Step2Green Europe – One Health Approach for a Green University (SELENE)

The Faculty of Medicine benefits from the backing of the university’s pair of research and application hospitals: Cebeci Research and Application Hospital and İbn-i Sina Research and Application Hospital. Cebeci Research Application Hospital is unique in that it was the first hospital in Turkiye to be associated with the country’s first medical school. Approximately 650,000 outpatients and 33,500 inpatients are treated annually in the hospital, which is the top tertiary healthcare provider in Turkey and meets the needs of patients from every part of the nation. An average of 44,000 surgeries are carried out yearly on the 26 operating tables in the operating rooms. The second hospital affiliated with Ankara University, Ibn-i Sina Practice and Research Hospital opened its doors in 1985. An average of 600,000 individuals receive outpatient treatments from 22 clinics, while 35,000 patients receive inpatient care at the hospital. Additionally, robotic surgery and other surgeries totaling an average of 50.000 are carried out with the most recent technologies. Both hospitals use PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) to expedite service procedures and offer accurate and reliable information flow across the units through the network.

In addition to the faculties mentioned above, the university also has a state conservatory, a college of foreign languages, 47 research and application centers, 13 vocational schools, and 15 graduate schools. The university comprises a total of approximately 3,966 faculty members, 8,138 staff members, and 91, 763 students, including 3,276 international students.

Internationalization is among the priorities of Ankara University. Within the scope of Erasmus+ 553 agreements have been established with 29 countries, encompassing interactions with 298 distinct higher education institutions. Moreover, 205 academic collaboration agreements (MOUs) have been signed in place with universities all across the world.

English is used as the primary language of instruction in the 26 master’s programs, 5 doctoral programs, and 24 undergraduate programs. Furthermore, at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, there are 24 different language and literature programs within the Faculty of Language History and Geography.

Ankara University has been chosen as one of the Research Universities by the Council of Higher Education in Türkiye. Apart from its core focus on education and training, it is prominently engaged in pivotal academic endeavors, chiefly centered around scientific research studies. These research initiatives yield outcomes that find publication in esteemed international scientific journals. The array of these publications, coupled with scientific books and reports, significantly promotes the global scientific knowledge base, underscoring Ankara University’s enduring contribution to the international scientific community.

The AERES UAS, with 4,500 degree students in three faculties with 300 FTU in lecturing and ancillary staff, has 100% international student mobility and about 10% of international degree students in 33 certificates, bachelor and master programmes in English offered to both Dutch and international students. Its research is all applied and the 15 research groups focus on education, knowledge transfer, responsible food and food production, and systemic transition to meet climatic challenges and alleviate the urban-rural divide. Its faculties are located in smaller towns on the edge of the large urban sprawl that makes up the metropolitan west of The Netherlands.

All UAS faculties are near rural areas, all are engaged in the development of short chains in food and health. AERES recognises similarity in the challenges that the other institutions face and will profit from this alliance by the innovation and solutions that the partners are finding or have found. As a part of the holding of TVET, Training and UAS the AERES Group, the largest (21 branches, 13,000 pupils and students, 1,300 staff, 15,000 training certificate professionals annually, 135 million Euro annual turnover) green education and consultancy entity in the Netherlands, it brings good resources and a strong national audience to the table for the others to profit from. Projects in public-private partnerships are frequent and open to alliance partner participation.

The AERES UAS has a 35-year history of fostering the European dimension in its intended audience and programming. In pursuing this ambition, it has focused on the removal of mobility and recognition obstacles for students and staff alike. Through long-term partnerships, it has succeeded in setting up mobility and distance learning programmes in food, life science and sustainable entrepreneurship as well as regional development. The achievements won – and constraints overcome – are now the incentive to make the next steps in institutional development:
1. Further integration of allied institutions towards seamlessly mobile and individual learning pathways for students,
2. Development of European accreditation and assessment procedures that go beyond the currently existing dual degree programmes and joint projects, and make regional contrastive study, sustainable food security and climate-smart research and learning the reality that future scholars will come to expect,
3. Continuation of its established strong competence-based learning experience, to further develop this with partners in Europe in search of co-education between academia and the world of work, and so move truly from teaching to learning.

