WRAPPING UP 2017 – TOWARDS 2018: THE FIRST YEAR OF PROJECT “EXCELLENCE IN RESTI” ENDED

Excellence in research, social and technological innovation (ReSTI) project activities started on February 1, 2017: ReSTI project management is producing expected results. Project activities are every day more and more intense. At the same time, the results of the project are more visible. Activities on the development of the curriculum and the creation of tools and techniques are particularly important. For this purpose, ReSTI 5-Door Approach to E-Learning has been improved, and besides, the Infodesk has been developed and launched. Research on the opinions of experts, potential course participants and other stakeholders took a special place in the last quarter of 2017. Permanent meetings, analyses and content creation for a number of online platforms and social networks are some of the other activities of ReSTI team members from 9 countries in the Danube region. As a result, the multinational Excellence-in-RESTI team starts the second year of the project with a lot of ideas and a lot of optimism.

EVENT IN FOCUS: INFODESK IS READY

The main aim of the Infodesk is to provide support to stakeholders on the management of projects in research, technological and social innovation. Excellence-in-ReSTI Infodesk was finalised in December 2017. The Infodesk provides a number of functionalities to stakeholders in English and is free of charge. This includes that stakeholders can send their questions via the webform on topics related to the project. Another possibility is self-evaluation through special designed self-test questionnaires. Users are able to assess their skills and gaps in subject areas related to the learning programme (research, social and technological innovation project management). A comprehensive Knowledge Base is available to those interested in ReSTI project management. The Knowledge Base was established on open access basis and is free for charge. It contains a bundle of features: Collection of FAQs; Glossary of terms relevant for ReSTI projects; and Project Management Tools – a list of useful project management tools with description.

AN EXCELLENT RESPONSE TO ONLINE SURVEYS

The aim of Excellence-in-ReSTI is to improve knowledge and skills in managing research, social and technological innovation projects. The main project tool to achieve this aim will be a transnational e-learning curriculum, which will be tested as a pilot course in academic year 2018/2019. In the last quarter of 2017 all Excellence-in-ReSTI team members were focused on review of project management status and expectations in 9 countries in Danube region. For this purpose, online research was conducted. About 1000 respondents participated in the survey from all Danube region countries. Data will help ReSTI project partners to create innovative e-learning curriculum for future ReSTI managers. We are grateful to all respondents for their participation.

THE RESTI AUSTRIAN TEAM MEMBERS WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE 5-DOOR APPROACH TO E-LEARNING

The ReSTI Austrian team has been busy working toward refining the ReSTI 5-Door Approach to E-Learning, and we are pleased to report that an article about our unique approach has been accepted for virtual presentation at the 12th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference, INTED2018 (https://iated.org/inted/). In the paper authors (R. Rowland, G. Weiss, I. Zavrl, J. Praith, and C. Kummer) outline the foundation of the 5-door approach and then take the reader through each of the 5 doors to help them imagine what the experience will be like. The 5-door approach is an innovative way for online learning. This approach is based on the classic theory of Kolb’s Learning Styles (Kolb, 1984) and adapted from Thiagi’s 4-Door Approach (Thiagi, 2015). Each class offers multiple entry points to the learning through these doors: The Library (course content resources), The Café (interactive activities with others), The Playground (playful activities and games), The Forest (reflection activities to integrate the learning), and Assessment (to test the level of knowledge gained and/or skills acquired). Behind each door, the learning is tailored for a particular learning style, and participants can walk through all doors and solidify their learning through repetition in various formats and/or choose the approach that works best for them and dive deeply into the offerings provided behind the chosen door. The curriculum is composed of five modules and 20 courses—providing information, advice, theoretical  input as well as know-how on processes, methods and tools to lead participants to success with their projects. The classes are structured to align with the ECTS credit system in EU universities. Participants who complete the course successfully will earn a Certificate of Completion from the Project Consortium. We are excited to populate our courses with innovative content and offer a fun learning environment to our ReSTI Project Management programme participants. Therefore, we also expect other excellent scientific and professional articles inspired by the Excellence-in-RESTI project.

http://dtp.interreg-danube.eu/news-and-events/project-news/1626

SAVE THE DATE: UPCOMING EVENT IN BELGRADE - BRIDGING THE GAPS IN RESEARCH SOCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE DANUBE REGION, MARCH 2018

We are pleased to inform you that our big public event entitled "Bridging the gaps in research, social and technological project management in the Danube region" is to be held on 1st March 2018 at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, Serbia.

The event addresses policy makers, university professors, the NGO sector, students, as well as young project managers and entrepreneurs. The whole-day event will present the state-of-the-art of the research and innovation projects in the Danube region, as well as administrative, skill-related and other gaps hindering their true potential, introduce the ReSTI pilot courses and Infodesk, organise panel discussions with high-level experts, as well simulate the 5-door-experience in learning for participants, teachers and students. Keep informed at:

PARTNER IN FOCUS: EUROVIENNA

EuroVienna EU-consulting & -management GmbH. EuroVienna is a consulting company that was established in 2014 by Wien Holding, an affiliated entity of the City of Vienna. EuroVienna is a key-partner and service provider in the development and implementation of EU projects in the city but also for the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) in context of Priority Area 10 projects within the Danube Region itself. With their experts and experience in EU project management and technical assistance in various fields, EuroVienna is also an essential service provider for other municipalities, companies and organisations active or interested in EU funded projects throughout the region. Starting with project idea development and screening of funding opportunities, to project and finance management for beneficiaries of EU funds, EuroVienna also offers training programmes for EU projects in general. To simplify the search for potential calls, EuroVienna developed an online search tool on EU-funding for the Danube Region (EuroAccess Danube Region https://euro-access.eu, funded by the EU Commission).

EXCELLENCE-IN-RESTI ON SOCIAL MEDIA

After a few months we have over 340 followers on Facebook and over 70 members of Excellence-in-ReSTI LinkedIn group. Follow us to keep in touch with the latest news about Danube Transnational Project “Excellence in research, social and technological innovation”.

https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceinReSTI/