Kicking off 2024 with two groundbreaking Erasmus+ funded projects, RSM associate professor Dimitrios Vlachopoulos and his consortium of partners are set to revolutionise education and empower disadvantaged youth. These two new project grants come on the heels of Dimitrios’ earlier € 1.3 million in funding for five projects received in mid-2023.
The Metaverse Learning Hub
With a grant of € 400,000 and a timeline of 2024-2026, the EU-funded Cooperation Partnerships in Youth grant, Developing youth’s human and digital skills through gamification & immersive learning experiences, focuses on disadvantaged youth and refugee empowerment. Serving as a pioneering project with an innovative approach to skill development through immersive learning experiences, this project leverages gamification in the learning process, to not only bridge the digital gap but also to equip young individuals with essential human skills, thereby enhancing their employability in the digital economy.
Underpinning this first project’s initiative, sponsored by the European Union and Erasmus+ and coordinated by Dimitrios, a consortium of partners based in the Netherlands, Greece, Romania and Poland have set out to gain societal progress and bring about transformative impact at individual, organisational and sectoral levels to create lasting, positive change.
UNIHUBS
Dimitrios’ second project, with € 800,000 in EU funding and set to take place from 2024-2027, is the Capacity Building in Higher Education grant, Fostering innovation in African HEIs to enhance their relevance for the digital innovation labour market. Also coordinated by Dimitrios, a consortium of partners from the Netherlands, Greece, Kenya, Ghana and Tanzania intends to transform business and management curricula across three countries to enhance graduate employability in the global job market. Fixed on aligning educational outcomes with industry demands, this project seeks to modernise higher education systems and stimulate international cooperation.
Funding for this second project comes from the European Union’s Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) action, which supports international cooperation projects based on multilateral partnerships amongst organisations active in higher education. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Accords, this action supports the relevance, quality, modernisation and responsiveness of higher education in developing countries. It not only addresses socio-economic recovery, growth and prosperity, it also reacts to recent trends, in particular economic globalisation, the recent decline in human development, fragility, and rising social, economic and environmental inequalities.
About Erasmus+ funding programme
Erasmus+ is an EU programme which supports education, training, youth and sport. The programme provides opportunities for participants to study, train, gain experience and volunteer abroad. The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.
In addition to offering grants, Erasmus+ also supports teaching, research, networking and policy debate on EU topics. The sports chapter promotes grassroots activities in sports.
