CORDIS

MEnS is a project conceived in order to enhance the NZEB skills of professionals, working in the building sector, such as building managers, engineers and architects, through a series of accredited training activities developed by 9 universities and 3 market players, supported by a communication partner.
The strategic target is to accelerate the NZEB culture in existing professional and market experts, in order to reduce the gap in the current knowledge on the technical implementation of NZEB solutions in the existing building stock.
Beyond this, the project was conceived to challenge two main current issues:
• The economic crisis, with the consequent high unemployment rate, which has affected in the past years some European countries;
• The lack of women resources in the building sector, due to the disadvantage in which women still find themselves in the actual market.
Thus MEnS project is at the forefront in tackling the implementation of the NZEB, covering the lack of professionals’ expertise and helping the unemployed and women in the Built Environment.
The overall objectives of MEnS, according to the above, are the following:
• To increase the knowledge and skills of at least 1800 building professionals in NZEB design and construction, out of which 50% would be women or unemployed.
• To create and implement a new education and training program, focusing on real case studies of buildings, in 10 countries, under the EQF provisions and based on desired and common learning outcomes of Level 7.
• To accredit these courses using the formal procedure in each country and assign ECTS credits.
• To develop an online E-Learning platform that will enhance the learning process, enable international cooperation and communication between participants and built on top of the Build-Up portal.
• To enhance and support the development of a professional network in Europe specifically focused on the retrofitting of housing stocks towards NZEB. A connection with over 250,000 stakeholders and market players is envisaged
• To provide working opportunities to unemployed professionals at a percentage of 30% of those attending.
• To initiate a wide media promotion of education and training activities impacting more than 1 million viewers.
• To create a sustainability plan for the future

MEnS is structured as a series of connected actions, which in some cases intersect each other, in order to amplify their impacts. Below are the details.
• Professional Development and Training Courses (CPD)
30 training courses Editions delivered with 1206 attendants (47% women, 35% unemployed)
• E-learning and MENS platform
The E-learning and MENS platform, with 11 national portals, promotes distance learning, and at the same time encourages real debate within stakeholders. http://www.mens-nzeb.eu/en/
• Front Meeting of Skills (FMS) - Case Studies Experiences in four different EU areas
Its specific format has been especially conceived to act as a real think tank of discussion and interactions between the actors involved, and as a case studies lab, which will develop best practices and shining examples of NZEB housing retrofitting.
Four FMS have been delivered, in UK, Cyprus, Denmark, Belgium, with 140 attendants (38% women, 31% unemployed).
• Scientific Advisory Board (AB):
The ABs are tailored meetings in which universities and external stakeholders are connected The ABs guarantee an innovation management strategy in order to respond to the needs of the market and to involve the highest numbers of professionals into the MEnS activity. Three ABs held, with 10 external industry representatives, 2 external universities, 1 real estate, 1 bank system (investor) and all Consortium partners.
• Survey and Content Updates:
Reports have been produced as guidelines and principles to define and select the best contents for the CPD activities and the FMS, and to collect information on how to engage female engineers in activities on NZEB, which has then be used as ‘role models’ in order to attract more women into this field.
• Dissemination and Exploitation of results:
The number of stakeholders and market players reached by the action is 837.500; more than 55 millions people reached by all communication activities; 250.590 sent newsletters; 18 videos broadcasted (10 short videos on training, 4 episodes of video-diary and 4 documentaries).
Organisation of 7 conferences and 10 workshops. Participation to 12 conferences and 4 workshops
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MEnSH2020/
LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/mens-eu-project-b439b2106
Twitter, https://twitter.com/mens_h2020

MEnS is structured to be implemented for 30 months, in terms of formal EU funded project, and further 5 years of training activities with a different business method.
The consortium has considered many options in order to build a Sustainability plan for the future.
To optimise EC resources and impacts and to build always a win to win long term approach - which includes more EC projects - the consortium agreed on using the existing no profit association USE Efficiency to coordinate the future activities related to MEnS.
What is USE Efficiency Association
USE Efficiency Association is the result of a very successful project, named USE Efficiency, funded under the IEE programme. The project was so successful that at the end of the funding period the consortium decided to follow up some of the activities during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
For this specific purpose a non-for profit Association named USE Efficiency was created.
How this links to MEnS
MEnS project and Use Efficiency have much in common as they are built with a cascade effect vision.
How MEnS will be Sustainble in its future activities
An independent no profit legal entity, able to coordinate all the future activities related to MEnS, is an important step to guarantee that the action will take place and that the action is structured with a sustainable model that supports its implementation.
A sustainable model has been created in order to provide the frame for the next activities. The BM considers the involvement of new partners and the opening up of some of the MEnS activities to other EU countries, which were not involved initially in the project, as well as non-EU countries.
The partnership created by MEnS and the other H2020 project Prof-Trac is a key enabler to the future business model.
Conclusions of the actions:
MEnS has been an incredible successful project, with results that went far beyond the original plan. Its success doesn’t lie only on the indicators achieved during the period of the action, but mainly on the fact that it has been conceived and delivered with a vision toward the future. The idea is that all the activities delivered in the past 30 months are preparatory and enabler for a consolidated framework in the future years.
Universities have all included MEnS training courses as part of their curriculum and offer towards professionals. The Front Meeting of Skills developed have been pilots for a wider plan of FMS to be organised in the folllowing years. The overall consortium has been consolidated through the existing USE Efficiency legal entity, to portrait all the required actions in the future.