The strategic vision behind the project is ultimately to contribute to the battle against climate change by helping to find more sustainable ways to move freight across short distances and reduce Co2 emissions in cities. Most freight in cities is currently moved over short distances by trucks and vans using fossil fuels, primarily diesel. A movement is currently growing to replace these types of haulage with electrically powered cargo vehicles based on bicycles, but with a much greater capacity than a traditional bicycle courier: the 'e-cargo bike' , with an electric motor to assist the rider, has no harmful emissions and is quieter than freight carrying vans, and if widely adopted in cities will make a significant contribution to air quality and reduce noise pollution. The context of this project is therefore to support moves to transfer as much as possible of the freight/goods being moved within the urban environment in Europe, from diesel and petrol vehicles to electrically powered cargo bikes. To achieve this, the project aims to help support any municipality, business or social enterprise which uses or intends to use an e-cargo bike to deliver its operations or services.In every country of the project partnership, and more widely across Europe, companies are adopting e-cargo bikes for sustainable short distance freight logistics. However, this is being done in a piecemeal manner, and there are no overall agreed standards for operators, even within individual countries. Having consulted widely within the sector, it has become apparent that one of the most important areas that needs to be addressed is the competence of e-cargo bike riders, who are required to pilot quite large and sometimes heavy loads through busy city streets. Riders are not currently required to have any kind of driving licence, whether for a motor cycle or other vehicle, in order to operate e-cargo bikes, and any basic training they receive is particular to the company or enterprise that employs them.This project therefore aims to fill this gap, by first of all identifying the knowledge, skills and competences required by e-cargo bike riders and then by developing, testing and promoting a training programme to meet these needs. At all stages of the process, members of the project partnership will consult locally with relevant companies and enterprises, and more widely with relevant bodies such as the UKCLF and the ECLF. Each member of the project partnership has been required to nominate as a non-formal 'Associated Partner' a local company, enterprise or municipality which uses or plans to use e-cargo bikes for logistics, and these companies will form the first line of research, testing and promotion.The project therefore targets in the broader sense companies and municipalities using or planning to use e-cargo bikes for short distance delivery and logistics, and the training programme to be developed is targeted specifically at e-cargo bike riders, to enable them to ride, operate their vehicles, and carry out required tasks in a safe, skilled and competent manner.The overarching aims of the project are to:- Help shape the future of urban freight mobility and promote the use of e-cargo bikes for delivering commercial light goods- Help support existing e-cargo bike logistics operations and new businesses/social enterprises in the partner countries- Engage with various national and local authorities and other relevant stakeholders to help to deliver our aims and objectives- Utilise online communications to promote and encourage our work- Co-operate with research and educational programmes to clarify and develop our aims and objectives- Explore partnerships with bodies supportive of our aims and objectives, such as the ECLF (European Cycle Logistics Federation) and the UKCLF (United Kingdom Cycle Logistics Federation)Specific project objectives are to:- identify the knowledge, skills and competences required by e-cargo bike riders- develop, test and promote a training toolkit to meet the needs of riders, and also the needs of the enterprises, companies and municipalities either currently involved in the use of e-cargo bikes for delivering commercial light goods, or planning to do so.The project will achieve these objectives by the seven partners working collaboratively, both with each other and also with Associated Partners. The ultimate result of the project will be to contribute to the establishment and proliferation of e-cargo bikes by ensuring that the workforce can be properly prepared and trained, and has the necessary knowledge, skills and competences.Following testing and evaluation, the training package, or 'Toolkit', developed will be made freely available for organisations that wish to use it, and also to industry bodies such as ECLF for adoption and 'badging' as approved training. It is expected that gaining the approval of such industry bodies will greatly enhance transferability.