The value of becoming part of a truly European university lies in trust between partners, and the current members are diverse in outlook and regionality but share a vision that learning gains come from studying contrasts, respectfully. Not from obliterating them.

University of Agriculture in Krakow (UAK; Poland) has been operating as an independent institution of higher education since 1953. It is a public university providing tertiary education, conducting specialist research and educational activity in the fields of agriculture sciences, in all their functional aspects, i.e., natural, technical, social and economic. The University expands and popularises knowledge, creates innovation aimed to promote food safety and climate neutrality, and improves the competitive advantage of an economic sector based on biological materials and processes, in response to emerging challenges to society and civilization. UAK operates on a European scale, continually improving its processes, and is positioned to influence especially the region of Central Europe.

UniLaSalle (ULS) is a French private higher education institution (‘Grande école’) founded in 1854. It is supervised jointly by the French Ministries of Agriculture and Ministry of Education/Research. UniLaSalle hosts 4100 students on four campuses in Beauvais, Rouen, Rennes and Amiens and has been emerging as one of France’s leading knowledge hub at the interface of One Health in applied sustainable development, agriculture, environment, food and health. UniLaSalle trains generalist engineers to hold high-level executive and top management positions in the following sectors: agriculture, food industry, food and health, veterinary medicine, geosciences, environment, energy and digital technologies. The students are accompanied by 520 staff, including research-lecturers, consulting/research engineers and administrative personnel

The academic programmes include integrated (Bachelor + Master) five-year engineering degrees (possible also as apprenticeship programmes), Bachelors, two-year Master programmes (1 Erasmus Mundus Master of Excellence), and international summer and semester programmes. All academic programmes are research-informed to support the curriculum of the great range of scientific disciplines taught at the school. The teaching methods upheld by the school are dynamic and practical and put great emphasis on work placements. At the same time, more than 1000 partner companies provide and share real business and industry life experience with the students.

Six research teams, comprising over 150 scientific staff and 45 PhD students, are actively engaged in the fields of agroecology, bioresources, bioeconomy, natural resources, renewable energies, circular economy, food sciences, and animal and human health. These interdisciplinary efforts are supported by 12 technological platforms, including fablabs, to foster innovative research and action projects.

UniLaSalle’s research and training activities are aligned with its commitment to provide solutions and support transformative efforts to address the challenges of One Health and sustainable development on a global scale. These research activities are officially recognized and labeled by the French Ministry of MESRI & MASA following HCERES evaluation.

UniLaSalle is very well integrated in its local, national and international context. In the Hauts-de-France, Normandy and Brittany regions UniLaSalle teams up with the other HEIs and works in close cooperation with the regional administration. On the national level UniLaSalle is member of FESIC, the first network of French private engineering and management schools, and of the ‘Conférence des Grandes Ecoles’ (Conference of Graduate Schools).

Internationally, UniLaSalle has active cooperation agreements with more than 250 partner universities across 50 countries. It is a member of the International Association of LaSalle Universities, which comprises over 60 members in 20 countries and serves more than 500,000 students worldwide. UniLaSalle is also part of the broader LaSalle Network, which is present in 82 countries through 1,200 educational institutions at all levels. Furthermore, UniLaSalle is leading and coordinating an Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Plant Breeding (www.emplant-master.eu, 2020-2026).

The research activities and study programmes of UniLaSalle are certified by ISO 9001(Quality Management System), the Commission of Engineering Diplomas (‘Commission des titres d’ingénieurs’, www.cti-commission.fr) and EUR-ACE (EURopean ACcredited Engineer), granted by the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE, www.enaee.eu), and has been awarded the DD&RS (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility) French label since 2020.

