PARTNERSHIP

 University of Akureyri, Iceland

The University of Akureyri (Háskólinn á Akureyri) is located near the edge of the Arctic Circle and has served Akureyri and its rural surroundings since 1987. Located in the capital of North Iceland, Akureyri, the University has built a reputation for academic excellence. It has been instrumental in the economic growth of the region and is central in its planning for a future as a knowledge-based society. The University is at present operating in two Schools: School of Health, Business and NaturalScience and School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The number of students is around 2,000 and members of staff are around 200. As documented in its policy, the University emphasises being progressive in teaching, and research that meets international standards. Emphasis is placed on teaching and research related to Icelandic society and economy, as well as fields related to Arctic and European issues. The University of Akureyri prepares students for a wide range of opportunities in both the private and the public sectors. Education offered by the University aims at providing its graduates with specific skills and knowledge of scientific methods as well as theoretical skills that will enable them to improve their qualifications. Education and research are closely linked to achieve this, first and foremost by assigning equal importance to them in the daily work of the academic and scientific staff, and whenever course work is based on research. The University of Akureyri is the leading university in Iceland in providing opportunities for students, outside of the capital area. To this effect it has for the last twenty years been developing distance learning and online courses for their students. Presently all courses are taught both at campus and online, under the term flexible learning. The University has a department called The Center of Teaching and Learning, which provides professional support to faculty members in their development of teaching in the form of expert feedback and consultation in both technology and pedagogy. As the ratio of distance learning students has been rising rapidly over the last few years and now amounts to 75% of all its students there is a need to strengthen the capacity of the Centre of Teaching and Learning in developing methods for distance learning. 

 POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania

 National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (UNSTPB-CAMIS) is the largest university in Romania greatly contributing to the development of Higher Education in the country (more than 2500 staff and over 35000 students at all levels). It has a vast range of expertise in fostering innovation and creativity in science and engineering, including applying AI concepts at various level in engineering (e.g. image processing, industrial inspection and quality control, manufacturing, additive manufacturing, etc.). The academic and technical staff of one of its research and innovation center UNSTPB-CAMIS, has experience in modern and innovative engineering technologies such as the Industry 4.0 technology digital integration including Additive manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence and virtual and augmented technologies within the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics.

 University of Malta, Malta

The University of Malta (UM) is the sole public and highest teaching institution in Malta, with its structures being in line with the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education area. UM has a 400-year history and presently hosts 11,500 students including 1,000 foreign/exchange students from nearly 92 different countries, following full-time or part-time degree and diploma courses. The study programmes are designed to produce highly qualified professionals with research experience who will play key roles within industry, commerce and public affairs. Around 3,500 students graduate each year. Currently, the University comprises 14 faculties, 115 academic departments, 1 academy, 17 institutes, 13 centres, 3 schools and 11 administrative directorates. The University operates from four campuses located in Msida, Valletta, Marsaxlokk and Gozo, with three outreach centres in Argotti, Cottonera and Fawwara. The University is one of the largest employers in the country, employing 3080 people: 880 full-time and 810 part-time academics, and 1,070 full-time and 320 part-time staff in administrative, technical and industrial roles. During the last 15 years, the UM was involved as project coordinator and project partner in 365 EU-funded projects, through various funding channels. These include Horizon 2020
(70 projects), Horizon Europe (14 projects), Erasmus+ (114 projects), INTERREG EU, MED, ITALIA-MALTA (44 projects), FP7 (47 projects), Lifelong Learning Programme (76 projects). The UM is also involved in national funding programmes, other international initiatives and is even represented in a number of European and International University networks and groups. It currently has around 300 active projects. The UM project teams are resident academics and research support officers who are backed by support structures to assist during the application phase, throughout the life-cycle of the project and in all technical and financial reporting periods, right up to project closure.

KAINOTOMIA & SIA EE, Greece

KAINOTOMIA is certified under the Greek Legislation Lifelong Learning Center, founded in 2013 by a group of people with expertise and a lifelong commitment to learning. The organization’s modern facilities comply with accessibility guidelines for people with disability, while there are 3 training rooms with a total capacity of 91 trainees. The goal of KAINOTOMIA is the implementation of continuous vocational training programs (offline & online through our elearning platform) targeted at
employed/unemployed people, educators, students of higher education, and vulnerable social groups for the development of professional opportunities and their integration into the labour market and society. We provide Career Guidance and Counselling with regional stakeholder networks and according to individual needs. KAINOTOMIA's goal is the support of trainees aiming to introduce new learning and teaching methodologies approaches, especially those delivering key competencies and basic skills, language skills, and focusing on the use of ICT, but also the upscaling of the quality of education in professionalization of trainers. Finally, provides trainees with new forms of flexible learning methods, virtual mobility, open educational resources, and better exploitation of the ICT potential. KAINOTOMIA aims to up/reskill professionals’ skills through mobility in other EU member states to bolster cooperation with other countries of the EU and volunteering as an expression of an intercultural dimension. KAINOTOMIA plays a leading role at national and regional levels and holds extensive experience in methodology development of practical solutions matching specific vocational and professional development needs. We have a great portfolio of national projects under the name of "Grant beneficiaries’ system with Training Vouchers”, of the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity. The projects aimed at strengthening the skills of young beneficiaries with the aim to enter the labour market. The activities included training (400 hours) in different subjects as well as work-based learning for 6 months. In February 2020, it is selected by the Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) as an Intermediary Organization (IO), for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program, being one out of the seven IOs established in Greece. KAINOTOMIA is certified by the Aristotle Certification Training and Assessment of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is a member of the Association of Thessalian Enterprises and Industries. We work with national Universities at the local, regional, and national levels as well as with institutions developing studies about Active Labor Market Policies, entrepreneurship, guidance, training, and labour integration. In 2021,KAINOTOMIA was selected as the only Youth Eurodesk multiplier in Thessaly, Greece, giving us the opportunity to expand its European impact even more. KAINOTOMIA has a great experience as a coordinator and partner organization as it coordinated more than 65 national projects (> 3.500 people have been trained) and participated in more than 35 EU programs (EYE, KA2, VET, Adult Education, Youth, KA3 Support for policy reform, Horizon). KAINOTOMIA participates in the Horizon project, “Extended Reality for Education” which allows organizations from different fields (schools, Universities) to create their own module through Extended Reality. KAINOTOMIA has also participated in the “Summer Camp in the City” initiative of the Municipality of Larissa awarded by the UNESCO Learning Cities Network, where trainers of KAINOTOMIA implemented 6 workshops on the themes of Human Rights and Human Rights Education. The company employs 10 permanent staff (monthly paid employees), works with 5 external partners (financial and technical issues, marketing), and collaborates with approximately 15 trainers per year.

Iceland California ehf., Iceland

Iceland California is an organization specializing in advanced technology development and strategic consulting for institutions seeking to navigate the complexities of technological innovation, particularly in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Led by Dr. Ari Jonsson, a seasoned expert in AI, higher education, innovation, and strategy development, Iceland California offers a range of services from communication assistance to long-term strategic planning. With approximately 15 years of active involvement in AI technology development and over 14 years of experience within a university setting, the organization is well-equipped to address the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in various sectors.