<< Background >>The project addresses the key goals defined by the EU (Manifesto for Adult Learning in the 21st Century: The Power and Joy of Learning: https://eaea.org/our-work/influencing-policy/manifesto-for-adult-learning-in-the-21st-century/), the European Higher Education Area and the Bologna Process (https://ehea.info/) and national ministries (Czech Republic: Strategic Plan of the Ministry for Higher Education for the Period from 2021: https://www.msmt.cz/areas-of-work/tertiary-education/strategic-plan-of-the-ministry-for-higher-education-for-the?highlightWords=strategic+plan; Slovakia: https://www.minedu.sk/dlhodoby-zamer-ministerstva-a-jeho-aktualizacie/; Poland: https://efs.mein.gov.pl//wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Zintegrowana-Strategia-Umiej%c4%99tno%c5%9bci-2030-cz%c4%99%c5%9b%c4%87-og%c3%b3lna.pdf) focusing on lifelong and adult learning. An extraordinary role is played here by the process of improvement and modernisation of university teaching whereas the main emphasis is put on competences relevant for life and work in the 21st century. Social sciences and humanities (SSH) are sometimes neglected in this respect, especially in Central Europe, and put in contrast with “exact” sciences. Nevertheless, the obtained data clearly prove that graduates from SSH are necessary for many different employers (cf. Needs Analysis in the annex). These sciences significantly help to develop soft skills such as effective communication, cooperation, creativity, independence, problem solving, planning and organizing work, lifelong learning, active approach, critical thinking etc., which are crucial for active citizenship and democracy as well. However, these needs and skills are not always clearly identified and further cultivated by teachers and students. The current state of higher education (HE) in the involved countries is such that many academics have never completed a continuous pedagogical education and even now they neither go through any systematic process of increasing their pedagogical competences, nor have sufficient printed materials or online sources for their self-education. Moreover, they often remain limited by borders of their own research field and their nation/state regarding the knowledge presented to students. From the didactic and methodological point of view, just a minimum of professional publications deal with tertiary education in SSH in the given countries (cf. Needs Analysis). It is thus obvious that university teachers need to be systematically educated how to use modern didactic methods, how to work with an interdisciplinary approach and how to teach applicable practical skills expected by the global labour market and the changing world. Managers of the teaching process (such as deans, vice-deans, heads of departments, guarantors of study programmes, etc.) must receive a valid insight and acquire the competences necessary to design fully internationalised curricula corresponding to employers´ needs. These are the real gaps that need to be filled by using an effective interdisciplinary and international approach. Therefore, adequate forms of formal and informal education of academics are planned, which will aim at the development of appropriate forms of (self-)reflection, self-development and an overall increase in pedagogical competences required for education focused on life in the 21st century. This perfectly fits into the Erasmus+ KA2 call 2021 priority “Stimulating innovative learning and teaching practices” which will be fulfilled by stimulating quality teaching of SSH at HE institutions (HEIs), reflecting current challenges together with real and exactly proven needs of the global labour market and the complex feedback from graduates and students.<< Objectives >>The project addresses the key objective stated by both the EU and national ministries to improve and modernise tertiary education with regard to the competences relevant for life and practice in the 21st century (cf. Needs Analysis). Three progressive Central European universities (already cooperating and contracted with Erasmus+ agreements):1) Philosophical Faculty of the University of Hradec Králové (UHK, CZ),2) Faculty of Sociology of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (AMU, PL),3) Faculty of Arts of the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (CPU, SK)joined their forces to reach the goal through international cooperation which will provide an efficient means for a detailed analysis of the current state and a design of effective tools for a continuous development of modern and effective teaching of SSH in the HE sphere. Based on the Needs Analysis, it is clear that all three countries and institutions are facing similar challenges and shortages in the internationally and interdisciplinary conceived long-life education of HE teachers. The consortium brought together three institutions with different portfolios offering experience and high expertise in different fields: internationalisation, didactics, education theory, sociology, humanities, etc. (cf. Key Staff in the annex). Such a synergy allows participating institutions to better meet the needs of their employees (academics and supportive staff) as well as those of students, from a broader perspective and with multiple levels of sharing a good practice.The project will aim at the acquisition and deepening of skills for the use of modern didactic methods and principles with a special focus on digitization (involvement of online and blended forms of education), connection with the employers´ sphere, internationalisation of curricula and reaching global skills. The project aims at both interconnecting groups of university teachers and managers of the educational process (deans, vice-deans, heads of departments, etc.). It strives to connect particular skills of the involved institutions (didactics, psychosocial aspects of