CIRCULAR FOAM aims at the demonstration of a territorial cross-sectorial systemic solution for the circularity of high performance plastics from diverse applications on the example of rigid polyurethane foams used as insulation in refrigerators and in construction. The waste streams will be upcycled chemically, which means that they will be valorised to become new virgin-equivalent feedstock for the chemical industry to produce new high performance plastics. In this way, it will become possible to replace limited fossil-based resources by the renewable waste-based ones, thus not only reducing waste, but also becoming more sustainable and making a step forward to climate neutrality. The project and the demonstration are targeting a concrete implementation of the solution in question in the selected regions after the project and developing a blueprint for both the geographical transferability to other regions and for the technological extension of the circularity principle to a number of further waste materials from further applications. We consider here two carefully selected regions: NRW/Germany, Silesia/PL and Greater Amstedam Region. The consortium is composed of all actors required to close the circular value chain (process industries, manufacturing, waste management, technology providers, incl. also research partners, logistics, social scientists and economist working with with public sector and citizens. After practical implementation and replication in EU of the systemic solution, following reductions will have been attained by 2040: 586.000 tons per year less waste, 18,6 mln. tons less CO2 emission; 118 mln EUR less cost for incineration for the PU producers. The system will signifficantly contribute to resilience in regions.

In nowadays world the human capital became the most important factor of the level of development of countries, regions and companies which reasons the efforts put in the raising the quality of human capital by the education. In EU strategy Europa 2020 education is one of the five aims of European strategy.According to the experience of teachers and research results the problem with education is not just the question of the content of learning but also the question of the most effective learning/ teaching methods. During the GAMES project we worked on the development and introduction of virtual games in higher education as innovative education method. The use the games is education (also called as edutainment) combines education and fun, involves students in education and allows to experiment with different aspects of eduction. One of the area where games are used is business education. A business game is a simulation or model of either the whole or a part of a business organization. Simulations and games are experimental training activities which incorporate and utilize the different mental abilities of the students. The students as players put themselves in the position of business managers in various aspects of company management. During the game, their task is to make decisions within their area of competence, and the quality of those decisions has an impact on the virtual company's performance. Business games force the participants to take a sequence of managerial decisions and later the players receive feedback regarding the consequences of those decisions. Business games are considered as a trial-and-error method which permits a deeper insight into business management problems. Simulations increase the level of organizational reality during training and provide the trainees with an opportunity for unstructured learning. Moreover, the simulation games let to introduce the constructivism approach towards education, as it requares the learner center and active learning attitudes. Teachers become the facilitator of education process while the most important are students who use their prio-knowledge, thanks to getting new experience and reflective experinants they develop their skills and competences. All of these advantages of virtual games as teaching methods reasoned the application for the project.In the GAMES project we reached the following objectives:- we trained teachers from partner organizations to teach with virtual games and to prepare own game scenarios (2 workshops for teachers, 13 teachers trained),- we developed the software (engine) of game produced in previous project by implementing new business logic to the software; in our previous project the logic of production companies was introduced, now the service provider as the framework of the game is introduced,- we developed own new scenarios of virtual games (4 scenarios), possible to use in business, social and social care education- we tested the scenarios with students at partner organizations (158 students) and conducted a survey among them about their perception on the virtual games as teaching tool (118 responders)- we organized the conference and seminars to disseminate the GAMES project results and to make edutainment better known to the audience (together 109 national and 98 international participants)- we published a textbook on using virtual games in higher education (150 pages, 300 hard copies, 22 authors).There were 4 partners in the GAMES project from different part of European Union (Finland, Estonia, Poland, Spain). This geographical and economic diversification of partners assured the better effects of the GAMES project in the field of contribution and dissemination. Partner organizations represent different teaching areas (management, social care, labour market, statistics).We used the following method in the GAMES project:1. Workshop for teachers to introduce the virtual games as education tool, teachers were put at the position of students and played a virtual game by themselves, we conducted the lectures and open discussion how to teach with virtual games nad we discussed how to prepare the own scenarios.2. After the first workshop, there was own work of teachers (home based) on the preparation of data for scenarios (all partners), on improvement of the engine and setting up the parameters of scenarios into the software (partner from Poznan University of Economics). 3. Having this done, the second workshop for teachers was organized. On one hand, teachers played their own scenarios to understand it better and to get the experience with. On the other hand, practical discussion and lectures on preparing and conducting education process with games were part of the workshop.4. Finally, to assess the quality of own virtual game scenarios, we tested them with students and gothered their opinions.We also prepared and published 2 additional papers on games in education as the results of the project.

