URGENT aims to promote green & blue infrastructure and nature-based solutions (GBI&NBS) for resilient, climate-friendly and liveable cities in IN & MN (partner countries – PCs) through ICT-enhanced tertiary education linked to labour markets & wider stakeholder circles. This aim will be achieved through the following objectives:1. To upgrade GBI&NBS -relevant BSc, MSc & PhD programs at PIs to make them end-user-oriented & policy-relevant. A pool of URGENT e-courses will be tailored to fit educational needs of learners from science, engineering & planning (154 ECTS of new and updated subjects openly available via e-learning). An URGENT research framework will outline internationally- & policy-relevant research topics, questions & methodology suggestions.2. To develop shared UREGENT Collaborative Learning Platform & online training services of the new generation for qualitative improvement of the education process & academic workflow support among universities & stakeholders (URBAN_learn).3. To create sustainable feedback mechanisms to end-users, ensuring adaptive & practice-relevant teaching contents, knowledge co-production opportunities and stakeholder support to post-project course development & teaching. URGENT stakeholder interactive platforms (SIPs) in PCs will assemble representatives of praxis communities involved to GBI&NBS issues. SIPs will be platforms for academia to disseminate innovative ideas, visions of the future and inform evidence-based management, while praxis partners contribute with their in-hand experiences & know-hows, review curricula, participate QA mechanisms & support graduates’ entry to workplace.4. To develop capacity for academic mobility, shared experimental facilities and joint research by PIs & beyond. URGENT partners will institutionalise their relationship through framework agreements, and set-up rules for physical & virtual mobility, joint research & thesis supervision and common use of research & experimental facilities.

Women’s participation in the labour market in India is not only an economic issue but also a larger social and an ethical question, which demands a multi-disciplinary approach. Women’s economic activity is rooted mainly in socio-cultural, historical, physiological and economic considerations. Hence, looking at women’s employment in India from the labour market point of view alone is not enough. We need to look at this problem with the intentions of introducing a transactional as well as transformational intervention at socio- cultural, political and economic levels. Researchers noted that understanding differences among women is critical to crafting policy and making public investments that meet their needs and expand their choices and opportunities. Hence this project has a wider impact and multiplier effect.The core objectives of the project are:1. To examine the influence of perceived career barriers and support young women’s career planning in the university system and outside 2. To design and implement applicable framework(s) that intervenes and counsels young women of both environments 3. To install the capacities (RAINBOW Centre) in Indian universities to counsel young women in the designed framework4. Develop material and training programmes for associations and agencies working (for young women) in the unpriviliedged section of the soceity 5. Identify regulations and create awareness of best practices and models operating in EU HEIs for capacity building of young women in university system and outside the university system. Target groups:• Women (20–30 yrs), who have full time enrolment in Indian University Education • Counsellors and Associations/NGOs working on women Empowerment and InclusionMain outputs:• Development of the Intervention and Counselling Methodology• Creation of Career Counselling & Guidance Centres• Developing Material & Conducting Train the Trainer Program• Providing & Evaluating Counselling Services in India

The tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industries in IN, SR & NP & is therefore steadily rising in importance to national development & advancement of its people. Still, through the fast growth the industry is facing disparities in social, environmental & economic aspects which will lead to a loss of benefits now experiencing from this industry, having extreme consequences for the population.Therefore, the development of a robust ecosystem for sustainable tourism (ST) on HEI campuses & beyond academic borders to foster uni business cooperation & to enhance the awareness of the concept is key for sustainable growth. Despite this thrive of innovation, there is lack in understanding & applying ST as the concept itself as it is rather new to HEIs. HEIs need to update their physical infrastructure &upgrade&professionalize teaching capacities to be able to react to current educational trends & to develop future change makers.CESTour is designed to create awareness of the concept ST & to develop innovations through disruptive yet sustainable ideas focusing on changing the perception towards ST through a blended learning approach applied for capacity building on a local & regional level.Results & impact:• Strengthened teaching staff capacities & student skill sets through innovative teaching & learning methodologies by offering ST trainings• Modernized technical infrastructure of HEIs by creating, equipping & putting in operation the centers of excellence for ST• Enhanced HEI-business cooperation & students learning experience by developing ST Case studies, to prepare students for innovative thinking in “real life” contexts• Greater awareness & reach of high-quality training material & publications by providing access to Open Educational Resources to regional & international academic community• Extended intern. networks in ST education & innovation in national & intern. HE contexts by joint publications & organising the intern. conference