Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Current projects
2024 to 2028
EU - COST
An Evolutionary View to Understanding Affective States across Species (AFFECT-EVO)
Understanding the affective states (emotions and moods) of non-human animals is crucial to understand their needs, improve their welfare, and assess the effects of treatments for affective disorders in animals, be they preclinical models of human disorders, or patients in their own right. Existing knowledge regarding affective states across species is limited and fragmented. For example, it is unclear: (1) whether and to what extent different affective states occur in different species; (2) if these states are expressed and experienced in similar ways by different species; (3) which physiological mechanisms of affective states are shared across species; and (4) which indicators of affective states are valid across more than one species., AFFECT-EVO brings together an interdisciplinary network of scholars in philosophy, psychology, humanities, social, computational, and natural sciences, with relevant stakeholders from industry, advocacy organizations, and governments. This network will apply an evolutionary framework to evaluate collaboratively and systematically what we know about affective states in non-human animals. This approach will (1) identify gaps in our knowledge, guiding future research; (2) provide a basis for developing strategies to reliably generalize knowledge about affective states across species; (3) develop better methods to assess affective states to improve animal welfare; and (4) develop better treatments for both animal and human affective disorders. We will also explore how the public and policy makers engage with the concept of affective states in animals and how this interacts with the implementation of new laws and policies that affect animals., Action keywords, Evolution of Affective States - Comparative Psychology - Affective Science - Animal Welfare - Affective Disorders
2025 to 2028
EU - INTERREG
SMARTAUTO - Smart Policy Innovation for Enhanced Automation in European Transport
SMARTAUTO, an innovative interregional project that unites a diverse group of European partners, including the University of Aveiro, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Local transport service Saxony-Anhalt GmbH (NASA GmbH), TTS Italia, Qartu, the City of Tuzla, Public company Business and Innovation Center BIT Center Ltd, Bucharest-Ilfov Intercommunity Development Association for Public Transport (TPBI), South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency, City of Águeda, and Future Mobility Campus Ireland (FMCI), aims to address the uneven landscape of autonomous vehicle (AV) implementation across Europe. Recognizing the transformative potential of AVs for personal mobility and logistics, SMARTAUTO seeks to bridge the gap between regions with varying levels of AV experience. By fostering a collaborative network, the project aims to accelerate innovation, share best practices, and support all regions in maximizing the benefits and addressing the challenges of automation in the transport sector., SMARTAUTO PPs are committed to harnessing the full potential of AVs to shape the future of personal mobility and logistics across Europe. The project gathers diverse regions across Europe, aiming to understand, shape, and maximize the benefits of AVs, while thoughtfully addressing the challenges involved in this technological transformation., The core objectives of SMARTAUTO are to create a robust network connecting regions with varying levels of AV experience, accelerating innovation and spreading good practices. The project will proactively analyze and learn from past successes and challenges of AV pilot programs, building capacity on tools to evaluate AVs' social, environmental, and economic impacts to support informed, smart, and effective policymaking. SMARTAUTO partners are committed to ensuring that AV development is guided by the needs of citizens, prioritizing safety, accessibility, and sustainability in the deployment of AVs.
2025 to 2027
EU - ERASMUS+
PROSPER - Jean Monnet Network
The OVGU is one of the beneficiaries to receive funding from the European Union (EU) to establish the Jean Monnet Network called PROSPER (, Project to Research Opportunities to Strengthen Prosperity and Economic Resilience in the EU, ), coordinated by Dublin City University Brexit Institute & Dublin European Law Institute under the lead of Professor Federico Fabbrini. It involves 12 academic institutions from 12 different EU member states. Professor Heidbreder is to be the university's academic lead., The aim of this network of 12 academic institutions from 12 different EU member states is to strengthen knowledge sharing, promote best practices, and address contemporary challenges facing the EU through interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives. It focuses on exploring and enhancing economic resilience within the EU, by identifying and promoting strategies that can bolster economic stability and growth, particularly in the context of challenges such as globalisation, climate change, and economic disparities among member states., The multidisciplinary team of the OVGU, led by Professor Heidbreder, also consists the team of the Jean Monnet Chair that signs responsible for the BA and MA European Studies., PROSPER is the only project that has received funding from the EU under the Jean Monnet internal network call of 2024. The 12 academic institutions that are involved are: Dublin City University (IE), Central European University (HU), Free University of Bolzano/Bozen (IT), University of Copenhagen (DK), Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL), Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona (ES), Jagiellonian University Krakow (PL), Universitè Libre de Bruxelles (BE), University of Luxembourg (LU), Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (DE), Université Paris-Est Creteil (FR), and Aristotele University of Thessaloniki (EL). The Jean Monnet Network PROSPER is overall coordinated by Professor Federico Fabbrini, Professor of EU Law & Policy and Founding Director of the DCU Brexit Institute & Dublin European Law Institute., The Jean Monnet Network PROSPER is led by Professor Federico Fabbrini of Dublin City University Brexit Institute & Dublin European Law Institute. Professor Eva Heidbreder, Chair for Multilevel Governance in Europe and Jean Monnet Chair will lead the team at the OVGU.
2023 to 2027
EU - COST
CA22150 - Comparative Research on the Executive Triangle in Europe (CoREx)
Description, CoREx creates a unique pan-European network of researchers studying the relationships of executive politicians, top civil servants, and ministerial advisers (‘the executive triangle’) from an internationally comparative perspective. These three actors and their mutual relationships significantly shape policymaking. Their capacity to solve problems and to make legitimate decisions are at the core of democratic governance. While pressing contemporary policy problems require professional top civil service competence, executive politicians demand political advice from personally trusted individuals to navigate their increasingly polarized and mediatized environments. CoREx addresses this tension between professional competence and political craft by taking a system-perspective on the executive triangle. Through pan-European networking and knowledge sharing across all regions in Europe, it develops a common conceptual and methodological framework revolving around different dimensions of politicization to collect comparative data from across Europe. Thereby, CoREx bridges currently disconnected research on the top civil service and ministerial advisers, as well as disparities in geographical coverage and research capacities. CoREx will generate comparative datasets and analyses on the institutional set-up, career backgrounds, roles and interactions in policymaking, and accountability and transparency of the executive triangle across regions and over time. In an innovative way, CoREx will provide systematic comparative knowledge about trends, causes, and consequences of different configurations of the executive triangle. CoREx contributes to a better understanding of democratic governance in times of increasing political polarization and populist politics. The unprecedented results will be relevant for the scientific community, stakeholders, and the public at large., Action keywords, top civil servants - ministerial advisers - politicization - comparative public administration - policymaking
2024 to 2027
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
REJUVENATE: Rerouting towards REsilience to JUVENile stress-induced psychopAThologiEs in adulthood: Spotlight on behavioural profiling and lifestyle interventions (Funded by ERA-NET NEURON – 2023 Call) - € ~274,000 (€ 1,081,000 total funding) (DFG, Projektnummer: 542950222)
Childhood adversities have long-lasting consequences in terms of mental health and well-being, and, exposure to childhood adversities (Juvenile stress [JS]) significantly increases vulnerability to mood and, anxiety disorders later in life. Yet, not all show an increased risk of adulthood psychopathology. Some individuals develop resilience, helping them to better cope with later life challenges. Our primary, objectives are (1) To elucidate mechanisms relating JS to vulnerability and resilience to stressful challenges in adulthood, and (2) To test the therapeutic/preventive potential of translational life-style interventions on the negative impact of JS later in life (i.e., boosting resilience). Our secondary objective is to systematically address sex-related differences in sensitivity, in related mechanisms underlying stress vulnerability or resilience, and in the effectiveness of life-style interventions for enhancing mental health resilience.
2022 to 2026
EU - ERASMUS+
EU GREEN - European University alliance for sustainability: responsible GRowth, inclusive Education and ENvironment
Nine European universities are involved in the EU GREEN European University Alliance. Otto von Guericke University is one of them. The overarching theme of cooperation in EU GREEN is sustainability. By participating in this alliance, OVGU is further expanding its education and research at European level. The aim of the network is to improve and promote sustainability and solve social challenges. The driving force behind this is to build a fairer world, a balanced economy and a more viable environment., The mission statement of the European University Initiative is to promote common European values and improve the quality of higher education.
2023 to 2026
EU - ERASMUS+
Second Language Learning at School for all Teenagers (SLS4Teens)
Im Rahmen des Projekts SLS4Teens sollen Lehrkräfte innovative Methoden für das Lehren und Lernen von Fremd- und Zweitsprachen kennenlernen und im eigenen Unterricht erproben. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt auf dem Ziel, Sprachlernende für die mündliche Konversation schneller und besser zu befähigen und zu ermutigen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen werden 50 aktive Sprachlehrer (30 Lehrer für Englisch als Fremdsprache und 20 Zweitsprachenlehrer für Schüler mit Migrationshintergrund) und 25 angehende Lehrer der fünf Partneruniversitäten (Angers und Nantes in Frankreich, Extremadura in Spanien, Parma in Italien, Magdeburg in Deutschland) im Rahmen eines Online-Fortbildungskurses und vor Ort-Schulungen über zwei Jahre hinweg ausgebildet. Der Effekt dieser Maßnahmen wird evaluiert, und alle Materialien stehen später Open-Access Ausbildungsstätten zur Verfügung.