education, virtual mobilities, SSH and the labour market, minorities´ involvement, etc.), to share their best practice and, based on the work in an international team (and in international subteams), to develop and disseminate this so desperately needed know-how to their institutions, regions and countries, offering it to a wide international audience as well. There is no doubt that the challenge of making SSH better applicable to life and work is a common need, and so is their high impact on the whole society, the society to which they offer otherwise unavailable special skills necessary for modern citizenship and democracy (cf. Needs Analysis). The project not only offers a detailed scholarly insight into several selected topics, but also interconnects research with a smart structure of learning, teaching and training activities or public multiplier events (cf. Work Scheme and Timetable in the annex). All important findings are going to be structured in the final results, made widely accessible for university teachers of SSH through e-learning courses and maintained in the long term.<< Implementation >>The project consortium consists of institutions from the Central European region facing similar challenges and sharing parts of common history. The Central-European area thus makes a perfect delimitation for a project developing the university teaching of SSH. The project will be implemented through systematic international cooperation on results and the use of activities aiming at reaching particular objectives as well as overall goals. The project team will meet regularly on transnational and national levels (see Timetable in the annex). The project results will be presented and shared at Learning, Teaching, Training (LTT) Activities aimed at the staff of the participating institutions and Multiplier Events (round table, workshops, international conference) which will address broad public. The feedback from these events will be used for the final form of the results (cf. Work Scheme). The research activities are planned to be carried out on the basis of cooperation between organizations and with the mutual exchange of appropriate procedures (research methods, etc.) and data. In the frame of the LTT activities, required mobilities will help the elaboration of project results, and in particular they will enable a meeting of employees of the participating institutions in one place for a joint teaching, learning and training. With such cooperation between organizations and on the basis of previous analyses, it will be possible to create a joint handbook (guide) for modern teaching of SSH and jointly work on an e-learning corpus as the main result. A round table will disseminate the idea and the first findings of the project (psychosocial analysis) and especially the question of advantages and disadvantages of SSH. The established communication and meeting schemes, including the workshops and the final international conference, will be important for the creation of the following results - an analyses of the psychosocial and intercultural dimension of tertiary education, a handbook and e-learning. These results will be tested and used as a theoretical basis for LTT activities and public events. All project results are linked, leading from the analyses through the definition of a curricular document/handbook to the application in the form of e-learning and dissemination activities, including the final conference and a collective monograph published in the Open Access mode. The results will be easily available on the project website and sustainably maintained after the project duration.<< Results >>Based on international cooperation, a unique comparative research will be conducted together with sharing of a good practice to design principles of the joint curricular approach which will focus on internationalisation, needs of the global labour market, digitisation, re-evaluation of soft skills, and generally speaking, the use of multiperspectivity as an important challenge for teaching SSH in the 21st century.Multiperspectivity here means, in the sense described by R. Stradling (Multiperspectivity in History Teaching: a Guide for Teachers, 2003), active involvement of more stakeholders in the educational process, focus on competences (not just knowledge) and emphasis on interdisciplinarity and internationalisation of the curriculum.The following project results are expected:(A) international comparison and analysis of contemporary trends and challenges of teaching SSH in the Central European region (conducted from the psychosocial and intercultural perspective),(B) handbook (guide) containing suggested principles and standards for tertiary education of SSH with a special accent on the Central European region based on previous analysis,(C) e-learning methodical materials focusing on transnational, multidisciplinary and multiperspective insights into SSH easily accessible for university teachers of SSH.All results are going to be published in English.Based on the principles of social constructivism, the project will foster mutual formation of common interpretations, methods and values. The key element of HE is seen in internationalisation as a basic principle for the desirable development of personal and professional competences of graduates (cf. Needs Analysis). SSH will thus be presented as an important, indispensable and beneficial component of European tertiary education in the 21st century.A successful implementation of the results mentioned above will accelerate partner universities long-term cooperation e.g. on double / joint degree programmes, co-tutelles, convergence of their study programmes, mutual mobilities, blended intensive programmes, scientific collaboration, etc.Due to the significant synergy achieved by working in the consortium, the significant and long-term deepening of ties in the established partnership is expected.