. On the other hand, based on framework, DIG-i-READY Handbook can be developed, consisting of 6 chapters focussing on short, medium-term solution, like competence framework, indicators for a good, sustainable, accessible, well-balances, inclusive digital education, guidelines for “going digital”, a tools collection and long-term recommendations towards a systemic change.Phase 2: Peer Review and TrainingPartners, participate in the different development activities are asked to provide feedback at the different stages of the product development, using their experiences and their network of local, regional, national and international partners and including their advisory board members and members of the targeted groups. The provided feedback will be used to optimise the final products. After the first round of MEs, a LTTA will be organised to ensure the correct transfer of the main findings and results included into PR2s Handbook to local VET Educators/Decision makers being key player in the production process of the six local/national versions of the Handbook (Chapter 6) after the LTTA. Participants will be informed, trained and prepared, so they can train others in using the Handbook. By exploiting the approved transfer process, more national versions are easily producible after the life-time of the project and can be added at a later stage.Phase 3: Dissemination and ExploitationAll project phases and activities will closely be linked to disseminate the findings and results to a wider public. All members of the consortium, the AB and AP will be ambassadors of the project`s key messages.Beside that, a variety of different activities and measures will be implemented focussed on dissemination and exploitation of the project results, laid down in the Dissemination Plan & Exploitation Strategy. All activities in phase 3 are designed to provide information to all relevant target groups (including the media and the public), in a strategic and effective manner. 4 TPMs including members of the targeted groups and local experts and others. Another key element of the activities are the three rounds of MEs through the project’s life time: Local Round 1: raising awareness for the Good Practice Catalogue (PR1) and the Handbook Chapter 1-5 (PR2) and to consult with stakeholders about how best to introduce all Products locally. Local Round 2: raising awareness for the DIG-i-READY entire set of products with special focus on Chapter 6 of the Handbook containing the adapted localised version of the findings for instant use and will raise awareness for the need of a systemic change towards a “new inclusive normal”.European Round as part of TPM4: will additionally focus on Chapter 5 of the Handbook containing the recommendations for a systemic change toward a “new and inclusive normal”.All three phases are accompanied by a series of ongoing transversal activities, throughout the entire project, such as project coordination, quality and risk management and a coordination and supervision of all dissemination and exploitation activities in order to ensure a timely implementation of all project measures.<< Results >>The project is going to develop short-, medium- and long-term solutions to support the by the COVID19 pandemic accelerated process of digitalisation of educational processes.The following results will be produced during the project lifetime be available aftr tis completion:- PR1: DIG-i-READY Good Practice catalogue of promising practices on inclusive Digital ReadinessSumming up the findings and conclusions of a call for Good Practices covering the EU27 about already existing tools and methodologies under the umbrella of digital inclusive education practices with special focus on analysing and mapping solutions implemented recently in the COVID 19 crisis will be collected in order to extract the key success factors for inclusive digital readiness.- PR2: DIG-i-READY HandbookIt will consist of 6 DIG-i-READY Chapters and will take the findings of PR1 to the next level and provide short-, medium-term solutions and long-term recommendations.Chapter 1 – Digital Competence Framework (short-term)Building upon the Digi Comp Framework, necessary Digital Competences for Students and Educators (Leaders, Teaching Staff, Parents) will be mapped and compiled. Special attention will be drawn to Assistive Technology (AT)/accessibility features and requirements.Chapter 2 – Indicators (short-term)Using scientific methodology, grass-root experience from partners and based on a digital skills and a needs analysis, the findings in PR1 and Chapter 1, a set of indicators for a good, sustainable, accessible, well-balances, inclusive digital education in a school/home environment including ethical aspects of digital learning, will be developed.Chapter 3 – Guidelines (short-term)Using the indicators of Chapter 2, practical guidelines for “going digital” for the VET community (school leaders, teachers, students and parents) will be developed, respecting the digital infrastructure in a VET centre/school and home environment, social and digital skills of students with/without special needs and teachers. The guidelines will facilitate the management of the “emergency process” of transitioning into and out of a digital learning environment.Chapter 4 – Tools collection (medium-term)Common digital tools and methodology collected in PR1, taken from the daily practice of all project partners, will be evaluated by using the indicators of Chapter 1, showing their pros and cons, feasibility, accessibility and potential for adaptation, improvement and upgrade.Chapter 5 – Recommendations for a systemic change (long-term)Taking the Lessons Learned Section of PR1’s Good Practice Catalogue and the results of Chapter 1-4 of the handbook, recommendations will be provided for decision makers on local, regional, national and international level, school leaders/teacher for the initiation of a development process towards a “new inclusive normal” in order to facilitate the Digital Readiness of VET centres/schools.Chapter 6 – Local (medium-term)partners together with their local experts and APs will develop a ready to use local version of the Chapters 1-4, to enhance the impact and improve the usability of the handbook on local and regional level.The project results will be developed for the initial use in VET centres/schools and meet the criteria of accessibility and easy-to-use. An added value of the products will be their transferability to educational institutions of HE and regular school education.Beside the those PRs, all partners and their AP will ensure the promotion and further development through a number of dissemination and exploitation measures, like maintaining the multilingual project website, continuous use and further development of the PRs and promoting further awareness raising via EASPD's & AAATE’s and other partner’s VET networks, conferences & websites and by bringing together experts and partners around a the theme of ""Readiness for Digital Education"" to produce better digital educational results in difficult and less difficult times."