2022 to 2025
EU - ERASMUS+
Development of Financial Autonomy of Universities in the Kyrgyz Republic
DEFA unterstützt 10 kirgisische Hochschulen dabei, neue Wege des hochschulautonomen Selbstmanagements zu gehen. In Kooperation mit dem zuständigen Bildungs- und Wissenschaftsministerium werden neue Modi des Finanzmanagements erprobt und verstetigt. Gegenstand ist zudem die Weiterentwicklung der nationalen Regularien für das Selbstmanagement der Hochschulen im Land.Completed projects
2022 to 2025
EU - ERASMUS+
Jean Monnet Chair in Interactive Multilevel Democracy in Europe
The, Jean Monnet Chair, in, Interactive Multilevel Democracy in Europe, takes a forward-looking approach to the timely issue of democratic participation in the EU system. In face of substantive democratic challenges on the EU- level and in the member states, the JMC contributes to the theoretical understanding, the work of policymakers, and the hands-on engagement of citizens. IMUDE promotes three key objectives. First, innovative teaching ap- proaches and IMUDE-related content enhance excellence, interdisciplinary and internationality in teaching. Meth- odologically, the JMC builds on the recent reforms of a BA and MA in European Studies and formulates concrete improvements to boost the quality and scope of the programmes; an additional vocational training module comple- ments the efforts. Second, research on the conditions for active citizenship in the EU boundary-crossing democracy will produce tangible research outputs on the guiding theme. Starting points are publications which form the scien- tific canvass on which to analyse recent democratisation and participatory initiatives, and to offer hands-on guid- ance for practitioners. Third, the JMC will develop formats for public debate to establish a regular interactive dia- logue between academia, policy-makers and citizens. The third-mission activities that open the university to a wider public are of extreme relevance in face of increasing anti-democratic and anti-EU voting behaviour. To guarantee a sustainable impact, the JMC a) builds on a firm background of prior work, b) formulates concrete projects that invest into people, structures and instruments, c) links the three focal points to mutually advance the underpinning key objectives. IMUDE as lead theme is therefore not only a topic that is taken up in teaching, re- search and outreach but the Jean Monnet Chair itself is dedicated to the ideal of a more interactive multilevel democratic approach.
2022 to 2025
EU - ERASMUS+
BitTheSpectrum - Augmented and Virtual Reality Technologies to Boost Literary and Social Emotion Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder Students
Das BITTHESPECTRUM-Projekt zielt darauf ab, die Erfahrung und die Fähigkeiten von Experten für neue Technologien und Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) zusammenzubringen, um die Qualität des Lehr- Lernprozesses für Schüler dieser Zielgruppe zu verbessern. Dieses Ziel folgt dem europäischen Vorschlag für eine "Empfehlung des Rates" über qualitativ hochwertige frühkindliche Bildungs- und Betreuungssysteme, die als eine der fünf Schlüsselkomponenten vorgesehen ist: "Ausbildung und Arbeitsbedingungen des, für die frühkindliche Bildung und Betreuung zuständigen, Personals"., Um dieses Hauptziel zu erreichen, wurden folgende Ziele definiert:, 1. Verbesserung der Qualität des Bildungs- und Betreuungsprozesses des Personals, das mit Menschen mit ASD arbeitet, 2. Bereitstellung innovativer und geeigneter Werkzeuge (AR/VR) für Lehrer, Ausbilder und andere Mitarbeiter, um das Ziel 1 zu erreichen., 3. Verbesserung der Qualität des Lernprozesses von Menschen mit ASD in Bezug auf Lese- und Schreibfähigkeiten und soziale Emotionen, 4. Verbesserung der Qualität der inklusiven Berufsbildung in den beteiligten Ländern, 5. Verstärkung der Zusammenarbeit zwischen verschiedenen europäischen Einrichtungen, die im Bereich der inklusiven Bildung und der Technologieentwicklung arbeiten
2024 to 2024
EU - ERASMUS+
BLENDED INTENSIVE PROGRAM Artificial Intelligence in Health and Sport
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force in our society entering industries like robotic, financial service, agriculture, medicine, transportation, defense. In the context of human well-being, AI also entered the field of healthcare, lifestyle, and elite sport with the target of prevention, diagnosis, monitoring, and prescription. The jointed action of computer science and medicine science produced the application of AI in the field of healthcare with the goal to improve patients’ diagnosis and care, to explore new solutions for diseases, and to lead better discoveries in research. AI is revolutionizing the management of health, acting on the promotion of healthy lifestyle, for physical activity and healthy diet. Through AI, internet platforms, smartphone apps, and wearable technology can be used to monitor and track individual levels of physical activity, vital parameters, sleep patterns, daily food intake. AI acts to collect and elaborate real-time data and to provide personalized suggestions and recommendations for exercise and nutritional plans. AI has already had a hug impact on the sport industry. Sport organizations and sport clubs consistently use AI for games, teams, and athletes’ statistics, performance analysis, youth scouting, and monitoring of training load. Moreover, new line of research has been developed to explore the application of AI for data analytics and evidence-based practice., The proposed BIP will disseminate current knowledge and future directions regarding the application of AI for the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle in general population, and for performance optimization and injury prevention in athletes., The competences acquired in the BIP will be divided in 4 modules:, - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, - Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges, - Artificial Intelligence in Health: Research and Applications, - Artificial Intelligence in Sport: Research and Applications, The proposed BIP pursues the EU GREEN educational strategies concerning the current challenges of the society and new frontiers of science and technology. In fact, AI rapidly became a new frontier of science capable to face the global changes and to tackle social challenges. The application of AI in health and sport can jointly interconnect the domains of life and society, as well-being, economy, behavior, psychology, public health, marketing, at both local and global level. The BIP will consist of lectures and workshops, in both virtual and in-presence modalities, with the participation of experts from educational institutions and industry to explore theoretical bases of AI and practical applications in sport and health sectors. The BIP will be built to guarantee a proficient exchange among students and scholars from different cultural contexts and expertise.
2022 to 2024
EU - ERASMUS+
MICRO QUEST: Innovative Quality Evaluation Strategy for Micro-credentials in non-formal VET in Europe
Die Europäische Kommission definiert Micro Credentials (MCs) im Hochschulbereich als "eine Qualifikation, mit der Lernergebnisse nachgewiesen werden, die in einem kurzen, transparent bewerteten Kurs oder Modul erworben wurden.", Das Projekt MICRO QUEST will angesichts großer Veränderungen im europäischen Berufsbildungssektor die breite Einführung und Verwendung von Micro Credentials in der beruflichen Bildung untersuchen. Unter anderem sollen Fragen zur Qualitätssicherung von MCs und zur gegenseitigen Anerkennung durch verschiedene Einrichtungen formaler und nicht-formaler Bildungsanbieter innerhalb Europas diskutiert werden., Dazu werden verschiedene Modelle der Qualitätssicherung untersucht und im Kontakt mit Akteuren im Berufsbildungsbereich die Anforderungen für den Einsatz von MCs konkretisiert. Daraus resultierend wird ein Leitfaden für potentielle Anbieter von MCs entwickelt und vorgestellt sowie ein europaweites Netzwerk für berufsbildende Einrichtungen mit MCs aufgebaut.
2020 to 2023
EU - ERASMUS+
EDUREFORM Mitigate the Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Indian Society: Education Reform for Future and In-Service School Teachers
Coordinated by Chitkara University, EDUREFORM is a three-year project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, comprising four Indian universities, four European universities as well as two Secondary schools and one SME, having expertise in the field of education. The final aim of EDUREFORM is to promote consciousness and to empower Indian future and in-service secondary school teachers to mitigate the expected societal impact of the 4IR.
