€2.7 million for developing European competence and innovation
Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), together with its partners in the RUN European University (RUN-EU), was awarded three significant new funding grants during the summer. The funding, totalling €2.7 million, will be used to develop the competence and wellbeing of higher education teachers, European joint degrees, and regional innovation capacity across Europe.
HAMK’s combined share of the funding in the projects that received a positive funding decision during the summer is €520,000. RUN-EU, an alliance of ten European higher education institutions, expands HAMK’s funding opportunities and networks, among other benefits.
Strengthening pedagogical competence and wellbeing
Teachers are increasingly expected to have strong pedagogical competence and the ability to support student wellbeing. However, there is still limited training available that combines innovative pedagogy with research-based wellbeing skills. The Erasmus+ funded Empowering European higher education teachers/educators through innovative pedagogics and Well-being (RUN WELL) project responds to this need.
Coordinated by HAMK, the project will develop a training programme that can be applied in higher education institutions across Europe. The project will provide higher education teachers with practical methods for creating learning environments that support wellbeing and for strengthening their own professional resilience.
The three-year project has a total budget of €250,000, of which HAMK’s share is approximately €100,000. The project is implemented in cooperation with RUN-EU partners the University of Burgos in Spain and the Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic. The project manager at HAMK is Principal Research Scientist Telle Hailikari.
Towards a joint European degree
The second RUN European University project to receive a positive funding decision will accelerate the development of European joint degrees. In practice, a joint degree means that a student completes studies at several European higher education institutions, which jointly award the degree. The project aims to obtain a European Degree Label for the developed joint degree programmes. The label supports the development and delivery of joint degree programmes across Europe and improves the recognition and comparability of qualifications. In addition, the Exploring Joint European Degrees in RUN-EU (RUN-ED) project will create operating models that strengthen student mobility, European values, cooperation with the world of work, and collaboration between higher education institutions. The aim is to make European higher education cooperation smoother and more impactful for students, higher education institutions and working life.
The project is coordinated by the Technological University of the Shannon in Ireland. HAMK and the University of Leiria and Oeste in Portugal are responsible for strengthening the RUN-EU alliance’s capacity to implement joint degrees that meet the criteria of the European Degree Label by identifying legislative and administrative barriers that slow down their adoption and by developing common operating models.
The Erasmus+ funded project has EU funding of €1 million, of which HAMK’s total budget is €150,442. The project manager at HAMK is Development Manager Katja Maetoloa.
Boosting local innovation
Significant funding was also awarded to accelerate regional innovation. HAMK and its RUN-EU partners received almost €1.5 million in Horizon Europe funding for regional development. HAMK’s share of the funding is €270,000.
Interoperable Design Framework for Territorial Regeneration (TIDER) is an international project that supports local research-based innovation and cooperation in different regions across Europe. Practical experiments and pilots will be carried out especially in the textile, fashion, cultural and audiovisual sectors. The experimental environments will enable the developed model to be tested and refined in real-life conditions before it is applied more widely.
HAMK is particularly responsible for developing a diverse, equal and accessible research culture and for enabling the effective application of research results in society and business life.
The three-year project is coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (UPCA) in Portugal. In addition to HAMK Design Factory and UPCA, the project involves higher education institutions from Ireland (Technological University of Shannon / FORGE Design Factory) and the Netherlands (NHL Stenden / Future Design Factory). The project manager at HAMK is Leading Principal Research Scientist Jari Jussila.
HAMK involved in several RUN-EU research projects
In addition, HAMK is currently involved in five other research and development projects implemented in cooperation with RUN-EU.
You can learn more about RUN-EU and its opportunities at RUN-EU Day on 22 October at HAMK’s Hämeenlinna University Centre. The event will also introduce RUN-EU research projects. Welcome!
More Information:
RUN European University
We are part of RUN European University, which brings together ten European higher education institutions from nine countries committed to a common vision.
