Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BoostEuroTeQ (BoostEuroTeQ: strengthening institutional transformations for responsible engineering education in Europe.)
Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2023-02-28
The project BoostEuroTeQ strongly builds on synergies with the education-focused activities of the EuroTeQ Engineering University (funded by Erasmus+) to reinforce institutional change towards responsible research and innovation. The project aims to enable individuals involved in technology value creation to interact with stakeholders from the wider society, ensuring desirable and socially robust pathways for societal transformation. The work plan set out in BoostEuroTeQ strengthens and complements core parts of the EuroTeQ Engineering University. The specific objectives in this regard are as follows:
1) Strengthening the EuroTeQ Engineering University’s role as a change-maker (specifically in the areas of professional education and research & innovation) to introduce a paradigm shift in the engineering education of the future.
2) Understanding the differences, unique features, and best practices across the continent in terms of value creation processes in technology, including all relevant stakeholders in the process alongside civil society and policy-makers.
3) Developing a level of international and transcultural collaboration that deepens the understanding between the different national societies and societal layers.
In the first pillar, which focuses on enabling individuals, BoostEuroTeQ aims to improve strategies for strengthening human capital and reinforcing cooperation with non-academic actors. The project develops a concept for training learning professionals at universities, positioning them as key actors who facilitate knowledge transfer and co-creative innovation between the university and the wider ecosystem. By defining a EuroTeQ upskilling strategy, the project helps to establish the partner institutions as constant companions in the lifelong learning journeys of European engineers.
In the second pillar, which focuses on societal transformation, BoostEuroTeQ aims to reinforce the impact of university research & innovation and build sustainable involvement and engagement with citizens and civil society. The EuroTeQ partners’ needs in terms of institutional strategies for responsibility and reflexivity are analysed, a “EuroTeQ Manifesto” for responsible and reflexive institutionalization is developed. The project investigates how universities can engage with their surroundings by developing “learning networks” and designs an approach to evaluate the impact of co-creative education on innovation and understand its scalability.
1) Strengthening the EuroTeQ Engineering University’s role as a change-maker (specifically in the areas of professional education and research & innovation) to introduce a paradigm shift in the engineering education of the future.
2) Understanding the differences, unique features, and best practices across the continent in terms of value creation processes in technology, including all relevant stakeholders in the process alongside civil society and policy-makers.
3) Developing a level of international and transcultural collaboration that deepens the understanding between the different national societies and societal layers.
In the first pillar, which focuses on enabling individuals, BoostEuroTeQ aims to improve strategies for strengthening human capital and reinforcing cooperation with non-academic actors. The project develops a concept for training learning professionals at universities, positioning them as key actors who facilitate knowledge transfer and co-creative innovation between the university and the wider ecosystem. By defining a EuroTeQ upskilling strategy, the project helps to establish the partner institutions as constant companions in the lifelong learning journeys of European engineers.
In the second pillar, which focuses on societal transformation, BoostEuroTeQ aims to reinforce the impact of university research & innovation and build sustainable involvement and engagement with citizens and civil society. The EuroTeQ partners’ needs in terms of institutional strategies for responsibility and reflexivity are analysed, a “EuroTeQ Manifesto” for responsible and reflexive institutionalization is developed. The project investigates how universities can engage with their surroundings by developing “learning networks” and designs an approach to evaluate the impact of co-creative education on innovation and understand its scalability.
All work packages have been set up as initially planned in terms of management and governance. The management structure of the project is fully operational since the beginning and has been proven valuable for achieving the project goals. Regular exchange with colleagues of the EuroTeQ Engineering University has been established to ensure maximum alignment and utilization of synergies with the Erasmus+ project. Regular meetings of project teams across the EuroTeQ universities have been established to foster a close international collaboration and transcultural exchange.
Focusing on enabling individuals (1st pillar), the following has been achieved:
- Based on 15+ interviews with relevant stakeholders, a qualification framework for the “EuroTeQ Learning Professional” has been finalised and a good understanding of the role has been achieved within the eco-system through different dissemination activities.
- In cooperation among the partners, the development of a training concept for the “EuroTeQ Learning Professional” is in progress, to qualify experts in the scientific upskilling of professional engineers.
- With 15+ interviews, the developmental needs of professional engineers have been analysed as well as current offers for lifelong learning on the market and at the EuroTeQ institutions, showing pathways to establish them as lifelong learning partners for professional engineers.
- To pilot the collaboration between the lifelong learning centres at the partner institutions, the concept for a tailor-made programme for the upskilling of professional engineers has been developed.
Focusing on societal transformation and institutional strategies for responsibility and co-creation (2nd pillar), the following has been achieved:
- Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of responsibilisation strategies and instruments used in the different EuroTeQ universities have been identified in comprehensive SWOT analyses, with a particular focus on the needs and potential of technical universities.
- The benefits and challenges of co-creation teaching and its effects have been investigated with 30+ interviews and 10+ course observations across the partner universities.