2021 to 2023
EU - ERASMUS+
KAZDUAL - Implementierung von dualen Strukturen in Kasachstan
KAZDUAL setzt an der durch Atameken (The national chamber of entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan) anerkannten Notwendigkeit der Verbesserung der Kompetenzen von Hochschulabsolvent*innen in Kasachstan an und bezieht sich dabei auf zahlreiche Umfragen und Rückmeldungen von Arbeitgeber*innen, die die fehlenden beruflichen Fähigkeiten von Absolvent*innen beim Eintritt in den Arbeitsmarkt kritisieren., Die Erprobung eines dualen Systems mit theoretischen und praktischen Ausbildungsanteilen auf der Grundlage der in den EU-Partnerländern durchgeführten dualen Berufs- und Hochschulausbildungen wird es den Studierenden ermöglichen, arbeitsmarktrelevante Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten zu erwerben, wodurch die Beschäftigungsfähigkeit individueller Absolvent*innen nachhaltig erhöht wird., KAZDUAL wird dabei Handlungsempfehlungen für die Anpassung einer dualen Hochschulbildung geben, die unterschiedliche Bedürfnisse und Interessen von Arbeitgebenden, Hochschulen und Studierenden in verschiedenen Industriesektoren betrachtet. Dabei werden die Hochschulen beim Aufbau und der Umsetzung der dualen Hochschulbildung und von Partnerschaften von öffentlichem und privatem Sektor unterstützt. Zeitgleich steht die Schaffung eines Netzwerks und eines Forschungszentrums für die duale Bildung und Berufsausbildung im Vordergrund um eine Verstetigung von Forschungs- und Netzwerkarbeit zu garantieren., Durch die Entwicklung von Richtlinien zur Qualitätssicherung, Verfahren und vereinbarten Standards durch das Konsortium wird sichergestellt, dass der Bedarf an flexibler dualer Ausbildung in Verbindung mit hochwertigen Studienprogrammen erfüllt wird. Geleitet von dem Ziel der Qualitätsverbesserung und -sicherung für die Berufsausbildung, hat KAZDUAL ebenfalls das Ziel, die Transparenz innerhalb der Hochschulen und Universitäten in Kasachstan zu stärken und zur Harmonisierung der Ansätze im Umgang mit dem dualen System der Berufs- und Hochschulausbildung beizutragen.
2019 to 2023
EU - COST
COST Action CA18227: The Core Outcome Measures for Food Allergy (COMFA)
Lebensmittelallergien sind eine große finanzielle Belastung mit signifikanten Auswirkungen auf Gesundheitsversorgung, Bildung, Nahrungsmittelindustrie und Gastronomie. Aktuell werden neue Behandlungen bei Lebensmittelallergien entwickelt. Allerdings gibt es kein konsentiertes Bündel an sogenannten "Core outcomes" (d.h. zentralen Behandlungsergebnissen), um diese neuen Behandlungen zu evaluieren. Dies kann für Europäer mit Lebensmittelallergien die Entwicklung effektiver Behandlungen mit Marktzulassung durch Regulationsbehörden verhindern., Ein Bündel an "Core outcomes” sichert, dass Untersuchungsergebnisse für Patient*innen, Kliniker*innen, Gesundheitsanbieter*innen und Regulationsbehörden relevant sind. Sie erlauben zudem, dass Untersuchungsergebnisse in Meta-Analysen einfließen können, so dass aus neuen Erkenntnissen schnellstmöglich Nutzen gezogen werden kann. Das Projekt "Core Outcome Measures for Food Allergy” (COMFA) ist ein multidisziplinäres Netzwerk, in dem alle relevanten Akteure vertreten sind. Es hat das Ziel, die Forschung und Innovationen zu Lebensmittelallergeien voranzubringen durch a) Definition des Bereichs und der Anwendbarkeit eines lebensmittelallergiebezogenen Bündels an "Core outcomes", b) die Entwicklung neuer Core Outcomes und Entwicklung von Messinstrumenten für Lebensmittelallergien und c) Konsenserreichung über Terminologie und Definitionen von Messeigenschaften der lebensmittelallergiebezogenen Core Outcomes.
2020 to 2023
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
Novel biomarkers in neurological and psychiatric disorders: autoantibodies to neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors - Acronym: NicAb
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are prototypic members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family. There are two major nAChR subtypes, muscle and neuronal, which mediate neurotransmission for muscle contraction or regulate neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release in the CNS, respectively. Neuronal nAChR subunits (alpha2-10 and ß2-4) form various homo- and hetero-pentameric complexes., Neuronal nAChRs are drug targets for neuropsychiatric diseases, and substance addiction, whereas their reduced expression and/or impairment may be involved in several neuropsychiatric diseases including Alzheimer s, Parkinson s, autism, schizophrenia, affective disorders and alcohol and nicotine addiction. For example, smoking and some positive allosteric modulators of nACHRs improve negative symptoms and cognition in schizophrenia and show antidepressant effects. Antibodies (Abs) against nAChRs could cause nAChR loss and dysfunction, likely resulting in serious diseases. Abs to muscle nAChRs cause the disease myasthenia gravis. Moreover, Abs to neuronal nAChRs have been reported in subgroups of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autoimmune dysautonomia, and may further worsen nAChR neurotransmission in these subjects. However, systematic state-of-the-art studies with cell based assays are still lacking in this context., We aim to develop immunoassays (Athens) to detect new Abs to neuronal nAChRs in patients with neurological (Milan) and psychiatric (Magdeburg) diseases of suspected autoimmune etiology. Two large biobanks of sera/CSF from patients with well-characterized neuroimmunological disorders (myasthenia gravis, autoimmune encephalitis and related disorders - Athens / Milano), and schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder (Magdeburg), are available and more will be collected from additional patients. Study of the binding and functional characteristics of the identified Abs and their correlation with the individual diseases and symptoms will lead to the development of new biomarker tests for disease diagnosis, monitoring and therapy selection.
2021 to 2023
EU - ERASMUS+
ACSOL: Acquiring Crisis-proof Skills through Online Learning
The ultimate aim of the ACSOL project is to expand adult digital skills training provision through online learning targeting two covid-19 vulnerable sectors: workers in social care/health support and workers in the entertainment, arts and culture sector., To this purpose, the Consortium will design and develop an e-learning toolkit, which will enhance the digital literacy skills and specific skills of current low-skilled workers, through training so that they can cope with the crisis caused by COVID-19 and increase their chances of improving their working conditions., To create the conditions for making lifelong learning and employability a competitive advantage for workers in social care and entertainment, arts and culture activities in our participating regions., To develop new digital approaches to training matching specific sectorial needs on social care and entertainment, arts and culture activities., To provide low-skilled workers and micro size companies with digital skills through open educational resources., To increase the awareness of EU business and VET community about the importance of supporting workers with digital skill.
2019 to 2022
EU - ERASMUS+
Talent HRM Management
The aim of the TALENT Erasmus+ project (2019-2021) is to establish a two-year master programme in HRM in six universities in Central Asia., Coached by EU universities in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany and Greece, two universities in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan are developing an innovative academic environment to teach and study HRM insights and practices adapted to the needs and specificities of the socio-economic challenges the Central Asian region is confronted with. The first cohort of students is expected to start its education in September 2020., Through its various objectives and activities, such as teacher trainings and seminars, the TALENT project intends to develop a network between universities and public and private actors allowing for a long-lasting exchange of expertise in HRM as well as to create the incentives for mobilities between the partner universities of students, teachers and researchers interested in HRM in Central Asia.
2019 to 2022
EU - ERASMUS+
FACE-IT: Fostering Awarenness on program Contents in higher Education using IT tools
Fostering high-quality Higher Education (HE) requires strengthened quality assurance in the design, implementation, execution and evaluation of HE programs (HEPs). This quality assurance process involves multiple stakeholders with different perspectives and conceptualizations:, - PROGRAM BOARDS plan and design curricula mostly in terms of ILOs, PLOs and TLAs, - ADMINISTRATORS evaluate programs and communicate with other stakeholders, - TEACHERS develop, revise and implement courses, mostly based on the taught procedures and concepts (PCs), - STUDENTS are naturally inclined to see course and program contents through PCs., Unfortunately, the efficacy of quality assuring HE is currently limited by the heterogeneity of the tools and conceptualizations of the stakeholders. To improve this, we identify the need for tools that: 1) aid executing the HE quality assurance processes; 2) support decision makers in maintaining HEPs; 3) clarify the relations between ILOs, PLOs, and TLAs to all stakeholders; 4) promote awareness about program contents and their relations; 5) establish a common language among stakeholders., Our main objective is to develop tools that solve these needs, improve the quality of education and increase the employability of our candidates by helping:, - students to understand how the contents of different courses connect and expand on each other - teachers and program boards to improve their awareness of how course contents flow within the program and contribute to the PLOs, - administrators to inspect and assess program quality, - all stakeholders to establish a common language to ease their communication., To achieve our goals we involve participants from STEM faculties from different backgrounds, geographic areas, and academic cultures., The consortium includes:, - NTNU, hosting several educational centers whose scope and expertise overlap with the intentions of the Face-IT project, has considerable expertise in the development and quality assurance of HEPs, and hosts Norway's largest academic environment within teacher education and educational research at the Department of Teacher Education;, - Uppsala University (UU), renown for its excellence in research and teaching and its long lasting traditions, with broad research and development activities in pedagogy, teaching, and related topics;, - University of Padova, with broad expertise in innovative teaching and learning in the framework of active learning, in the development and creation of MOOCs, and with a constant strive for improving teaching and learning, involving students’ voices and promoting change at different levels., - Otto-von-Guericke University, with a broad expertise in fostering multi-cultural, multi-gender and disparate student audiences in its teaching, and with multi-disciplinary programs that combine several aspects of modern knowledge;, - the Universite´ Libre de Bruxelles, with its peculiarity of offering several interfaculty programs shared with other HE realities, such as the Solvay Business School, and a wide range of multi-disciplinary projects., Towards our goals, we plan to introduce a language that enables teachers and students to describe program contents in the intuitive terms of PCs and investigate how to connect them to the associated PLOs, ILOs, and TLAs. This language will enable representing the students’ learning process as flows of PCs, that will capture graphically how course contents are expected to ladder in time, and thus represent entire programs in an alternative and quantitatively analysable fashion., The developed methods will be implemented in easily usable and interpretable IT tools that provide actionable information and decision-making support to each stakeholder. The tools will be tested on several course- and program-wide field tests. All results will be disseminated through two multiplier events at NTNU and UU, and through scientific open access publications and a dedicated project website., The project will thus produce intellectual outputs including methods to: derive ontological descriptions of PCs in HEPs; merge PCs with TLAs, ILOs, and PLOs into knowledge flow graphs; represent and analyse courses and programs in terms of these flows graphs. These outputs will thus support defining program contents in a way that every stakeholder can relate to, promoting thus acceptance and usage., This project will revolutionize how to develop, assess and manage HEPs and courses by empowering and engaging the stakeholders with a particular attention to students and teachers: students will indeed be more aware of why they study what they study, enabling them to perform self- assessment on their knowledge in relation to upcoming courses. Teachers will be supported in implementing constructive alignment principles and maintain overall program consistency. Our tools will also help executing quality assurance operations, and help universities to share information among them and with society.
