Models and Instruments for Transforming Higher Education Systems through Transnational Multi-Sector Links

Project Information

STUDIES-DIG

Grant agreement ID: 101131544

DOI

10.3030/101131544

EC signature date 18 September 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2027

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 1 196 000,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITY OF NATIONAL AND WORLD ECONOMY
Bulgaria

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STUDIES-DIG (Models and Instruments for Transforming Higher Education Systems through Transnational Multi-Sector Links)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In the digital era society is evolving at a rapid pace and investing in education have vast social and economic advantages for it. It is the education that allows people to have access to SDGs 4 and the consortium is created as a platform for collaboration with the purpose to research and identify successful contemporary models and modern instruments that can help higher education transformation and support the sustainable and effective adaptation of the higher education systems to the digital age. The aim of the project is study the process of digitalisation in different organisations and offer solutions concerning the improvement of the digitalisation practices. The consortium comprises both academic and non-academic partners as well as experts in diverse fields. This allows a broad and an indepth approach to digitalisation.
The project aims to address the challenges and needs of digitalization in a multicultural setting by building effective strategies and developing a framework for sustainable digital education. To achieve the aim of the project, the following main objectives have been specified:
- Assessing the state of digitalisation and digital services provided by the organizations
- Outlining challenges and future development in a multicultural setting by assessing the role of cultural and socio-economic factors in fostering digital transformation of higher education
- Identifying and mapping digital risks, threats and their impact on social skills in a multicultural environment and analysing the relationship between digital risks and social skills
- Studying and analyzing available strategies for digitalization, identifying good digital practices and drafting strategies for digitalization and risk minimization
- Developing a training course for non academic partners to advance employees’ digital competences as well as an academic course to enhance basic and sustainable ICT skills of university students that could be integrated into the LMSs used by the project partner universities
- To prepare a plan for dissemination and communication activities to increase the project visibility and to promote its achievements, to develop a framework for sustainable exploitation of its results.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project has successfully advanced its objectives, delivering substantial progress as outlined in the Grant Agreement and completing on time all contractual deliverables. All planned deliverables and milestones for the reporting period were completed on time. A total of 110 secondments were implemented by December 2025 for the first reporting period.The secondments yielded valuable insights into digitalization challenges, competency gaps, and sector-specific needs. The secondments were structured to gather comprehensive insights into the digital transformation efforts of various institutions and were focused on understanding each institution’s digitalization processes and identifying the competences needed by employers and the market. The seconments facilitated the targeted knowledge exchange and collaboration through meetings and interviews of semi-structured format, workshops, and collaborative sessions.
Outlining challenges and future development in a multicultural setting, progressed through a series of secondments and collaborative workshops. It has advanced a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and future development options of digital transformation in a multicultural setting by progressively integrating conceptual, methodological, and empirical achievements. The consortium established a solid conceptual foundation by identifying how national, organizational, and socio-economic cultural differences shape digital readiness, attitudes toward technology, communication norms, and inequalities, thereby outlining the core challenges universities face when navigating digital transformation across diverse contexts. Building on this, a rigorous and culturally adaptable research design was developed that included clear operationalization strategies and standardized instruments that enable meaningful comparison of digital transformation processes across countries while remaining sensitive to local cultural specificities.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project activities provided invaluable insights into the transformative potential of digitalization within both academic and non-academic institutions. By leveraging qualitative research methodologies, including secondments, interviews, and workshops, the project identified key opportunities and challenges in implementing digital tools and services. The recommendations are based on a qualitative research methodology, emphasizing participatory data collection during secondments.The actionable recommendations derived from the project’s findings, emphasizing strategies for leveraging digital tools, overcoming barriers, fostering inclusivity, and enhancing governance. Drawing on qualitative insights gathered through secondments across academic and non-academic institutions, the recommendations aim to provide a framework for accelerating digital transformation while ensuring scalability and sustainability. By addressing the priorities, institutions and governments can ensure that digital transformation remains inclusive, sustainable, and impactful. The recommendations and practices provide a foundation for a future where digitalization serves as a catalyst for innovation, equity, and growth across sectors.
The project activities aimed to accelerate digital transformation through the dissemination of best practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches.

Project panel at 33rd NISPAcee Conference, May 22-24, 2025, Bratislava

MTM-Sofia-6 February 2025

Project panel at 33rd NISPAcee Conference, May 22-24, 2025, Bratislava

Workshop in 2 sessions at IBN Tofail University, MA on 16 and 17 December 2025

33rd NISPAcee Conference, May 22-24, 2025, Bratislava

Workshop-Sofia 7 February 2025

Workshop -Sofia 7 February 2025

Workshop.Research.Team.UNWE, 29 October 2025

MTM-Sofia-6 February 2025

MTM-Sofia-6 February 2025

Networking activity, Koprivshtitsa Municipality, 8 February, 2025

Networking activity, Koprivshtitsa Municipality, 8 February, 2025

Workshop-Sofia 7 February 2025

Project panel at 33rd NISPAcee Conference, May 22-24, 2025, Bratislava

BIP 2025 Digital Transformation in Public Services, SNSPA, Bucarest, 6 December, 2025