Romanian Institute for Adult Education (IREA) is a pedagogical research institute established in 2000.

IREA mainly aims to conduct research and publish books and materials regarding adult education, to provide counselling, documentation, communication and information to improve pedagogical skills and managerial practitioners in adult education. Essentially, IREA offers professional and scientific support needed to improve the national system of continuing education in Romania, so it made compatible with international systems and practices for adult education. The overall aim of the research is to improve the quality of adult education, and to identify ways to increase their participation in learning, and also strengthening size lifelong learning, both at individual and institutional levels.

The main research directions within IREA are: professionalization of adult educators, the impact of new media on adult learning, intergenerational learning and active aging, developing the concept of different support services offered to adults - eg counselling in adult education, delivery of innovative teaching and learning in the workplace, development of key skills, adult basic education, social inclusion and active citizenship through education.

ASSUMED ROLES: Interface between theoreticians and practitioners; Platform for professionals working in adult education using a wide range of channels: publications (books, guides, journal, research reports), annotated information resources, academic events (National Conference on Adult Education); Advisor for policies in adult education and LLL; Consulting for organizational and staff development; Assessor professional skills.

As coordinator but, also as a partner IREA has developed research projects, development and innovation, together with partners in most European countries and is involved in more than 35 international projects on various topics, covering aspects such as: developing the concept of the various services offered to adults (career counselling, creation networking in adult education, validation of prior learning, socio-educational services for the elderly and socially disadvantaged young adults); performing diagnostic and synthesis of research on development in various fields of adult education.

IREA has published more than 15 books on various issues in adult education, the coordinator of the series of the publication: "Theoretical Approaches in Adult Education", "Praxis in Adult Education" IREA is co-editor of the Journal of Educational Sciences (www. rsejournal.uvt.ro), published by the Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Sociology and Psychology, West University of Timisoara. IREA is an authorized professional skills assessment and certification for trainers and trainers of trainers.

People involved: Simona Negomireanu (coord), Laura Malita, Gabriela Grosseck & Ramona Bran

Contact person: Denisa Centea office@irea.ro

Eurecat is currently the leading Technology Centre in Catalonia, and the second largest private research organization in Southern Europe. Eurecat manages a turnover of 50M€ and 600 professionals, is involved in more than 160 R&D projects and has a customer portfolio of over 1.000 companies. Eurecat is currently participating in more than 70 EU funded collaborative projects, mainly in the Horizon 2020 Programme. In addition to this wide experience at European level, Eurecat is also a strong player in the various R&D programmes sponsored by the Spanish and Catalan administrations, with more than 160 ongoing projects. Technology transfer is also an essential activity in Eurecat, with 36 international patents and 9 technology-based companies (eight in Spain and one in Latin America) started-up from the centre. Eurecat R&D, innovation and training activities span from Industrial Technologies (metallic, plastic and composite materials, manufacturing processes, autonomous and professional robotics, functional printing and fabrics, simulations and sustainability) to Digital Technologies (Digital Humanities, Big Data Analytics, IT Security and Smart Management Systems, e-health, data mining and multimedia technologies) and Biotech (Omic science and Nutrition & health). Additionally, Eurecat has been accepted by the European Commission as a KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) Technology Centre in order to collaborate with SMEs on close-to-market research and innovation activities. EURECAT’s Training Unit has a long tradition in designing and providing vocational training programmes in its core expertise areas. The Training Department also hosts his own Innovation group which devotes his efforts towards the design, development and testing of methodologies and technologies to improve the knowledge transfer and assessment processes among professionals and to improve life-long learning processes in diverse fields of application, including both hard and soft skills. The group specializes in learning analytics, innovative ICT interfaces for training activities, adaptative and motivational methodologies and personal training environments. The training innovation group have been participating in successful EU funded projects: NMP-DeLA, TECMEHV, EDUMOTION, CREAMED, MIMAN-T. It is currently participating in national and international projects, including two Erasmus+ funded projects: Digit-T, SkillsMatch and Adeaptive.