2019 to 2022
EU - ERASMUS+
Enhancing Green Economy in three Asian Countries (EGEA)
The transition to sustainable development is an urgent necessity for the Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal and India, since at present, these countries’ socio-economic development is largely based on the consumption of natural resources. Today, these countries face challenges that pose a threat to their future sustainable development, the most important of which are: depletion of natural resources without creation of effective alternatives, loss of basic natural ecosystems and stagnation of human capital., In 2012, at the conference on sustainable development "RIO+20" in Brazil, KG expressed its commitment to sustainable development through promoting the priorities of the "green economy", which was confirmed in the signing of the final document "The Future We Want". This document has become a call for action for governments, business leaders and the UN, to support countries interested in the transition to the "green" economy. In Nepal, there are numerous challenges in adapting and adopting Green Economy policies starting by the lack of national policies. Capacity and skill development, technology adaptation, transfer, and retrofitting to suit Nepal’s hilly and mountainous terrains, need for large investments and of course adapting to and mitigating against climate change are some of the major challenges. Notwithstanding these constraints, green economic policies and programmes can be means to achieve sustainable development in this mountainous region. There is need to document good case studies for drawing lessons so that future green growth pathway cans be charted and bigger impacts can be achieved. India has become since 1991 one of the fastest growing major economies. However today, there are many environmental problems and issues that slows down its progress. The concept of green economy has been discussed in recent years for achieving sustainability through inclusive growth and development. Thus, sustainability has become a key element of the national agenda of these 3 countries., One of important aspects of economic development of these three Asian countries is to maintain the principles of environmental sustainability, because economic growth and population increase force expansion and intensification of land use, growth of food and industrial production and depletion of natural resources. The needs identified hitherto and the lack of specialists in green economy prompted the identification of a project goal link to the need of modernizing curriculum. However, effective and outcome oriented green economy implementation requires multi-disciplinary planning, interdisciplinary implementation, and effective and participatory monitoring and evaluation. The introduction of green economy concepts in law, business, economics, environmental studies or management programs should support economic development adopting curricula to changes in labour market and to an increasing demand for new "green” skills. The project specific objectives is thus to stress the fostering of green skills in different target groups (students, teachers, professionals, young generations) and for different subject areas., Green economy and green skills as well as other aspects of sustainable development are of global importance, therefore the project will have a significant European added value. A green economy can generate as much growth and employment as the so called "brown” economy, and outperforms the latter in the medium and long run, while yielding significantly more environmental and social benefits. Of course, moving towards a green economy will require Asian governments, HEIs, civil society and leading businesses to engage in this transition collaboratively.
2019 to 2022
EU - ERASMUS+
Communities and Students together (CaST)
Context:, Globally, there are growing calls for Higher Education Institutions to become more civically engaged and socially relevant and there is increased public interest in the impact of universities on their localities and regions. Engaged learning facilitates students to apply theory to real-world contexts outside of the University and to co-produce knowledge with and for the community. Engaged learning provides students with the skills which increase their employability, and improve their personal and professional development, while communities gain access to skills to help develop, evaluate or communicate their work., Objectives, : The central aim of Communities and Students Together (CaST) will be to advance our knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a successful and sustainable engaged learning programme. We will explore existing initiatives and aim to incorporate successful elements in a series of new sustainable programmes in each partner university which enable community-based engaged learning for students to co-produce knowledge with and for the community. Participants: We will work with academics and education experts in each partner institution who want to improve the learning experience through innovative methods of engaged learning. We will aim to include students from all backgrounds and disciplines who wish to take part in an immersive and experiential learning programme working on a real world societal challenge. We will seek to work with local communities and civil society organisations who wish to develop mutually beneficial opportunities for students to work on real world challenges., Activities:, We will review engaged learning in the international context and in each partner country, and will seek to understand the practicalities and structure of existing initiatives, as well as capturing their impact on all stakeholders. Our Case Study Compendium will include an overview of the engaged learning landscape in each partner institution, and will provide an in-depth exploration of one or more case studies of engaged learning from each institution. Each partner will incorporate lessons from the previous two outputs in the development of an innovative engaged learning programme. The synthesis report will provide details of the engaged learning programme and pedagogy as well as a detailed evaluation of each new programme, and its impact on all stakeholders and the wider society. This output should help others in the field tounderstand what took place, providing enough detail to transfer the new innovations. At the end of the project we will hold an international conference and publish a collection of papers written by invited academics and community representatives. This output is likely to include discussions on the practical methodology of engaged learning, pedagogical strategies and approaches of engaged learning, as well as perspectives from both higher education institutes and communities, of the benefits of engaged learning in different contexts. Finally, we will create an Engaged Learning toolkit, which will be freely available online and will include e.g. Guidance for university strategy formation around engaged learning; Guidance on how to provide immersive and experiential learning programmes which tackle societal challenges; and a policy focussed short paper seeking to unpick the successful and less successful elements and processes of engaged learning., Results and impact, : CaST will provide each partner the opportunity to explore the role that engaged learning plays in its institution, on its students and on its local community. The project will create a network of European institutions with an interest in engaged learning and will provide them with a platform to share their knowledge and experience of what works and does not work. Through the exploration of engaged learning in six different European Institutions, we anticipate that we will identify different modes of engaged learning practice, each with different drivers, enablers and barriers to successful engaged learning practice., Longer term benefits, : We anticipate lasting benefits to all partners involved, to their students and to their local societies. As well as leaving a legacy of shared knowledge, the project will design and pilot a new engaged learning initiative in each partner institution. The ambition is for each of these initiatives to be mutually beneficial, and sustainable beyond the duration of the project funding. Moreover, it is anticipated that each Pilot may have the potential to be replicated or further scaled-up within other disciplines within each institution, or within other HEIs with a similar social context. We will also seek to understand any additional impacts including contribution to curricula or pedagogy and in making academic research accessible to the broader community.
2019 to 2022
EU - ERASMUS+
Enhancing Green Economy in three Asian Countries (EGEA)
Angesichts des Wissens um die Bedeutung der "Green Economy" für weltweite wirtschaftliche Entwicklungen besteht das Hauptziel von EGEA, kurz für "Enhancing Green Economy in three Asian Countries", darin, nachhaltiges Denken und Verhalten auf allen Bildungsebenen in drei Ländern Asiens (Kirgisistan, Nepal und Indien) zu fördern. Hierbei sollen Hochschulen als Katalysatoren des Wandels fungieren und diese Rolle soll mithilfe des Projekts gestärkt werden. Im Mittelpunkt steht das übergeordnete Ziel, die Wechselbeziehung zwischen Umwelt und Wirtschaft in den Partnerländern und ihren Gesellschaften stärker zu thematisieren in den nationalen Bildungsprogrammen nachhaltig zu implementieren ., Basierend auf früheren Kooperationen und Erfahrungen ist das Konsortium der Ansicht, dass zur Gewährleistung der Nachhaltigkeit von "Green Economy"-Initiativen Bottom-up- und Top-down-Ansätze eingesetzt werden sollten. Zu den fünf Hauptstrategien gehören, die Entwicklung modularer Programme zur Stärkung von Wissen und Praxis in Bezug auf "Green Economy", die in bestehende oder neue Programme an Partnerhochschulen integriert werden sollen, die Verbesserung des lebenslangen Lernens durch Blended Learning-Angebote, die sich an die Erwachsenenbildung in "Green Economy" und verwandte Bereiche richten, die Stärkung von Public Affairs-Abteilungen und Marketing-Einheiten, um die Rolle der Hochschulen als Förderer von Green Behaviour in der lokalen Gesellschaft zu erleichtern sowie, die Entwicklung von Werbekampagnen und Programmen, um nachhaltiges Handeln in der Vernetzung von Schulen und Hochschulen zu fördern.