The main idea of the project is to increase the conformance of Palestinian academia outcomes and the Palestinian rehabilitation service providers’ capabilities towards localising rehab technology. There is a gap between academia and the professional rehab sector needs. Despite that, there is an increasing number of researchers and students interested in rehab technology applications opposed by an increasing numbers of physically disabled Palestinian people due to wars. Given the lack of expertise, and proper course materials and curricula; researchers’ and students’ attempts to join the rehab technology field remain individual and unorganised. Lack of equipment to deliver rehab technology courses is a main obstacle to localise it. Project addressed problems; - Little professional rehab technology knowledge available amongst academics, therefore little guidance to students - Absence of advanced courses related to rehab technology from academic curricula - Absence of modern lab facilities to deliver related rehab technology skills - Little interest in investment in the rehab technology solutions and projects.The project’s impacts; - Development of rehab technology courses and improve academic programs at partner universities according to EU standards - Training of academics, rehab professionals and students in the field of rehab technology - Curricula development of three academic programs at the Palestinian partner universities - Establishment of one rehab engineering lab at one of the partner universities and make it accessible to students from other partner universities - Establishment of one rehab treatment and training lab at partner rehab service provider and make it accessible to partner universities - Enhanced practical performance of academics, professionals and students in the rehab technology and sciences field and applications - Enhanced networking between higher education sector and the rehab technology sector on the nationally and internationally

<< Background >>Innovation and value creation within the EU industry are profoundly changing, driven by a new consumer who expects value-co-creation, connectivity and real-time performance measurements [1]. As a consequence, on 2013 the European Committee for Standardization published the European Technical Specification CEN/TS 16555-1 on Innovation Management Systems to assist organisations in the deployment of innovation.To correctly establish an Innovation Management System, it is important to implement a strategy on Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence, key instruments defined by the Observatory for Industrial Technology Foresight as the structured system for searching, detecting and analyzing the environment to transmit information and knowledge continuously to be aware of the main activities in their sector.Both Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence have become crucial business practices to compete in today's increasingly digital, global and dynamic environment. They allow organisations to know the latest developments from competitors, to systematically monitor what is happening in their environment, to anticipate changes and to make decisions, minimising risks and seizing opportunities for innovation. In this sense, SMEs from sectors that traditionally follow fashion trends, such as furniture and textile, are starting to realise about the importance of monitoring the business environment to learn about the state-of-the-art trends in the future and to adapt to the market changes, and furthermore, the importance of the key staff to have the right skills for integrating such practices into daily activities.Therefore, the systematization of an innovation strategy is becoming increasingly crucial in such sectors, that need to adopt innovation management strategies and update their skills and knowledge as it is recommended in sectoral reports stating the need of adapting VET systems to include new sector specific skills and competences required in the future [2,3].Both sectors in Europe are massively dominated by small enterprises, requiring flexibility and multiple skills within the staff and very specific and straightforward programmes that allow them to put the acquired skills and competence into practice in a specific process.These sectors have undergone significant changes to focus on upgrading quality, innovation and new applications areas, which forces organisations to be constantly informed of everything that happens around, and not exclusively of technological or sector-related news. The main opportunities ahead lie in continuing investment in skills, creativity, research, innovation, and new technologies [3,4].Both sectors share similar threads, like the fierce competition from Asian Markets, but also have common opportunities and strengths, such as the innovative character and the resilience shown, and new business models arisen from a new profile of consumer. In this sense, a properly implemented Innovation Management Systems become a great asset for counteracting their common threads and weaknesses.SIBILA will meet the current needs that the target groups have for increasing the quality of their activities and practices of their organisations that will provide clear benefits:-Anticipate changes in the environment by identifying threats and new business opportunities.-Reduce risks, identifying alternative products and competitors.-Identify new partners and contributors, opening up to new actors, not naturally included within one sector.-Be informed on best practices in business and R&D management.[1] Investing in a smart, innovative and sustainable Industry. EESC[2] Study on the EU furniture market situation (CEPS, Economisti Associati, CSIL and Demetra) - Nov 2014.[3] A Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the EU Textile and Clothing Industry, the ETP Fibers, Textile, Clothing – Oct 2016.[4] https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/industries/forest-based/furniture_en<< Objectives >>The main objective of SIBILA is to support European SMEs from furniture, textile and other traditional sectors with the design and development of a set of training tools for implementing innovative practices and methods to build a culture of systematised Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence and boost innovation and competitiveness.To accomplish this goal, SIBILA will work towards the following specific objectives:SO1. To design a Joint Curriculum on Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence specifically tailored for professionals, managers and employees from SMEs of traditional EU sectors, VET students and unemployed willing to focus their careers in such sectors. This, along with a transfer guide to transfer it to other sectors that will address common needs and training priorities, will contribute to adapt Vocational Education and Training to the labour market needs of European traditional sectors.SO2. To launch an innovative diagnostic tool for traditional SMEs to identify the sources, the treatment and the appropriate valorization of information according to their activity and needs, as well as for the identification of the right skills for the staff to focus on and reinforce, and the design of the most appropriate flexible and learner-centred VET path. This open tool developed specifically for the furniture and textile sectors will help SMEs to prioritize their efforts to focus on undercutting the company’s risks and seizing new opportunities.SO3. To develop a pioneer learning and training strategy towards Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence, defining a EU learning pathway for managers and workers from addressed sectors that will enable transformation and change at individual, organisational and sectoral levels and will contribute to closing existing gaps in the access to training for working age adults to successfully manage labour market transitions.SO4. To break borderlines among SMEs and experts on Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence, creating common procedures and skills that will allow to increase the quality in the work, activities and practices of both the SIBILA partners and associated partners, and the SMEs from the target sectors, and to build capacity to work transnationally and across sectors.These objectives will have a wide impact at different geographic levels, and to many different target groups:-SIBILA will boost the internationalization of the daily activities of participating organisations and associated partners-Project staff and participants will benefit from knowledge sharing and exchange, and increase of competences. -SIBILA will provide to professionals from furniture and textile sectors, VET students and unemployed improved provision an assessment of knowledge, skills and competences on Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence strategies and transversal ones, like entrepreneurship, language competences, critical thinking, digital skills and media literacy.