In recent decades, social economy has been making a significant contribution to employment creation, sustainable growth and a more egalitarian income and wealth distribution. HEIs have a role to play in providing educational content aimed at strengthening social entrepreneurial capacity in their countries. SILICE created a systemic approach that incorporates social entrepreneurship modules within study programs at IL and IN. The HEIs have a positive impact on the above-mentioned issues through innovative methods of teaching and problem-based learning. SILICE also tackles cross-cutting issues like gender balance and equal opportunities for women and promotes connectivity between HIEs and their surrounding regions to develop entrepreneurship and employment. The means was the establishment of SINNOLABs – educational innovation centers for the development of business and creative thinking and search for solutions for social and environmental problems. 9 hubs were established as part of the project: 5 in IL and 4 in IN. The hubs were modeled on the best practice shared by the European partners. The hubs are located inside the academic campuses, but they also serve the residents in neighboring communities. The hubs are operated by senior faculty members in the academic institutions – which guarantee their long-term survival. During the first half of the project – the first 18 months – the teams focused mainly on learning and developing knowledge concerning creative thinking, creative solutions to social and environmental problems, project creation and organization and partners’ recruitment. The second half of the project focused on establishing the SINNOLABs and operating them, as well as intensifying the regional connections with local and national institutions that can guarantee the project’s sustainability. Hence, connections were formed with additional hubs, the public sector, banks and financial companies for regional development. The SINNOLAB management in each institution formed connections with various stakeholders such as government agencies, regional municipalities and NGOs. By doing so, the hubs intensified the partnership of academic institutions with their surroundings, strengthened, and broadened their positions inside the HIEs. Contracts were signed to ensure long-term collaboration between the institutions themselves and stakeholders. SILICE’s significant contributions are: 1. Educational – the HIEs understood the meaning of introducing motives of creative thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship and creative problem solving as a method that can develop the students and help them become socially engaged financially independent citizens. These elements were introduced to the curricula of all students; 2. Promoting underprivileged populations – unemployed, rural populations, minorities, undereducated women, and helping them to adopt thinking patterns and practical tools that can increase their household income and support their financial and social mobilization; by creating social projects with the potential of becoming successful business owners and offering jobs for them and for others; 3. The project served as a focal point for all social innovation and business entrepreneurship in each HEI. The digital platform established by the partners is an open source database that offers syllabi, lesson plans and trainings, as well as presentations that were developed over the duration of the project. Each HEI brought its own experts and we created a pool of experts who are waiting to be approached by students and the public. This database is used by all partners and is open to other HEIs and the public. By this, SILICE contributes to the spreading of the knowledge, methods and tools that were developed in the project. This platform is currently used in HEIs across IL, IN and Europe, and these networks will allow the website to remain relevant after the project ends.

The majority of blindness and vision impairment can be avoided by good eye and vision care and in many regions optometrists are the primary providers of this service. OCULUS is a consortium of educators from optometry schools in Europe (Norway, UK, Spain and the Netherlands) and beyond with a three-pillar strategy to reform optometric education in Israel and India and harmonise it with European standards. This will mean greater employability and job mobility for graduates, and better trained optometrists will lead to a reduction in blindness and vision impairment.In pillar 1, new educational resources will be developed to reform the curricula in Israel and India, meeting the high standards of the European Diploma in Optometry (DipE), harmonising optometric education and scope of practice. The DipE was designed almost 20 years ago and is missing elements of education that lead to lifelong learning. Therefore, pillars 2 and 3 bring innovations to optometic education, enhancing the standard even further, beyond DipE. In pillar 2, educational resources for evidence based optometric practice (EBP) will be developed. EBP is a vital part of effective patient care but is still a novel concept in optometric education, and there is a recognised need for better EBP education in optometry, making this an important addition to the DipE. In pillar 3, a personal learning network (PLN) will be created for optometry students and practitioners, as an online portfolio of patient encounters and platform for peer review and discussion. OCULUS has the support of global optometry governing and education bodies. The Israel Council of Optometry and the Association of Colleges and Schools of Optometry in India are full partners. European Academy of Optometry and Optics and the Norwegian Association of Optometry are associate partners. These organizations will ensure that OCULUS outputs are disseminated globally for maximum exploitation and impact.