2016 to 2021
EU - INTERREG
ChemMultimodal - Promotion of Multimodal Transport in Chemical Logitics
The chemical industry is an important economic sector in Central Europe with 117 billion Euro turnover and 340.000, employees. The chemical companies are important logistic stakeholders responsible for 8% of freight transport. The, industry has the objective to strengthen multimodal transport and modal shift from road to rail with strong focus on, improvement of safety and security in combination with increased logistics efficiency. The optimisation of the supply, chain is a crucial for long-term competitiveness., The main objective of ChemMultimodal is the promotion of multimodal transport of chemical goods by coordination, and facilitation of cooperation between chemical companies, specialised logistics service providers (LSP), terminal, operators and public authorities in chemical regions in CE., Based on a detailed analysis of the needs for improving multimodal transport of chemical goods, the project will, develop a toolbox to support chemical companies and LSP in their strategic and operational planning for increasing, the share of multimodal transport. This toolbox will be tested in 7 pilots with 35 chemical companies in the partner, countries to facilitate real modal shift. In these pilots it is the objective to increase multimodal transport by 10% and, reduce CO2 footprint by 5% until the end of project duration. Furthermore 6 Training Seminars will be implemented, to teach usage of the tool to additional 90 companies. 1 Common Strategy and 7 Regional/National Action Plans will, be developed to continue and intensify activities after the project end.
2019 to 2021
EU - ERASMUS+
"Escalate" - Coordinated Higher Education Institutions' Responses to Digitalisation
Digitalization is transforming the skills needed by Europe's working population to successfully engage in the world of work in a globalized modern economy. Consequently, national education systems must swiftly and appropriately respond to the challenges digitalization poses. Digital transformation is generating a fierce debate among education providers, policy-makers, economists and industry leaders about its societal impact. As digitalization disrupts society ever more profoundly, concern is growing about how it is affecting issues such as jobs, wages, inequality, health, resource efficiency and security. Current estimates of global job losses due to digitalization range as high as 2 billion by 2030 (World Economic Forum). There is currently great uncertainty, with concerns also about its impact on wages and working conditions. Within the European Union, the European Commission's Digital Economy Society Index for 2018 shows that EU countries face deep digital development gap and therefore "it should invest more in digital and also complete the Digital Single Market as soon as possible to boost Europe's digital performance”. Even more, the same disparity is seen on digital skills, "while Nordic countries and the U.K. have populations with notably advanced digital skills, almost half of all Europeans still lack basic technical competences”, according to the index. In this framework, ESCALATE is a strategic partnership composed by 6 partners from 5 different EU countries. The project brings together the right mix of university responsibles, educators/teachers, learners, labour market experts, alongside business and local government to offer a coordinated response to the challenges arising from digitalization. We aim to assist universities in implementing activities designed to increase the levels of digital competences for employability, upskilling, according with a growing range of employment generated by the digital economy, aligned with the needs of and opportunities offered by the labour market and linked to professional profiles. Also, we consider the dual education system and the permanent connection between both university professor (higher education) and business representatives/specialists, by combining school-based learning with work-based practice. This broader comprehensive education approach will ensure the acquirement of new digital skills and improved competences. Our project will explore what constitutes new and emerging innovative practices in understanding and responding to digitalization at university level, but also at regional and local policy levels and then prioritize producing new materials in partner's own 6 key themes, and the project has been designed to include experts within each of these thematic areas., As a result we will be in a position to engage in a second major activity - the transnational trialling (in an identified region within each country) of a successful new innovation - the Digital Skills Escalator being developed in the Exeter (sub) Region of SW England. This will require a systematic mapping of educational delivery form early school age all the way through to postgraduate and CPD educational offers and is an effective means of identifying not only where the gaps in a region/locations provision may be but also a means of identifying all of the agencies and institutions involved in digital skills delivery. Finally, the new materials and approaches developed by the partners will be combined into a new Training Course mainstreamed through Europe’s expert network of labour market observatories - the European Network for Regional Labour Market Monitoring (ENRLMM) and offered to those seeking to modernize digital skills and associated educational policies/practices in light of the threats posed by the changing world of work. ESCALATE will bring considerable impact on the community of educational providers, teachers, learners, labour market observatories and analysts across Europe to help them advise and support the decision making process on responses to digitalization. The new model will therefore help policymakers to design effective responses to the threat of digitalization, embeding digital literacy as a key educational goal and helping to grasp the job opportunities of the future. In conclusion, ESCALATE aims to understand '"university disruption" at regional and local levels and the threats posed to universities and labour market from digitalization; who are the educational institutions and organizations involved; what innovations can be employed to help understand and tackle digitalization impacts; and ultimately we seek to elicit more effective local and regional higher education institutions' responses to digitalization across Europe.
2017 to 2021
EU - ERASMUS+
Development of a Bologna-based Master Curriculum in Resource Efficient Production Logistics (ProdLog)
ProdLog addresses the issue of a weak industrial sector in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russian Federation and focuses on enabling universities to gain and provide a profound and holistic knowledge on planning and operating sustainable production processes. For that purpose a bologna-based master curriculum with 18 modules in resource efficient production logistics will be developed and implemented in six universities of the partner countries. The academic staff will be trained with innovative teaching methods in the learning factory "Technology centre for production and logistics systems PULS" and equipped with state of the art logistics laboratories. By means of that, the understanding of logistics shall be widened - away from transport logistics to a systemic and interdisciplinary approach of applicant-oriented education, challenges with economical, political and social problems of our society.
2018 to 2021
EU - ERASMUS+
HEDULEARNIT - Harmonized European Dermato-Venereology Undergraduate blended Learning, Implementation and Training
HARMONISATION OF CURRICULA IN MEDICAL SUBJECTS IN EUROPE SERVES INTERNATIONALISATION, The better the student teaching in the clinical part of medical studies in the individual subjects, the better the diagnostic and therapeutic skills and the interdisciplinary competences for the licensed physicians when they enter their further training and serve the patients. Two Europe-wide surveys of professors of the subject organised through the European Dermatology Forum (association of chair holders in Europe) regarding the content and number of lecture hours, seminars, bedside teaching and block practicals revealed serious differences between most countries and faculties. It was therefore an urgent concern to harmonise both content and teaching methods. Through an Erasmus Plus application, which was awarded a high score, eight European partners are now working on harmonising the catalogue of learning objectives, formats and content in the curriculum for Dermato-Venerology. In parallel, the harmonisation of the new curriculum is linked and supported by the elaboration of a combined e-learning programme. This is the first relevant part of the HEDULEARNIT project. "Blended learning" is the combination of classical teaching and learning (front lectures, practicals, bedside teaching) with modern e-learning tools for individual learning. The core objectives of the project can be defined in detail as follows:, Development of common standards for a uniform dermato-venerology medical education at eight European partner universities, Promotion of an innovative blended learning concept by combining classical teaching strategies with interactive learning (e-learning tools, DOIT;, www.cyberderm.net, ), Dissemination and implementation of the results of the project and promotion of harmonisation and standardisation of dermato-venereology in clinical studies in Europe after completion of the funded project phase with non-material support from the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and its Undergraduate Training Commission (UTC), Sustainability: Maintenance of the concept or beyond the funding period
2020 to 2021
EU - INTERREG
HomeHemo
In einem Pilotprojekt wird POCT Technologie (point-of-care) Technologie in Bezug auf ihre Eignung zur Heimversorgung von Kindern mit Krebserkrankungen evaluiert. Projektleitung eines in Schleswig-Holstein befindlichen Pilotprojektes.