With just over 11,000 students, the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (SWUAS) is one of the larger universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia. With departments in five different locations it has a strong presence in the South Westphalia region. At SWUAS, specialists and managers are trained in the areas of agriculture, food systems, natural sciences, business administration, pedagogic, engineering (mechanical engineering and electrical engineering) and computer science. The range of Bachelor and Master programs includes those that are aimed at full-time students as well as studying besides a job career or students who combine vocational training with studies.

As a regionally anchored university with supra-regional activities and international teaching and research, SWUAS aspires to play a major role in the process of innovation in South Westphalia. In its guidelines, SWUAS sees itself as a driving force in the role of a knowledge and transfer center and development partner that gives new impetus to partners from agriculture, industry, crafts, administration and politics.

The South Westphalia region has a rural structure and is characterized by a strong small and medium-sized industry. Digitalization as well as demographic and climate change are the key future challenges for the region and its economy. Therefore, SWUAS administration integrated a sustainability department with the aim to implement sustainability in all teaching, research and administrative activities. SWUAS established a rector`s commission on sustainability and was the first UAS to participate in the NRW initiative “Carbon-neutral federal administration”. Sustainability is the core objective of several study programs. One of the university’s experimental farms is dedicated to ecology and biodiversity.

The University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV) of Bucharest is the leading life sciences university in Romania. Established in 1852, USAMV of Bucharest has a rich history and a strong commitment to education, research, innovation and community.

Our mission is to shape the world into a better place by sharing, applying, and disseminating knowledge in agronomic and veterinary medicine fields. Thus, we align closely with the scope of the Alliance, focusing on sustainability, environmental conservation, and agricultural development.

The fields of study that USAMV covers are: Agronomy, Biology, Forestry, Horticulture, Animal Production Engineering and Management, Veterinary Medicine, Food Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geodetic Engineering, Biotechnologies, Applied Engineering Sciences, Engineering and Management, Engineering and Management in Agriculture and Rural Development.

Key Figures

• 7 Faculties, 12 Research Centers, 71 fully equipped laboratories in 2 Green Campuses in the heart of Bucharest with many facilities ranging from experimental fields, to student amenities (dormitories, canteen, indoor & outdoor sports facilities), 1 Veterinary Teaching Emergency Hospital, 2 Research & Development Stations
• 11600 students (from which 8500 Bachelor students, 2200 Master students and 900 PhD students), and 1240 staff

USAMV of Bucharest offers Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees in 31 BA study programs, 34 MA study programs and 6 fields of PhD study programs within the following:

• Faculty of Agriculture; Faculty of Horticulture; Faculty of Animal Productions Engineering and Management; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Faculty of Land Reclamation and Environmental Engineering; Faculty of Biotechnologies; Faculty of Management and Rural Development;
• Doctoral Studies in: Agronomy, Biotechnology, Horticulture, Engineering and Management of Agriculture and Rural Development, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Medicine.

Our students benefit from practical training in the modern greenhouses of our university, in the Research Center for Studies of Food Quality and Agricultural Products, and in the 2 Research and Development Stations of USAMV: the Pietroasa-Istrița R&D Station for Viticulture, Winemaking and Fruit Growing, and the Moara Domnească R&D Station for Agronomy.

The Research Center for Studies of Food Quality and Agricultural Products has 13 multidisciplinary research laboratories and greenhouses, designed to European standards, providing competitiveness both at national and international level.

The results of this sustained efforts are visible in the career opportunities our graduates have benefited and continue to benefit from. The need to produce in line with environmental protection standards, stimulating the economy of rural communities, creates such opportunities. We are committed to have USAMV graduates with successful careers in their chosen field by offering courses tailored to international standards.

Our scientists develop a broad range of research initiatives on Sustainable Cropping and Livestock Production Practices; Animal Welfare, Healthy & Safe Food Systems; Natural Resources Management and Agri-Ecological Balance; Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Protection; Climate-Resilient Agriculture; Waste Management and Circular Bio-Economy; Precision Agriculture and Smart Technologies; Socio and Economic Analysis and Policy Impact. 120+ research projects in 16 types of programs are currently running.