“Right to Connect: digital inclusion for persons with intellectual disabilities” is an innovative co-designed e-learning project involving persons with intellectual disabilities (PwID). The project builds on the experience of the ENTELIS and ENTELIS+ projects. It involves 10 partners in 7 countries forming a multidisciplinary consortium of service providers, universities, a company and European umbrella organisations.The project aims at fostering the digital skills development of PwID to enhance their participation in society and to express active citizenship.The project will: - contribute to the development of digital skills of PwID by applying peer-to-peer education model- produce teaching resources and tools for digital skills development with a special focus on ones supporting online participation - provide universal framework for the building of the competence of those supporting PwID in developing their digital skills- develop an accessible e-learning platform for PwID (co-designed by them) and guidelines for its use. - rise awareness on digital inclusion of PwID.Main activities are: “research and innovation” WP which will provide the methodological base to define needs of digital skills of PwID and tools for future development, the “co-creation labs” and “co-designed e-learning platform” will be focused on the participatory process of engaging PwID in the development and co-design of training materials and the e-learning platform. The project will involve min: 50 PwID in WP1, 16 PwID and 8 educators in the co-design process, 50 PwID and 20 educators in the training sessions. 100 users with ID will be involved in creation of training materials and unlimited users will be able to use the materials and the e-learning platform. More than 10.000 persons will be involved in the dissemination activities at national and international level (PwID, organizations of PwD, service providers, education & training providers, policy makers).

Eighty million European citizens face long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment. The goal of TRIPS is to design, describe and demonstrate practical steps to empower people with disabilities to play a central role in the design of inclusive digital mobility solutions. The consortium brings together pan-European networks of users (ENIL), transport organisations (UITP), assistive technology experts (AAATE) and municipalities to engage in open innovation on mobility. Supported by design methodology experts (TUE), systems integration experts (TB) and privacy experts (TRI) TRIPS will deliver and deploy a Co-design-for-All methodology (WP5) in 7 pilot cities - Lisbon, Zagreb, Bologna, Cagliari, Brussels, Sofia, Stockholm (WP6). TRIPS will conduct research on needs and attitudes towards future mobility solutions (WP2); review the state-of-the-art on accessibility, mobility and related digital and assistive technologies and policies (WP3) and devise an index to measure mobility. We will bring together users and transport experts to discuss institutional barriers to adoption, agree innovation priorities and policy changes (WP4) and co-develop an innovation roadmap and research priorities (WP7). The consortium utilises its international reach to validate outcomes with a wider range of vulnerable-to-exclusion users to ensure that outcomes are relevant to the wider population and transport ecosystem. To achieve this, we reach out to senior citizens and migrant organisations, transport operators, municipalities, assistive technology providers as well as academics and students in design, transport management, and public administration. In doing so, we will address the expected impacts of the call to help (a) regional authorities and businesses in designing digital transport solutions that cater for individual needs and (b) support policy-makers in designing appropriate regulatory frameworks and social and educational strategies.

SEURO targets Europe’s 50 million multimorbid patients to proactively self-manage and offset the EU’s annual €700 billion cost of chronic disease management. SEURO aims to evaluate key factors to prepare organisations, localities and regions across the EU to scale, sustain and transfer the people-centred, digital integrated care platform ProACT (developed and successfully tested at proof of concept level under Horizon 2020, PHC-25-2015, Grant No. 689996). Research will aim to advance 3 novel implementation support tools. These consist of a transferability self-assessment tool (ProTransfer) to assess preparedness for solution transfer; a behavioural change framework (ProBCF) to optimise a solution to people’s needs; and an artificial intelligence (AI) prediction model (ProInsight) to assess the impact of a solution on health system performance. Effective Implementation Hybrid Trials (720 older adults in total, with associated care/support actors) will be carried out with ProACT within health services (Ireland, Belgium Sweden to measure platform effectiveness), with embedded process evaluations to understand the process for successful ‘real world’ implementation. Participants will have at least two of the following: cardiovascular disease (excluding Stroke), a respiratory condition and diabetes. Commercial potential will be validated during the project supported by an exploratory trial (Italy) to evaluate the impact of SEURO in facilitating a procurement process for healthcare service providers aiming to implement ProACT. SEURO engages a multidisciplinary EU consortium of 4 public and 8 private organisations (including one of the world's leading ICT companies, the largest home care provider and 2 EU service provider and technology networks). Partners have a successful collaborative track record. Together we are in a strong position to consolidate EU research assets into a new comprehensive approach for the scale-up and transfer of digital integrated care solutions.

ProACT targets Europe’s 50 million multimorbid patients to proactively self-manage and offset the EU’s annual €700billion cost of chronic disease management. ProACT aims at providing and evaluating an open application programming interface to integrate a variety of new and existing technologies to advance ‘home based’ integrated care (IC). Cloud based data analytics will determine correlations between technology use and the influence of support actors to impact on the health and quality of life of patients. Research will examine 4 models of care/support, central to implementing effective, continued and coordinated patient-centric care/self-management. Development of a novel data aggregation and cloud platform system will enable data analysis for improvement of IC, effective measurement of results and comparison of efficiency and costs, so that the relationship between patients and their personalized care network is optimized. Proof of concept trials (120 patients in total, with associated care/support actors) will be carried out within Health Services (Ireland and Belgium) with associated living lab facilities to ensure patient co-design technology approaches. Clinical status information, therapies and activity tools will be deployed for the conditions of: chronic heart failure (CHF), diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tools to support mild cognitive impairment and detect early onset dementia are included. Commercial potential will be validated during the project supported by a European feasibility study to assess the cultural and political determinants for adoption and scalability of the ecosystem. ProACT engages a multidisciplinary EU consortium of 3 public and 9 private organizations (including 2 of the world's leading ICT companies, the largest home care provider and 2 EU service provider and technology networks) to develop and validate the ecosystem. Individually partners could develop the components. Together we can develop the system.