2020 to 2021
EU - ERASMUS+
Synthesis of curcumin metal complexes for biomedical applications
New metal complexes of curcumin derivatives are synthesized, which may have different biomedical applications (e.g. cytotoxic and antimicrobial properties) depending on the metal ion used., This text was translated with DeepL
2018 to 2021
EU - ERASMUS+
Innovations in Socially Engaged Universities
The relationship between HEIs and their local communities tends to be framed around student versus local resident’s lives and ‘economic impact’. This is failing both the community for whom greater benefits are possible and the University for whom the local community presents a wonderful vehicle for collaborative engaged research., As higher education faces unprecedented public scrutiny and increasing pressures from the political, economic, social and environmental agendas, there is increased public interest in the impact of universities on their localities and regions and growing calls for universities to be more socially relevant and responsible by addressing the needs of society, both locally and globally. In recent years, the concept of the "third mission” has become popularised, referring to the social, enterprise, and innovative activities that universities perform in addition to core teaching and research tasks (Zomer and Benneworth 2011)., It is increasingly recognised that universities, when well-connected with their communities, can be a vehicle for making healthier, culturally richer and more interesting places to live, work and study. The civic university can be characterised by its ability to integrate its teaching, research and engagement with the outside world in such a way that each enhances the other without diminishing their quality (Goddard and Kempton 2016). Globally, more and more universities are integrating social responsibility into their mission statements, including those for research and teaching, arguing that higher education is improved when it gives back to the society that is responsible for funding it. Indeed, University Social Responsibility (USR) has become a core mission of many higher education institutions around the world (Timothy W. Tong, THE, April 7, 2017)., Through learning and sharing best practice, we want to drive institution-wide appreciation of and commitment to, co-production of knowledge and innovation through social engagement and citizen-led research, where the experience and expertise of individuals, communities and civic organisations is recognised, used and valued. We also want to understand how HEIs can build capacity to respond to what their local community really needs and perform or broker research (including community-based participatory action research), with and for communities, in a demand-driven way, while enhancing the civic competencies of students. A key goal underpinning the project will be to ensure that the project delivers a legacy of progress and impact that will last beyond the lifetime of the project., The central aim of this proposal is to share experience and know-how of relationships between European Universities and their civic societies and to create a platform for practitioners to work together and learn from each other. We wish to partner with other European Universities within the EUniverCities Network, to explore the means by which cities are engaging with and mobilising citizens to facilitate teaching, research or volunteering opportunities and creating innovative solutions to societal issues., Through sharing successful innovative practice, we want to better understand how we can improve reciprocity between academia and local society in order to address regional challenges and deliver local economic, social and cultural benefits and impact., We want to explore and review the different models of community or civic university partnerships such as front-door (e.g. science shops), embedded and networked partnerships and define the processes, structures and governance which best nurture successful civic university partnerships., We will explore the different approaches currently being used to include underrepresented social groups and ethnic minorities in the engagement approach and consider opportunities for improving equity throughout all stages of the collaborative process., Finally, we want to identify opportunities to scale-up successful citizen-driven approaches and use partner cities as a test bed for their deployment
2016 to 2021
EU - INTERREG
Beyond EDP, Improve the RIS3 effectiveness through the management of the entrepreneurial discovery process (EDP)
The Beyond EDP project aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial discovery process in Europe, boosting the Regional Innovation smart specialisation strategy (RIS3, in short) adopted by Europe in 2014. Knowledge institutes and businesses need each other for innovation and to turn that innovation into saleable products and practical applications. SMEs can fulfil an important role here. Among SMEs are leaders, developers, early adopters, and followers. Most companies can be classed as followers, meaning that innovation is far from a priority for many entrepreneurs., How can we stimulate European businesses, knowledge institutes, and relevant partners to join forces to discover new ideas which could lead to innovation? That is the central question in Beyond EDP, a European Interreg project formed by eleven partners from nine countries.
2016 to 2020
EU - COST
MULTI-modal Imaging of FOREnsic SciEnce Evidence (MULTI-FORESEE)- tools for Forensic Science
The main objective of this Action, entitled MULTI-modal Imaging of FOREnsic SciEnce Evidence (, MULTI-FORESEE, )- tools for Forensic Scienc, e, is to promote innovative, multi-informative, operationally deployable and commercially exploitable imaging solutions/technology to analyse forensic evidence., Forensic evidence includes, but not limited to, fingermarks, hair, paint, biofluids, digital evidence, fibers, documents and living individuals. Imaging technologies include optical, mass spectrometric, spectroscopic, chemical, physical and digital forensic techniques complemented by expertise in IT solutions and computational modelling., Imaging technologies enable multiple physical and chemical information to be captured in one analysis, from one specimen, with information being more easily conveyed and understood for a more rapid exploitation. The enhanced value of the evidence gathered will be conducive to much more informed investigations and judicial decisions thus contributing to both savings to the public purse and to a speedier and stronger criminal justice system., The Action will use the unique networking and capacity-building capabilities provided by the COST framework to bring together the knowledge and expertise of Academia, Industry and End Users. This synergy is paramount to boost imaging technological developments which are operationally deployable.
2020 to 2020
EU - ERASMUS+
Synthesis of Fe(III) complexes as MRI contrast agents
Metal complexes with Fe(III) are synthesized that could be used as MRI contrast agents. The work is motivated by the problems with Gd(III)-containing contrast agents that have been increasingly reported in recent years., This text was translated with DeepL
2016 to 2020
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
CircProt: Synaptic circuit protection in AD and HD: BDNF/TrkB and Arc signaling as rescue factors
Regulation of synaptic plasticity by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is crucial for brain function, as it pilots adaptive changes in neural networks. Pathological changes in BDNF availability and tropomyosine related kinase (TrkB) signaling are therefore among the most relevant pathomechanisms in neurodegenerative disorders (NDs)., Huntington´s disease (HD, ) and, Alzheimer´s disease (AD), are both strongly associated with BDNF related impairments. While BDNF is recognized as an endogenous protective factor in both diseases, the development of therapeutic strategies has been hampered by the lack of knowledge on, BDNF transport and release, , and on, BDNF/TrkB downstream signaling networks, in NDs. Members of this multidisciplinary research consortium have recently discovered key complex molecular controls of major importance for therapeutics, including the immediate early protein, Arc, as a master hub, for functional and structural synaptic plasticity. Building on these breakthroughs, we propose that BDNF/TrkB signaling via Arc function is key for the management and, treatment of synaptic dysfunction, and neuronal degeneration in AD and HD, . This project will identify novel combinatorial and synergistic strategies to alleviate AD and HD related impairments based on regulation of TrkB and its downstream signaling cascades. As an important upstream regulator, mobilization of endogenous BDNF synthesis and its transport will be given additional emphasis. Key protective factors are activation of neuronal burst firing in brain areas affected by the disease combined with physical exercise, and application of drugs that enhance BDNF expression (fingolimod) or BDNF vesicle transport (tubastatin and cysteamine). Advanced molecular imaging, synapse electrophysiology, biochemistry, and behavioral testing combined with realistic neural network modeling, will be used to, determine optimal therapeutic strategies, . This highly innovative research approach aims to harness the well-recognized therapeutic potential of BDNF, with potentially enormous benefit to people afflicted by NDs. The parallel analysis of AD and HD associated synaptic circuit dysfunctions and its drug-induced rescue will help us to identify common and divergent cellular pathways. Furthermore, knowledge of brain area-specific mechanisms and drug effects will enable us to target most specifically the different NDs with reduced side effects. By combining advanced molecular and electrophysiological studies of drug-induced improved synaptic plasticity with computational modeling of restored synaptic circuits, we expect to elucidate novel therapeutic mechanisms downstream of BDNF/TrkB signaling, with clear benefit for the treatment of AD and HD.
2019 to 2019
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
European Network on Noonan Syndrome and Related Disorders (NSEuroNet)
Internationales europäisches Forschungsnetzwerk zu genetischen Grundlagen und molekularer Pathophysiologie der RASopathien, Europäische Datenbank zu Mutationsspektrum und Genftyp-Phänotyp-Korrelationen (nseuronet.com), Genidentifikation durch Trio-Exom- / Genom-Sequenzierung, Krakheitsmodellierung mit Hilfe von in vitro und Tiermodellen, Leitlinien-Entwicklung
2018 to 2019
EU - ERASMUS+
SMART SPORT & Application No. 590457-EPP-1-2017-1-BG-SPO-SCP
Developing online educational courses for athletes and coaches;, In order to acquaint athletes and coaches with the new technologies the project foresees developing of online courses. All the coaches and athletes should be able to attend the courses independently from space and time. A team of professors and scientists will develop the courses content. Then participating institutions will organize target groups in each participating country to attend the online courses.
2018 to 2019
EU - ERASMUS+
SMART SPORT & Application No. 590457-EPP-1-2017-1-BG-SPO-SCP
Developing online educational courses for athletes and coaches;, In order to acquaint athletes and coaches with the new technologies the project foresees developing of online courses. All the coaches and athletes should be able to attend the courses independently from space and time. A team of professors and scientists will develop the courses content. Then participating institutions will organize target groups in each participating country to attend the online courses.