- Relations to discuss the roles of responsible innovation, social sciences and humanities, and co-creation teaching across the EuroTeQ universities and in other networks of the European University Alliance have been established, workshops to connect with local eco-system partners around the topics have been conducted, and first insights and results have been shared at conferences and in peer-reviewed articles.
With regards to outreach and dissemination activities, a communication plan and free-of-charge channels for dissemination have been established. Project activities are continuously monitored to share relevant activities and results with the relevant target audiences and the wider eco-system.
Focusing on enabling individuals (1st pillar), the following has been achieved:
- Based on 15+ interviews with relevant stakeholders, a qualification framework for the “EuroTeQ Learning Professional” has been finalised and a good understanding of the role has been achieved within the eco-system through different dissemination activities.
- In cooperation among the partners, the development of a training concept for the “EuroTeQ Learning Professional” is in progress, to qualify experts in the scientific upskilling of professional engineers.
- With 15+ interviews, the developmental needs of professional engineers have been analysed as well as current offers for lifelong learning on the market and at the EuroTeQ institutions, showing pathways to establish them as lifelong learning partners for professional engineers.
- To pilot the collaboration between the lifelong learning centres at the partner institutions, the concept for a tailor-made programme for the upskilling of professional engineers has been developed.
Focusing on societal transformation and institutional strategies for responsibility and co-creation (2nd pillar), the following has been achieved:
- Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of responsibilisation strategies and instruments used in the different EuroTeQ universities have been identified in comprehensive SWOT analyses, with a particular focus on the needs and potential of technical universities.
- The benefits and challenges of co-creation teaching and its effects have been investigated with 30+ interviews and 10+ course observations across the partner universities.
- Relations to discuss the roles of responsible innovation, social sciences and humanities, and co-creation teaching across the EuroTeQ universities and in other networks of the European University Alliance have been established, workshops to connect with local eco-system partners around the topics have been conducted, and first insights and results have been shared at conferences and in peer-reviewed articles.
With regards to outreach and dissemination activities, a communication plan and free-of-charge channels for dissemination have been established. Project activities are continuously monitored to share relevant activities and results with the relevant target audiences and the wider eco-system.
In working towards the expected impacts, all project objectives, strategies and preliminary results have been communicated in several physical and virtual spaces. In this way, the relevant target groups have been involved in working towards the expected impacts on all levels.
The expected impacts and the current status of the project towards reaching them can be summarised as follows:
1) Transforming engineering education and engineering the University of the Future by transforming learning experiences of the individuals involved:
The pilot activities of new, innovative learning experiences for lifelong learning at the universities are in progress and will serve as a test to shape and adjust for roll-out of similar activities on full scale.
2) Understanding co-creative education and generalising co-creation practices tailored to local needs:
The systematic comparison of co-creation practice across cultural, societal, and regulatory contexts as well as of different technological domains is in progress. First conclusions of a range of explorative case studies that analyse and compare practices at the EuroTeQ universities have been compiled in respective reports. First pilot interventions (workshops and online courses at the universities) have been rolled out; the work on more accessible formats to disseminate the developed database of responsibility practices and the SWOT analyses is in progress; the development of shared institutional strategies and action plans is being planned.
3) The upskilled EuroTeQ Professional as an interlocutor between academia and industry improving the employability of the Engineer of the Future:
The connection between academia and industry has been strengthened by the work on the qualification framework for the “EuroTeQ Learning Professional” and the analysis of developmental needs of professional engineers including interviews with different stakeholders at the universities and in industry. The current development of pilot programs show pathways of how the connection between academia and industry can be strengthened.
The expected impacts and the current status of the project towards reaching them can be summarised as follows:
1) Transforming engineering education and engineering the University of the Future by transforming learning experiences of the individuals involved:
The pilot activities of new, innovative learning experiences for lifelong learning at the universities are in progress and will serve as a test to shape and adjust for roll-out of similar activities on full scale.
2) Understanding co-creative education and generalising co-creation practices tailored to local needs:
The systematic comparison of co-creation practice across cultural, societal, and regulatory contexts as well as of different technological domains is in progress. First conclusions of a range of explorative case studies that analyse and compare practices at the EuroTeQ universities have been compiled in respective reports. First pilot interventions (workshops and online courses at the universities) have been rolled out; the work on more accessible formats to disseminate the developed database of responsibility practices and the SWOT analyses is in progress; the development of shared institutional strategies and action plans is being planned.
3) The upskilled EuroTeQ Professional as an interlocutor between academia and industry improving the employability of the Engineer of the Future:
The connection between academia and industry has been strengthened by the work on the qualification framework for the “EuroTeQ Learning Professional” and the analysis of developmental needs of professional engineers including interviews with different stakeholders at the universities and in industry. The current development of pilot programs show pathways of how the connection between academia and industry can be strengthened.