-Relevant stakeholders, like business associations, VET and HE providers related to furniture and textile sectors will have the possibility to enhance their academic offer, creating new programmes and methodologies based on the SIBILA results that will allow them to use them as reference tools for competences recognition and validation, and increase synergies and links and improved transition between VET and HE. -SIBILA will contribute to raise awareness among VET and labour authorities about the importance of the use of learning outcomes for describing qualifications and curricula for learning assessment, and about the integrated use of ICTs and OER in VET.-SMEs, associations, VET and HE providers from other sectors will have a guide on how to support them to adapt the training programme to their needs.<< Implementation >>SIBILA´s Cooperation Partnership brings together partners representing the fields of VET, Higher Education, the furniture and textile industries and society from France, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic wich profiles, competences and previous experiences in EU-funded partnership projects will provide a successful achievement of the project’s objectives. The activities that they will implement under the frame of the project, with the support of a set of associated partners, target user representatives and stakeholders will lead to:-A proper track and management of the project both in results and financial issues, to guarantee the success of the project in time and without budget deviations through coordination and monitoring tasks, preparation of a partnership agreement, and any activity towards GDPR compliance as well as the assurance of the environmental sustainability, inclusion and diversity of the project.- Share and Promote the project and its results beyond the project’s own community to a multitude of audiences, including the media and the general public: Execution and update of a Sharing and Promotion Plan, set up and Management of the project website, reach pproject stakeholders in order to constantly inform them about last project progresses and gather their feedback, social network monitoring, delivery of ress releases, preparation of promotional materials (brochures, leaflets, poster, newsletter, etc.) and contribution in congresses, journals, etc. (preparation of articles, presentations, etc.).- Ensure the quality of all project activities and results carried out under the project's development, and the proper implementation of the project according to the foreseen working plan and defined quality indicators and their values, taking into account the framework principles and recommendations of EQAVET: Execution and update of a Quality Assurance Plan, monitor and evaluate the quality of project’s activities and results, handle project risks and ensure OER protection of all project´s results.-The delivery of four Project Results: Learning outcomes, a joint curriculum, training materials and a competitive intelligence tool and a learning platform through desk research activities, planning, design and development of the results, interviews to target users and stakeholders to define results main requirements and validate them, and development of real tests with target user representatives.- The organisation and holding of five Transnational Project Meetings among the SIBILA cooperation partnership, associated partners and stakeholder representatives at key moments of the project to review activities already performed, discuss and plan upcoming tasks and to exchange information and experiences.-The organization and holding of five local Multiplier Events among target users and stakeholder representatives aiming at sharing and promoting the wide range of Project Results produced within the project, improving the understanding of their use and the presentation of all their potentialities for the purpose they will be developed for.<< Results >>The SIBILA cooperation partnership will deliver four Project Results:-A set of LEARNING OUTCOMES, in terms of Knowledge, Skills and Competences, in line with the needs of the staff from the furniture, textile, and other traditional sector for implementing Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence strategies. This will be endorsed by SMEs from such sectors and other stakeholders to certify the project approach, which comments and perspectives will be compiled in an additional key-report.-The defined learning outcomes will set the basis for the design of a JOINT CURRICULUM that will led to develop a pioneer and innovative learning and teaching strategy towards Technology Watch and Competitive Intelligence, define a European learning pathway and a training methodology that will improve the learning process and that will be specifically tailored for SMEs from the furniture and textile sectors.The design of the Joint Curriculum will consider the general ECVET and EQF recommendations to ease the mobility of students and workers, future alliances with other education providers and the transference of learning contents. It will also entail the definition of a learning philosophy among project partners for setting out the programme´s purpose, its educational and professional value, the nature of the learning environment and the key approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, along with a report on guidelines for future curricula transferability to other manufacturing sectors.-TRAINING MATERIALS developed according to the agreed methodologies, formats and the contents that will address the SIBILA programme. It includes interactive resources, such as videos or infographics to develop an attractive e-learning course for workers and students, adapted to the new technologies and learning methodologies, and completed with links and specific documents on national information of each partner country. -A COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE TOOL AND LEARNING PLATFORM developed based on the Learning Outcomes report and the Joint Curriculum, that will allow SMEs to identify the sources, the treatment and the appropriate valorization of information according to their activity and needs. This open tool developed specifically for the furniture and textile sectors will help SMEs to prioritize their efforts to focus on undercutting the company’s risks and seizing new opportunities.SIBILA diagnosis tool will be linked to and complemented with an e-learning platform, where the SIBILA training course and all the didactic materials will be available. The workplan includes an external test experience, where managers and workers from SMEs of the addressed sectors and other stakeholders will test and provide feedback about the four Project Results for their improvement.The above-mentioned Project Results will be considered as “Open Educational Resources” (OER), they will be easily accessible and retrievable without cost or limitations, and the selected open license will allow the public to use, reuse, adapt and share such resources.The “Project Management and Implementation” item will lead to the delivery of internal outputs for sharing and promoting and ensuring the quality of the project outcomes and activities, like a Sharing and Promotion Plan, a Quality Assurance Plan, a project website and dissemination materials, like brochures, newsletters or scientific articles.The SIBILA workplan also includes the celebration of five Transnational Project Meetings among project partners, associated partners and relevant stakeholders for implementation and coordination purposes, and 5 Multiplier Events in the 5 participant countries aimed at sharing and promoting project results.