2016 to 2019
EU - ERASMUS+
CreE.A -ArleKin La création d'un espace pour la médiation sociale pour l'inclusion sociale
1. Ce projet s’appuie et bénéficie d’une première réalisation : celle du projet ArleKin, qui a réalisé le premier « Tour d’Europe des médiateurs sociaux » (539947-LLP-1-2013-1-FR-GRUNDTVIG-GMP). Il est organisé en référence explicite du "Tour de France des Compagnons”. Inscrit au patrimoine de l’UNESCO, il permet ainsi à de jeunes professionnels d’apprendre le "métier” au contact des différents Maîtres qu’ils rencontrent au cours de leur voyage et se socialisent en se retrouvant le soir dans la "Cayenne”, qui est leur résidence commune dans leur ville d’accueil. Ils obtiennent leur titre de compagnon au vu de la réalisation d’un "chef d’œuvre”, qui authentifie la maîtrise de leur "art”. Ainsi, 12 ”médiateurs compagnons" [MC] de 5 pays différents ont été accueillis par 12 "maîtres d’apprentissage”. Ils vont soutenir leur chef d’œuvre en Septembre prochain devant un jury de professionnels et d’universitaires., Ce projet a complètement validé les hypothèses suivantes :, a. La dimension nécessairement européenne de la médiation sociale : les enjeux sont les mêmes, quelque soit les pays. Si les formes professionnelles de la médiation sociale sont différentes et sont plus ou moins structurées et professionnalisées, elles se retrouvent autour d’un même positionnement de "tiers”., Et surtout, le 1, er, Tour d’Europe a montré combien les médiateurs avaient le "désir d’Europe”, l’horizon européen donnant une véritable dynamique à ces rencontres professionnelles., Ainsi, ces tours d’Europe, modestement et à leur niveau, contribuent à, construire l’Europe par le bas, ., b. Le dispositif pédagogique du « Tour d’Europe” est tout à fait pertinent pour échanger les expériences et renforcer un collectif professionnel autour des mêmes valeurs et des mêmes pratiques., En particulier, il se révèle comme étant l’instrument d’une homogénéisation des pratiques professionnelles ", par le bas, ” : au cours des voyages, par la rencontre d’autres contextes d’exercice de la médiation sociale, les MC réajustent leurs représentations et leurs pratiques.
2016 to 2019
EU - ERASMUS+
INternationaliSation of master Programs in Russia and China in Electrical engineering - INSPIRE
Heutzutage müssen russische und chinesische Universitäten Programme anbieten, die die Gewöhnung der Absolventen an das echte Produktions- und Geschäftsumfeld fördern und ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit auf dem Arbeitsmarkt erhöhen. Um ein qualitatives Programm zu entwickeln, ist es notwendig, enge Verbindungen mit der betriebswirtschaftlichen Gemeinschaft sowie europäischen Universitäten aufzubauen, die viele Erfahrung in der Entwicklung von ähnlichen Programmen haben. Das übergeordnete Ziel ist, durch die Einführung von interdisziplinären Programmen an russischen und chinesischen Universitäten, die Qualität der Ausbildung in der Elektro- und Messtechnik und die Beschäftigungsfähigkeit der russischen und chinesischen Absolventen in diesem Bereich durch die Internationalisierung der Mastercurricula mit dem Bologna-Prozess zu verbessern. Das erste Ziel des Projekts ist das interdisziplinäre Masterstudium "Instrumententechnik und intelligente Qualitätskontrolle" zu gestalten und zu entwickeln. Das zweite Ziel des Projekts ist ein virtuelles Instrumenten-Trainingsunternehmen einzurichten, um die Erlangung von praktischen Fähigkeiten zu unterstützen und traditionellen Unterrichtskonzepte durch die Anwendung von neuer Kommunikationstechnologien zu modernisieren. Das dritte Ziel ist eine Internationalisierungsstrategie der internationalen Kooperation zur Förderung des gegenseitigen Interesses und der Mobilität von Studierenden zwischen Partneruniversitäten mittels Doppelabschlussprogrammen (DDP) zu entwickeln. Akademische Mitarbeiter und Studierende von Bildungseinrichtungen der russischen und chinesischen Ingenieurhochschulen sind ebenfalls Begünstigte des Projekts. Im weiteren Sinne sind auch alle Arbeitgeber Begünstigte, die die Möglichkeit haben Absolventen mit hochmodernen Fähigkeiten zu beschäftigen.
2017 to 2019
EU - ERASMUS+
Strengthening of research and training capabilities for Virtual Reality applications in the private and governmental sector
The main purpose of this project is to strengthen the cooperation between the private sector and higher education institutions in order to increase the capabilities of the regional workforce and improve the overall attractiveness of the western part of the GAP region (Southeastern Anatolia Project). This project is part of the strategic initiative of Harran University (HU) to establish a Center for Virtual Reality in cooperation with stakeholders from the university, private sector and several governmental organizations. During this project the opportunities of this technology in the different vertical sectors will be shown and the necessary training requirements elaborated in detail.
2015 to 2018
EU - ERASMUS+
Investing in Entrepreneurial Universities in Caucasus and Central Asia (EUCA-INVEST)
Das Projekt hat die Entwicklung von Aus- und Weiterbildungskonzepten für junge Fachkräfte mit dem Fokus auf Entrepreneurship zum Ziel. Es werden Kreativlabore (CreaLabs) geplant und aufgebaut, Bildungsprogramme entwickelt und pilotiert.
2016 to 2018
EU - ERASMUS+
Modernising Human Resources Managemetn in South Mediterranean Higher Education - RISE
Da die Länder, auf die RISE ausgerichtet ist (Jordanien, Tunesien, Algerien und Marokko), erleben alle die oben genannten Schwierigkeiten. Es gibt unter anderem einen allgemeinen Mangel an Struktur von Ausbildungsprogramme für Mitarbeiter, geringe Verwendung von elektronischen Steuerungswerkzeugen zur Vereinfachung der Verfahren und eine schwache Kultur bezüglich der Meritokratie, wie zum Beispiel in dem Bericht der Weltbank über die Reformen in der öffentlichen Verwaltung 2011 ("Reports on Public Administration Reforms") und dem Bericht über der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Arabischen Welt 2013 ("Arab World Competitiveness Report") hervorgehoben wird. Regionale Schwierigkeiten wurden auch gründlich auf dem Tempus-Seminar zum Thema "Personalwesen in der öffentlichen Hochschulbildung im südlichen Mittelmeerraum" ("Management of Human Resources in Public Higher Education in the Southern Mediterranean") diskutiert, welches im Juni 2013 in Nikosia stattfand. Experten erkannten das vorhandene Verbesserungspotenzial, wenn das Personal an den Hochschuleinrichtungen optimal verwaltet und genutzt werden soll. Es wurde ebenso betont, dass die Erhaltung einer hohen Motivation vom administrativen und technischen Personals das größte Hindernis in der Region zu sein scheint. In allen Sitzungen wurde die "zu hohe Sicherheit" der Beschäftigung von den Teilnehmern verdeutlicht. Es wurde auch darauf hingewiesen, dass die Pläne und Strategien, die in der Region entwickelt werden, oft nicht umgesetzt oder zumindest nicht überwacht werden. Die Teilnehmer waren sich einig, dass die Reform des Arbeitsrechts von wesentlicher Bedeutung ist, um Verbesserungen in diesem Bereich durchzusetzen. Einige dieser Befunde werden von anderen Experten und Arbeiten unterstützt., Der Hauptzweck von RISE in diesem Szenario ist zur Hochschulreformagenda im südlichen Mittelmeerraum ("South Mediterranean Higher Education Reform Agenda") durch die Modernisierung des Personalwesens beizutragen. Dieses globale Ziel soll mit Hilfe von drei fokussierten, spezifischen Maßnahmen umgesetzt werden:, Der Aufbau von Kapazitäten im Personalwesen der Hochschulen im südlichen Mittelmeerraum mit dem Ziel einer besseren Organisationseffizienz, Schaffung eines regionalen Netzwerkes zum Personalwesens als Forum für den Austausch von bewährten Praktiken, Konzeption und Entwicklung von institutionellen Strategien im Personalwesen der Hochschulen im in südlichen Mittelmeerraum
2015 to 2018
EU - ERASMUS+
European Cooperative Framework for Dual Learning (EuroDuaLE)
Ziel des Projektes ist die Entwicklung eines Handbuches zur Entwicklung von europäischen und kooperativen dualen Aus- und Weiterbildungsprogrammen in Europa. Hierzu entwickeln Partner aus Italien, Spanien, Großbritannien, Belgien und Deutschland verschiedene Studien, Bildungsprogramme und führen diese in Pilotphasen durch.
2015 to 2018
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
Preclinical approaches towards therapeutic intervention for fragile X premutation carriers
The Fragile X gene (FMR1) is polymorphic for the number of CGG trinucleotide repeats in its 5 -untranslated region. Repeat sizes in the general population range between 5-55 CGG repeats. In Fragile X syndrome repeat expansions exceed 200, silencing expression of FMR1, resulting in intellectual disability. Carriers of the Fragile X premutation have between 55-200 repeats in the FMR1 gene and are at risk for developing Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). FXTAS is a late onset neurodegenerative disorder causing tremor, ataxia, brain pathology, cognitive loss, dementia and early death in some individuals. The proposed pathological mechanism is a toxic RNA gain-of-function model in which mRNAs containing expanded CGG repeats accumulate in neuronal nuclear aggregates. These RNA aggregates sequester specific RNA-binding proteins, thus impairing their normal cellular functions and ultimately resulting in neuronal death. Currently, no treatment exists for FXTAS. As the potential molecular target is well defined (i.e. the mutant FMR1 mRNA), FXTAS is highly amenable to the development of gene targeting therapy. Therefore, the primary objective of this project is (1) to determine the relevance of Fmr1 premutation for neuronal development and symptoms in juvenility and (2) to identify pharmacological and molecular compounds to treat FXTAS and ist symptoms. Collectively, the partners of this multidisciplinary consortium have excellent in vivo and in vitro models of FXTAS, valuable resources and state-of-the-art and emerging technologies available. One focus of our project will be on the behavioral validation of the most promising components.