Internationalization in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) utilizes policies and practices targeted to achieve academic benefits in teaching, learning, research, and industrial-societal cooperation. TEMPUS IRIS project successfully accomplished the goals of introducing and establishing the foundations for internationalization in Israeli state-funded colleges, thus improving their academic quality and competitiveness. IN2IT project builds on those solid foundations to bring internationalization to realization by modern operational initiatives. IN2IT aims to promote implementation of internationalization by developing innovative technological platforms to facilitate: (1) development and delivery of international curriculum by virtual teaching and learning; (2) utilization of interactive international hubs for communities of practice (CoP) of researchers; and (3) employment of global academy-industry/community cooperation.The collaboration of Israeli Colleges and EU Universities in IN2IT allows the Israeli partners to offer their knowledge in innovative technology and for the EU partners to contribute their experience in international academic activities.IN2IT outputs are: a framework to assess internationalization capability maturity level; ICT-based international academic programs including curriculum and supporting teaching materials; an interactive platform for CoPs; guidelines and pilot activities of international academy-industry cooperation; on-site and on-line seminars and conferences to disseminate the project results; training programs and user guides for application of technologies in academic international activities. Outcomes: developing internationalization capacity in the colleges; advancing accessibility to education in partner institutions; improving the quality and innovation of teaching, learning, research, and training in the colleges; increasing ties between Israeli and EU HEIs; enhancing the positioning of colleges in the HE arena.

IFI project aims to systematically align the Israeli HE system with global changes and develop capacities to extend the role of sustainable Finance (SF) beyond its current disciplinary boundaries, defining gaps between European and Israeli in three main parameters: (a)Eco-system & infrastructure (b)case studies and prototyping and (c)practical activities and collaborative training. In response to growing social needs in Israel, there has been increased interest in how EU SF innovation can facilitate development and scaling of effective solutions. The prevalent model is designed to mainly maximize short-term results and to address mostly shareholders. One of the biggest challenges for financial sector will be to take a more integrated and long-term approach to add value in the long run, learning how to balance financial concerns and incorporate sustainability into asset pricing and valuation rather than simply maximising profit. IFI agenda to promote such change is integrating different aspects (finance, legal, innovation, design, education), and adopting perspective seeing social challenges as grow engines. Addressing this, IFI brings an interdisciplinary approach, stressing shifting focus is needed not only in finance but also in economics, law, technology, design and education. Gathering EU and IL experts, IFI project will act as a platform to foster integrated community and cultivating evidence-based standards and practices, building a scope of knowledge and case studies digital platform, training institutional investments, regulators and innovators, letting students practice ESG investments (via demo students-led fund) and encourage innovation (via SF ventures). All practices are key components of a thriving sustainable finance ecosystem and HEIs capacity building. IFI is the first national consortium created explicitly to provide infrastructure, knowledge and innovation to further develop the sustainable and inclusive finance ecosystem in HEIs and field.

The fall armyworm (FAW) is a highly invasive and polyphagous pest native to the Americas, first detected in Africa in 2016 and which has since spread globally, including western Asia. By late 2023, FAW had reached mainland Europe, with detections in Greece and Romania. This pest now presents a major threat to European agriculture, as climate change and increased trade increase the likelihood of its establishment or presence across wide areas of Europe. The aim of EUFAWREADY is to provide European agricultural stakeholders—including farmers, advisors, and phytosanitary services—with the tools they need to respond quickly and effectively to potential FAW outbreaks. This involves tools to detect the presence of the pest the earliest possible and to effectively and sustainably manage the pest, thus minimizing the economic, environmental and social impact and the reliance on synthetic pesticides. The specific objectives of EUFAWREADY are to: i) Raise awareness and improve stakeholder preparedness regarding FAW risks, and enhance their engagement in management efforts; ii) Generate new knowledge on the biology of European FAW populations, focusing on traits that enhance their invasiveness potential; iii) Assess the economic and environmental impacts FAW could have on Europe; iv) Provide effective strategies for early detection and monitoring of FAW; v) Investigate a diversified array of sustainable control options that could be offered to European farmers, including the use of FAW natural enemies, microbial agents, and plant-based and natural semiochemical solutions; vi) Integrate these management strategies into guidelines intended to plant health actors, and an IPM toolbox to be provided to European farmers and advisers; vii) Ensure the project's scientific and technical findings are widely shared, so stakeholders are fully informed on FAW risks and management strategies by the project's end.