The research outcomes, which include patents, research projects, and inventions presented by academics from USAMV Bucharest, are highly valued. In 2022, researchers and PhD students were awarded with 28 gold medals, 24 silver medals and 15 medals bronze.

USAMV Bucharest has consolidated its reputation in organizing and hosting prestigious international scientific events, becoming a reference hub:

– “Agriculture for Life, Life for Agriculture” The International Conference annually attracts approximately 1000 participants from over 43 countries, being one of the most visible events promoting agricultural and life sciences research results;

– “One Health Student International Conference” Annually co-organized with ISOHA (the International Student One Health Alliance), covering topics such as: Environment Health and Climate Changes, Animal Welfare, Landscape, Green Areas and Forestry, Sustainable Plant Production, Healthy Food and Nutrition.

Our commitment to groundbreaking research with a transformative impact on society has yielded significant results, offering fresh perspectives and insights into various complex global problems. By partnering with industry actors and research institutions, we actively work on crafting innovative solutions such as biofertilizers, precision farming methods, and sustainable animal husbandry practices, while addressing waste management challenges, in alignment with the sustainable development goals. Therefore, our research influences and enhances health, education, science, engineering, civil society, industry and government. USAMV of Bucharest creates synergy by integrating education with both fundamental and applied research. The university’s research teams collaborate interdisciplinarily and transdisciplinarily to cover the entire spectrum of knowledge.

Briefly, the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest plays an active role in the thematic focus of the Alliance by engaging in education, research and extension. Through its focus on sustainable agriculture, food-security, biodiversity preservation, climate-resilient methods, and innovation, USAMV of Bucharest is a key contributor to the advancement of environmental sustainability and agricultural development objectives.

USAMV: “A university for life and agriculture through high quality education and research”

UF is a State Higher School which carries out the state policy for the development of the higher education and science in the Republic of Bulgaria in a uniquely combined complex of specialties related to the management and technological provision of the use of natural resources, products and services. UF is a nationally recognized educational and scientific centre, called to provide highly qualified specialists with higher education, as well as to develop scientific and research activities in the fields of forestry, general engineering, earth sciences, veterinary medicine, plant breeding, plant protection, tourism, administration and management.

With its highly educated academic staff of nationally recognized and internationally recognized lecturers and scientists, the UF provides personnel recruitment and scientific servicing of major branches for the country and their sectors – forestry, woodworking and furniture industry, engineering design, ecology and environmental protection, landscape architecture, agriculture, veterinary medicine, alternative tourism, etc. Today the University has 5 faculties: Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Forest Industry, Faculty of Ecology and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and Faculty of Agronomy. Тhe UF employs 215 lecturers and 183 administrative staff, and educates around 3 000 students. As an autonomous university, UF seeks to develop an academic environment in which not only the training of qualified staff is achieved but also to educate socially responsible individuals showing entrepreneurship, adaptability and creative capabilities for successful professional realization, adopting the European values for lifelong learning and contributing to the prosperity of Bulgaria and the development of the European Union towards a “knowledge-based economy”.

For UF, participation in SELENE project will be a unique opportunity to strengthen collaboration in the field of education and research with foreign Universities, especially in the fields of forestry, agronomy and veterinary medicine.

The University of Messina is in Sicily and enjoys a long tradition as a driving force in the Mediterranean area. UNIME was founded by the Jesuits in 1548 and despite its ancient origins, it is an university in continuous growth whose motto is “tradition and innovation at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea”.

UNIME is a modern university, acknowledging the centrality of the student. UNIME is engaged to be a driving force of innovation responding to the expectations of education and growth, both of its students and of the territory. A University that promotes free, plural, and quality of teaching and scientific research. The University promotes a wider vision to face the challenges that changing processes impose, in compliance with the principles of sustainability, a strong orientation towards innovation and internationalisation.