The main aim of the Mercuri project is to design a highly integrated transnational master program - focused on Consumer Relationship Marketing - jointly delivered by an international consortium of HEIs from different European countries. There are three different universities in the Mercuri consortium: Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Universidad Cardenal Herrera (Spain), and the University of Economics in Katowice (Poland). Each member of the consortium makes its own unique contribution to the project. UE Kato is an experienced leader of Erasmus + projects, AUAS has some experience in the area of double degree programmes as well as short intensive programmes and the design of international master’s programmes and quality assurance and CEU being experienced in the implementation of promotional and dissemination activities.Mercuri project gains from the so-far experience of partners. Mercuri Pilot programme was established in September 2020. During pilot, several obstacles were identified and the partners rely on the EMDM programme for overcoming those barriers.Before designing the concept of the Mercuri project preliminary analysis was conducted by partners indicated a gap in the European education market. The partners plan to implement the activities in order to design an integrated joint study program, support services as well as the study management policy and funding rules together with partners and student agreements (9 outputs are planed). The program will comply with the rules set out for the EHEA. The activities will also be related to the design of the quality assurance system and meeting the accreditation requirements. The activities will be based on close cooperation and monthly meetings and the use of Slack.The planned number of students in the first year of the study program is 25.The final result of the project is to offer a two-year joint study programme leading to an Erasmus Mundus joint degree.

The combined agricultural and food sector accounts today for 30 million jobs (13.4% of total employment) and for 3.5% of total Gross Value Added in the EU-28 (Eurostat 2014). In 2012, the European Economic and Social Committee of European Union contemplated that regional food value chains and cross-sectoral fertilisation of productive processes have a strong impact on local development. Several initiatives and projects carried out at local and regional level, confirm the huge potential of food to contribute to job creation, social well-being, and cultural and health commodity. Food tourism strategies are significant instruments of regional development, particularly because of the potential leverage between products from the two sectors (Hall and al. 2005), and consequently significant sectors for new enterprises creation and increased job offers. Food is also part of the immaterial cultural heritage, as stated by the WTO (2012), as embedded in local identities of destinations. In spite of high potential and running policies to enhance food tourism, implementation face major problems, such as difficult dialogue among heterogeneous stakeholders, which often have very different set of values and interests; lack of training and business planning, due to limited time, finances, personnel, skills, and experience of food producers and local touristic players (Verbole 2003; Saxena et al. 2007); high skills mismatch between graduates in related subjects and the sector needs.In the frame of a socioecological approach, that is particularly relevant in sectors where the environment and the strength of communities play a key role for local development, higher education institutions could initiate and favour processes of community learning, in particular by focusing on the role of students. Higher education students could be key players of innovation, and key mediators between research, business, and local development: they represent the educated workforce of the future, and to be employable and active contributors of economy, they should acquire skills that are relevant to the labour market. However, in addition to what the universities are used to do (courses on soft skills, career development support and career guidance, entrepreneurship courses etc.), they need to know, understand and be aware of contexts and communities in which they live. Professional network building is also very important, and should be pursued since the study years. On the basis of these considerations, the project implemented a series of learning and networking activities putting the student in the centre of the action. By using participatory approaches, the project has organised workshops, seminars, learning events in order to support co-creation processes of local development in which the students had an active role.At the end of the project in October 2019, informal networks acting as learning communities have been established in the areas of the universities of the consortium. Working to that aim, the project has produced and validated tools and materials, that can support other universities, companies, policy makers and other stakeholders in the field of food and gastronomy, to increase their regional dimension to support both local development and students employability. All project outputs are freely accessible from the project website and the learning platform of the FOODBIZ project, and published with open licenses.

<< Objectives >>Our project proposal aims to create a Skills Portfolio of Personal Development (SKIPPER) for students that contains their achievements during the university years in a way that both curricular and extra-curricular development are recognised. In order to make the Portfolio part of the everyday practice of HEIs, we will assess the skill mismatches and we will promote the skills development to make sure that students and universities understand the necessity of the improvement of skills.<< Implementation >>In addition to the management and dissemination activities, we carry out the following: Desk research; Needs analysis; Student focus group interviews; Creation of a Stakeholder Pool; Development of Skills Matrix; Development of a Learning map; Development of the SKIPPER Portfolio; Development of Portfolio and Passport in digital format; Development of a Digital guide; Organising Staff trainings, Try-outs; Quality Assurance evaluations reviews; and Organising National Conferences.<< Results >>Main expected results and outcomes of the project are the following: Research report (WP3), Stakeholder Pool, Skills Matrix, Learning Map; Conceptual and Digital form of SKIPPER Portfolio with possible learning paths, Assessment Portfolio template and Passport; Digital guide for educators and company leaders; 3 Staff training events; at least 75 SKIPPER Passports handed out at the end of the academic year; 3 National Conferences; Quality Assurance and evaluation reports of all WPs.