SantiFort, Team leader, santi.fort@eurecat.org

Laia Subirats - Artificial Intelligence specialist, laia.subirats@eurecat.org

Regional Volunteer Center was established in 1997 as a program of the Foundation in Support of Local Democracy. From 2005 we have been an independent association. The main aims of our organization is to help the people to understand the idea of volunteering, educate youth about alternative ways of spending spare time and helping the others. Work Exchange Office for volunteers is the Centre's main activity. We help people to find a place where they can use their skills as volunteers. We also prepare new volunteers for such job by teaching them about basics of Polish law about volunteering, and about non-governmental organizations. Our volunteers work for non-governmental organizations, cultural organizations, public administration, schools, kindergartens, during sports events, festivals, charity actions, and as a support for older and disabled people in daily activities. We also prepare courses and workshops for organizations leaders and co-ordinators to prepare them to engage volunteers into their activities. We work with everyone who wants to become a
volunteer. The most of users of our job office are students who are use volunteering as a practice before the regular job. Regional Volunteer Centre is as an insitution which connects organisations with people.We cooperate with many institutions like: Social Welfare Home, Kindergardens, Museums,Theatres, NGOs working with kids, elderly people, Students organisations, Youth Associations, House of Culture, Schools etc.
RVC uses non-formal education and especilly ETS methods when working with young people. We have experience managining a regional Youth in Action Training Point, EVS and other
KA1 projects, KA2 Strategic Partnership and KA3 EYW Events.

Michał Braun - Vice President Email michal.braun@centrumwolontariatu.eu

BADEN is an independent association promoting the use of professional knowledge via e-learning and distance education.

BADEN's goals include:

• development of information society in the region of Balkans through improving and promoting quality e-learning and distance education
• modernization of education by promoting regional and international cooperation by connecting institutions and individuals, as well as by exchange of information in the fields of e-learning and distance education
• tuning into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
• raising the level of pedagogical and technical knowledge and skills in the fields of e-learning and distance learning
• strengthening of educational and civil sector for successful application of e-learning and distance education
• fostering and cherishing research spirit for further development of e-learning and distance education
• strengthening responsibility within pedagogical practice in the fields of e-learning and distance education
• more effective employment and improvement of economic development
• raising social awareness about the significance of e-learning and distance education in all aspects of formal, informal and non-formal education
• fostering and strengthening responsibility for individual development and improvement of status of smaller and wider communities through activities of protection of human and minority rights, labor, racial and sex equity and the right to live in a healthy and ecologically safe environment

Members of the BADEN network are simultaneously teachers at universities in Serbia. All these universities practice online teaching and learning, as well as blended learning (in addition to their regular face-to-face courses).

Peoples involved: Vladan Devedzic, Danijela Milosevic, Katarina Mitrovic, Marija Blagojevic and Uros Krcadinac

The Open University of Cyprus (OUC), established in 2002, is the second by order of establishment public university of Cyprus and the country’s only Higher Education Institution dedicated solely to distance education. The University offers interdisciplinary, career-oriented and accredited undergraduate and postgraduate (at the Master and doctoral levels) programmes, and vocational/training programmes of short duration. For the 2015-2016 academic year, more than 4800 students were enrolled in one of the 24 programmes of study offered by OUC, while more than 2600 people have graduated with an OUC degree title. OUC offers academic programmes in both Greek and English. The Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus has recently announced that the Open University of Cyprus assumes a coordinating role in distance education in Cyprus. Specifically, the Ministry’s strategy refers to a range of inter-university programmes (joint and/or dual degrees) to be offered in English as a means to attract foreign students, but also to transform Cyprus into a regional education and research centre.   Also, OUC promotes the mobility of its students via inter-relationship with other (conventional or distance learning) universities. Furthermore, OUC creates strong partnerships with universities in the region and in Europe and promotes international cooperation, while designing and developing new programmes of study, and continuously developing new technological infrastructure. Research at OUC, beyond individual faculty members’ interests, extends to Open and Distance Learning, including educational methodology and educational technology.

 

For more information contact Jahna Otterbacher, info@cycat.io