Since the launch of the Bologna Process, UNIME has paid particular attention to integrate and mainstream internationalisation policies within a wider institutional modernization policy, considering relevant guidelines at national and European level. This strategy led to an increase in incoming and outgoing mobile students, academic and administrative staff. A strong investment in terms of policy, human resources and skills was made over the last years on innovation of the academic offer, standardization, and transparency of procedures, both in terms of participation to European funded programmes and their implementation. The UNIME internationalisation strategy for the next years is aimed at further improve its performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook and better position the University on international rankings. The position held in international rankings plays an important role in the internationalization process. It is increasingly used by researchers and students as an indicator of the reputation and quality of a university, as well as a tool to guide choices in the increasingly competitive academic and research sectors. The rankings are also used for project financing decisions, thus a good position guarantees greater chances of being chosen as partner of the best universities, while also benefitting in terms of economic resources. UNIME employs human and economic resources to collect data and monitor its performance in these rankings, to create opportunities and improve its position.

The participation in the Erasmus programme is traditionally one of the main pillars of the UNIME strategy for modernisation and internationalisation. UNIME will continue pursuing and supporting the participation in the programme coherently with its participation policy of the last seven years.

To achieve its long-term goals, UNIME will be engaged to promote cooperation with universities from all over the world by intense networking, participate in European calls for proposals for the internationalization of research and teaching as well as participate in mobility consortia. Promotion of students and staff mobility as well as the participation in European and international cooperation projects are considered of paramount importance to foster the quality of academic offer and to help individuals to increase their professional, social, and intercultural skills and employability.

The development of cooperation initiatives will take place in the framework of UNIME partnerships network and in line with the goal of building up a European Education Area by 2025. Cooperation between partner Universities will be a catalyst for innovative ways to support learners in their personal, educational, and professional development. It brings concrete positive effects for individuals by increasing their skills and competences, including languages, empowering people with more key competences, recognising competences acquired through volunteering and non-formal learning, increasing higher education attainment, and implementing the Bologna reform.

UNIME network of agreements will further evolve with the adoption of new far-reaching initiatives such the possibility of developing double or joint degrees as well as the promotion of exchanges of PhD students and academic and administrative staff. The increase of incoming and outgoing mobilities of students and staff remains a priority of UNIME internationalisation strategy. International mobilities are crucial to build up an inclusive knowledge-based society where cultural differences are an incentive rather than an obstacle to international cooperation. Specific mobility windows will be promoted in each Degree programme to make international mobility for study or traineeship the norm for students. International mobility is also considered to be a training opportunity that enables students to acquire important skills in addition to their chosen field of study (independent judgment, communication skills, independent learning). UNIME is convinced that international mobility provides individuals with the right set of knowledge, skills, and competences, including languages, from a lifelong learning perspective. This will help to make people more resilient and employable as well as foster social cohesion at the local level as well as in the Europe. This will also help to strengthen the sense of European identity (understanding what the European Union is, how it works and what added value it has for its citizens) and the participation of young people in democratic processes. The effort to promote international mobility of UNIME students and staff will be coupled with the commitment to renew and internationalise the academic offer. New degree courses taught in English (of first, second and third cycle level) will be implemented to boost internationalization at home policies with a focus on inclusive international didactic at all degree cycles. This will increase the number of international students enrolled at UNIME. Attracting students and researchers from across the world will help to create a multicultural environment, favour human and institutional development and enhance mutual understanding among cultures. UNIME will continue to develop double degree courses scaling up the cooperation with most reliable partner Institutions within the framework of the Erasmus programme. Structured mobility schemes will help to ease the recognition of Higher education qualifications across the EU. Full recognition of study periods abroad will continue to be ensured as well as recognition of experiences abroad both in terms of university curriculum and professional development. These efforts will go hand in hand with the simplification and decentralisation of the programme management procedures. In particular, the participation in the Erasmus programme will also contribute to implement UNIME modernisation strategy aimed at making better use of digital technology for teaching and learning activities and developing student’s digital competences and skills needed for living and working in an age of digital transformation. Digitalization of Erasmus procedures has started and will be strongly prosecuted over the next seven years, representing a flagship action of our university also in terms of environmental awareness and sustainability, not to mention accessibility for final beneficiaries. In particular, the implementation of the European Student Card Initiative is a key element of the University internationalisation strategy towards the creation of the EEA by 2025. In line with the process of administrative dematerialization, the complete adhesion to the Erasmus Without Papers Initiative will lead to the digitalisation and the streamline of the overall administrative process of student mobility management with benefits for the University performance and better services for mobile students. Furthermore, the implementation of on-line platforms for distance learning, recently boosted to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus, is expected to encourage future blended mobility schemes (as a combination of a short- term physical mobility with a virtual component). This, in turn, will have further positive effects on the implementation of Programme in terms of inclusion and wider accessibility of participants from all backgrounds.