2016 to 2018
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
Nanoparticles for Brain Use, Diagnostic and Ophthalmological Applications
The aim of this project is to develop multi-modal nanoparticulate carrier systems for neuronal diagnostic and rescue and to prove the effectiveness in purpose-designed biological models. By this we will build up a network of excellence to offer the contract-based development and testing of drug delivery systems for all main CNS (central nervous system) indications (e.g. stroke, trauma, glaucoma, M. Alzheimer)., Drug development in the neurology/ophthalmology area is significantly hampered by pharmacokinetic obstacles (blood-brain barrier (BBB), unspecific tissue distribution). With this project we propose to develop nanoparticles (NP) for BBB passage which detect and prevent apoptotic neuronal death (a cause of cell loss in many diseases like glaucoma, trauma, etc). The Moscow partners will design NP loaded with antiapoptotic drugs with the aim to (i) protect the compound from degradation, (ii) transport across the BBB (iii) selectively target and accumulate in cells at risk. This objective will be achieved via development of the hybrid multifunctional carrier system., The Magdeburg group will perform the biological evaluation of the NP in a trauma/glaucoma model with In vivo Confocal Neuroimaging (ICON). ICON allows repetitive non-invasive imaging of BBB passage and, distribution with cellular resolution under live conditions in rodents., A computational analysis tool for the ICON data will be implemented by arivis (Unterschleissheim) to obtain a quantitative description of the NP s kinetic, cellular distribution, protective effects and potential neurotoxicity., ToxPlus (Heraklion) will 1) validate the in vivo imaging results by ex vivo quantitative analysis of the NP system 2) detect NP/drug in peripheral organs and 3) importantly, ToxPlus will address the potential immune response against the particles., We envisage transferring our product into the pipeline of Nanosystem Ltd. (Moscow), a pharmaceutical company focussed on the development of nanoparticles.
2013 to 2017
EU - COST
Integrating devices and materials: challenge for new instrumentation in ICT (COST Action IC1208)
This Action addresses the critical challenge of providing new devices for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications running from sensors to photonics and optoelectronics. Traditional materials such as liquid crystals and devices such as acoustic resonators -are now showing new and improved functionalities when combined with nanostructured materials. This leads to innovative devices, which broaden the horizon of the applications in many areas, from health (bio- and diagnostic sensors) to optical communications and photonics (reconfigurable optics, displays). Interdisciplinarity and improved use of knowledge are essential for undertaking challenges in the design of new devices derived from new materials.
2016 to 2017
EU - ERASMUS+
Mini Recreation Olympic "Recrea Olympic"
The main objective of the project is to create a network of contacts between faculties /departments/institutes of the universities in the five countries that border Poland and three Polish universities whose mission is to promote physical activity for Participants, including citizens of Warsaw, in the context of personal, social and professional development., This will result in an original program of the European Week of Sport 2016. The main objective of the cooperation between the universities, on status as participants, involved in the project will be to plan and organize the Mini Recreation Olympic (RecreaOlympic) which will promote traditional games and recreational activities associated with the cultural heritage of the countries participating in the project. The RecreaOlympic will be a new method and a form of encouraging students and local people to take on physical activity in a fun way. The project will be summarized during a scientific conference. Materials from the conference will be published as the author's monograph.
2013 to 2017
EU - COST
COST Action IC1206 - De-identification for privacy protection in multimedia content
Die COST Action IC1206 hat das Ziel die Privatsphäre in Multimediadaten zu schützen. Dabei werden verschiedene biometrische Modalitäten wie Gesicht, Stimme, Silhouette oder Gang., In vier verschiedenen Arbeitsgruppen arbeiten Wissenschaftler aus verschiedenen Forschungsbereichen zusammen., Die COST Action hat Teilnehmer aus derzeit 28 europäischen Staaten sowie Partner aus drei weiteren Staaten.
2013 to 2016
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
Experimental approaches towards therapeutic intervention for Fragile X-associated Tremor Ataxia Syndrome (Cure-FXTAS)
FXTAS is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder affecting carriers of premutation forms of the FMR1 gene, resulting in a progressive development of tremor, ataxia and neuropsychological problems. Both the gene and the pathogenic trigger (RNA toxicity) responsible for FXTAS are known; therefore, this disorder represents a promising candidate for development of targeted gene therapies. The central goal of this proposal is to define critical periods in development for disease onset, identify therapeutic windows for treatment, test novel therapeutics in genetically modified mouse model for their potential to prevent or rescue the development of FXTAS. We will investigate to what extend neurobehavioral deficits produced by the expanded CGG repeat may be reduced or reversed, by shutting down the CGG-repeat-containing transgene. To this end we will perform a comprehensive behavioural and pharmacological analysis of inducible bigenic mice in which expression of CGG99 RNA can be turned off at different stages during development of FXTAS, to establish when suppression of abnormal gene expression can halt or reverse disease progression. Based thereon we will determine the therapeutic potential of acute genetic interventions to treat FXTAS
2012 to 2015
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
Neuron-Verbund "REVlS": Restitution von Sehleistungen nach Schlaganfall durch nicht-invasive elektrische Hirnstimulation
1. Vorhabenziel; REVIS will study visual system plasticity following posterior infarcts in stroke patients and animals. Specifically, we will evaluate the effects of a new non-invasive current brain stimulation method to achieve vision restoration. There are 11 Mio stroke patients worldwide that suffer from damage to lhe visual system, with 2.1 Mio new cases annually which have significant subjective impairments in everyday life. We attempt to improve brain plasticity with non-invasive alternating and direct current stimulation (applied transorbitally or transcranially) and thereby achieve clinical improvements such as better independence, return to work, improved quality of Iife (orienting, reading) and greater mobility. 2. Arbeitsplanung; We will look for signs of local and global plasticity (changes in receptive fields, activations and connectivities) in strokepatients with visual field loss before and after brain current stimulation to achieve vision restoration using functional tests, EEG, and MRI measurements.The Magdeburg part of the project will be carried out by B. Sabel, C.Gall (Inst. of Med. Psychol., project coordination) and O. Speck (Inst. of Exp. Physics), all at the University of Magdeburg. As part of the REVIS consortium, human studies will also be conducted as a joint effort with lhe partners P. Rossini (Rome) and T. Tatlisumak (Helsinki) and animal studies with V. Waleszczyk (Warsaw). Commercial collaborating partner is EBS Technologies GmbH (Kleinmachnow).
2010 to 2013
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
Targeting Rho-signalling, a new therapeutic avenue in fragile X syndrome (CURE-FXS)
The consortial project CURE-FXS aims at the development of new avenues for a treatment of cognitive dysfunctions in the fragile X syndrome of mental retardation. The consortial partners focus an the therapeutic potential of Rho-GTPase activators and on the intracellular signalling pathways that are controlled by these factors. The Magdeburg project plays a key role in evaluating the potential of substances that are developed in the consortium. We plan 1) to determine the efficiency of Rho activators to stimulate hippocamus- and cortex-dependent cognitive function, 2) to optimize the application formula of the activators and 3) to identify potential further pharmacological targets in the downstream signalling pathways. To this end, we investigate the benefitial effect of chronic intracerebroventricular administration of Rho activotors in a genetic mouse model of fragile X syndrome. Acute and local applications will be used to identify stages of memory formation and and to clarify the roles of brain structures involved. Moreover, by analyzing the underlying cellular mechanisms through collaboration within the consortium we aim to develop a basis for improving existing and for developing novel therapeutic Rho activators.
2006 to 2010
EU - COST
COST 2101 Action: BIDS - Biometrics for Identity Documents and Smart Cards
With an increase in identity fraud and the emphasis on security, there is a growing and urgent need to efficiently identify humans both locally and remotely on a routine basis. The Action addresses the issues of the global breakthrough by biometrics in identity verification technology that is imminent in terms of its use in identity documents and corresponding applications. The appearance of biometric identity documents such as passports, visas, national identity cards, drivers' licences and health insurance cards, have triggered a real need for reliable, user-friendly and widely acceptable automated reference mechanisms for checking the identity of an individual., The main objective of the Action is to investigate novel technologies for unsupervised multimodal biometric authentication systems using a new generation of biometrics-enabled identity documents and smart cards, while exploring the added-value of these technologies for large-scale applications with respect to the European requirements in relation to storage, transmission and protection of personal data. The Action also aims to address challenges in the deployment of the most promising biometric media such as identity document chips and smart cards in their various formats. This will involve considerable study of the application areas and efforts on the development of standards.
2006 to 2010
EU - ERA Net, Joint Programm
