OpenCom Italy

When an agricultural business considers investing in a biogas plant or a precision irrigation system, the first question is almost always: how much does it cost? The right question, however, is a different one: how much does it cost not to? 💰

The ACE-EX Economics, Resilience and Diversification course addresses the economic analysis of the circular transition using cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment and return on investment calculations. Direct costs, opportunity costs, market risks, environmental and social benefits — all factors that enter the equation. 📊

The module also explores funding opportunities: public-private partnerships to share costs and risks, green bonds and sustainability-linked loans, government incentives such as those provided by the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, subsidies and tax breaks for circular technologies. 🏛️

A practical course exercise asks students to develop a business case for a local circular initiative — for example a recycling project or a renewable energy plant for an agricultural cooperative. From context analysis to cost estimation, stakeholder mapping to project presentation.

Because circularity, to work, must also add up in the numbers.

🔗 Link in bio



🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union

In 2021, the European Commission adopted the Digital Education Action Plan, with a horizon to 2027. One of its central objectives is to strengthen the digital competences of European teachers, recognising that no transformation of the education system is possible without investing in those who teach.

That same year, the European Education Area project set common goals for the education systems of member states: inclusion, quality, equity. Digital and sustainability competences are explicitly part of this framework.

DigiSET was not born to respond to these documents. But it sits with precision within the perimeter they define. The competence framework the project is building is calibrated on DigCompEdu, LifeComp and GreenComp, the three European standards for digital, transversal and sustainability competences. The certification DigiSET will award to the 700 trained teachers is designed to be recognisable and usable within the European education policy landscape.

DigiSET, Digitally Sustainable European Teacher Academy, is an Erasmus+ project involving 16 organisations from 8 European countries. A project funded by Europe to respond to priorities that Europe itself has identified.

Policy works when it translates into tools that someone actually uses.

🇦🇹 🇮🇹 🇷🇴 🇧🇬 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇹🇷 🇳🇴 🇪🇺
🔗 Link to the project website in bio



Co-funded by the European Union

Universität für Weiterbildung Krems
Lehr- und Lerntechnologien - TU Graz
Universitatea POLITEHNICA din București
Centrul de Formare USLIP Iași
Hristo Smirnenski Primary School, Rakovski
Università di Siena
OpenCom Italy
Educazione Digitale
Teachers' Union of Ireland
Bridgetown College
Maude Studio
Tasarı İzlem
Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi

Training the trainers: where lasting change begins
18 Tunisian trainers between Granada and Libverda

You can design the finest curriculum in the world, but if those delivering it are not properly equipped, it remains words on paper. SHE-GROWS recognises this, which is why an entire Work Package is devoted to training the trainers.

👨‍🏫 Eighteen Tunisian trainers, selected from VET centres in Béja and Jendouba, will take part in an intensive Training of Trainers programme. Not only technical skills in hydroponics, but also inclusive teaching methodologies, gender-sensitive approaches and digital tools for education.

🇪🇸 The first stage will be in Granada, hosted by EFA El Soto. A centre with a long-standing tradition in environmental education and rural development, offering its facilities and expertise in sustainable agricultural training.

🇨🇿 The second stage in Libverda, Czech Republic. The country's oldest agricultural school, with established expertise in hydroponics, aquaponics and water resource management. A different setting, a different climate, the same challenges around agricultural sustainability.

🎯 The target is ambitious yet measurable: by the end of the programme, 100% of trainers should have increased their competence in hydroponic techniques and their ability to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into teaching. Not a generic professional update, but targeted preparation for what they will be delivering to 60 participants in Jendouba.

💻 In parallel, multimedia teaching materials and an e-learning platform will be developed, ensuring that training is not confined to classrooms but can also reach those facing logistical or mobility constraints.

🌱 SHE-GROWS is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building project that invests first in the people who will teach, because lasting change depends on the quality of those who pass it on.

🔗 Link to website in bio

Project partners: 🇪🇸 EFA El Soto · 🇮🇹 OpenCom · 🇹🇳 Elemtiez · GIY · UTAP · 🇨🇿 Libverda



🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union

European Commission
Erasmus+ Tunisia
Efa El Soto
OpenCom Italy
Elemtiez Formation
Grow It Yourself
الاتحاد التونسي للفلاحة والصيد البحري UTAP Tunisie
SŠZaZe A. E. Komerse, Děčín - Libverda, příspěvková organizace