UniMe aims at solving big societal challenges by engaging more transnational cooperation, to create EU degrees, offering students the chance to study in different EU countries.

UniMe has a strong international component with agreements with universities from all over the world. Exchange programmes, double-degree and joint degree programmes are all part of the international opportunities available to students.

The mission of the University of Messina is to promote education and scientific research in all areas of knowledge and to offer lifelong learning to students, companies, and institutions as a basis for society development. Located at the heart of the Mediterranean, UniME has a growing visibility, competitiveness and a strategic focus on innovation and internationalisation.

The efforts of the UniMe governance are concentrated in the adaptation of skills needs due to the global market, to remain competitive on a worldwide scene.

Unime is among the top 15 Universities in Italy (11th) for the sustainability of Degree Courses and for the competitiveness of research (14th place), namely the ability to attract resources on the various projects. In the Italian university quality rankings, Unime ranks second among large Southern Italy universities.

In addition to the traditional missions of Teaching and Research, it consists in the enhancement of research and training to generate a positive impact on society by contributing to the development of the territory through its heritage, proposing new technologies, new knowledge, attracting new talents, stimulating greater cultural vitality. The commitment is aimed at returning a different public model of knowledge, overcoming the idea of a closed academic eco-system. The University is made up 12 departments (Ancient and Modern Civilizations, Economics, Law, Engineering, Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Huma and Paediatric Pathology, Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Educational and Cultural Studies, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics and Earth Science, Political and Juridical Sciences, Veterinary Sciences); 4 Campus allocated in the downtown but also in Peripheral area of the City. The University of Messina received more than 50 visiting scholars every year, more than 500 students on mobility every year, more than 500 international Freshmen every year; signed more than 550 cooperation agreements with international universities.

The University of Messina offers a growing number of undergraduate and graduate degree courses taught in English in the most requested professional fields for the global market: Business management, STEM, Political Sciences and International Relations, Educational Studies, Life Sciences & Medicine related Studies, Legal Studies. All degree programmes are taught by highly qualified professors with extensive international experience.

The student is at the centre of Unime, thank to different program such as Students Ambassador program which aims to interact in a peer-to-peer way with international students, Student accommodation, Meal Card, Transport, Sports facilities, Disability Services for students. Students, academics, administrative staff, and researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds are the centre of UnimE program.

Additionally, UniMe promote social equality through the ERSU Scholarship and Working as a Student. The first program aims for enrolled students are awarded based on the personal/family income of the applicant. The Regional Agency for the Right to Higher Education publishes a yearly call for applications for scholarship, free accommodation, scholarship for international mobility and awards for high achievement. The second program give the opportunity for students to work part time at the University. All University premises are equipped with free wi-fi connection, UniMe has a well-stocked library with the best scientific and academic publications. The on-line integrated library database and updated information on academic and research activities and services are freely available at the University website.

One of the major objectives of UniMe is to promote international student exchange programmes at the European and international levels. Thanks to the Welcome Office and the Erasmus Student Network provide international students with information that will help in their smooth reception and integration at UniMe.

For the upcoming seven years UNIME, also thanks to the previous internationalization policy that has built solid basis for the upcoming future, will confirm its engagement to contribute to the development of the European Area of Education enlarging the basin of the academic community experiencing a mobility period within their own career, working on recognition of qualifications, promoting multi-linguist and the development of digital skills. UNIME will continuously work to remove socio-economic barriers for the access to high quality education and will contribute to develop in the academic community social awareness and European identity. This commitment will be in line with the UNIME ambition of being a driving force to economic and social advancement of the territory. Participation in the Erasmus programme is an enriching experience at all levels. The unquestionable positive impact of mobility for the whole academic community at European and international level is a driver of economic development and social inclusion and encompasses employability skills development, motivation for further study, intercultural openness, tolerance, and engagement with social and political issues. The increase in quality and quantity of mobility opportunities for UNIME students and staff has been one of the main policy issues over the last years. This has been pursued with a significant success within the E+ KA103 and 107 programmes but also working on overseas programmes promoted and financed by UNIME. For the next future, UNIME will work to make mobility the norm within the academic pathway of our students as well as in the professional development of our staff.

Multilinguism, acquisition of key competences, social awareness and inclusion, digital skills and active citizenship will be the flagship of the programme development for the years to come. Removing the economic and cultural barriers to mobility will be a key issue to contribute to the objective to send abroad 20% of all higher education students.

An envisaged increase of 30% in the number of Inter Institutional Agreements (IIA) with a parallel effort to develop double degrees programmes and a continuous monitoring on the quality of the IIAs will ensure the maximization of the impact of programme activities on mobility opportunities for students and staff boosting the internationalization of education process and strengthening our cooperation network. Full implementation of ECTS as a common tool to guarantee the quality of mobility along with the enforcement of the common roadmap to digitalization set by the Erasmus Without Paper Initiative will vastly impact on transparency of recognition procedures, accessibility of mobility opportunities, modernization of internal procedures. The implementation of the European Student Card Initiative will have a cross-cutting impact on the UNIME strategy allowing a greater use of information, communication and technology tools, on-line services, blended mobility, reduction of administrative paperwork. These efforts are expected to produce an increase of a 40% of exchange students by 2027.

International mobility will contribute to develop a strong sense of European identity, social awareness, and active citizenship. International Cooperation will act as a catalyst for innovation at all levels thanks to the exchange of good practices, peer learning, increased skills, and competences, including languages, use of innovative teaching methods, spreading knowledge and innovation between participants. To maximize the achievement from the participation to cooperation programmes, UNIME has centralized the monitoring and administrative support for submission, implementation and monitoring of financed projects setting a dedicated professionalized unit. Through a more focused and successful participation in KA2, in fact, UNIME will strengthen a multidisciplinary approach to higher education as part of its institutional strategy. This will support social and digital innovation, improvement of digital skills of the academic community, experimenting effective measures to overcome social and economic barriers preventing students and staff from benefiting of the international dimension of education.

European Universities Initiative finally will be a powerful driver of change and modernization thanks to the sharing of good practices, organizational models, innovative academic offer and new services and standards for students and staff. At local level, in a region that suffers slow economic growth and low level of industrial investment, such as Sicily, high quality education is vital to get more people into decent jobs, promote social awareness and contribute to building up a European identity, disseminating project results but most of all Erasmus programme values. The positive impact will be measured and monitored taking into account measurable indicators (increasing number of mobilities, number of ECTS gained abroad, number of IIAs, number of applications and success rate in the participation to Erasmus calls for proposals, internal monitoring of European and international mobility and cooperation activities to date) but most of all qualitative through participants reports, interviews, internal focus groups, dedicated administrative Units with different skills for each key action in order to maximize the learning by doing, capitalize information, set a resilient approach to critical issues.