Leadarship in Small States Erasmus Project

Project Title

Leadarship in Small States

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

Small states face structural disadvantages related to their size in the international community. Having a small population inherently inhibits the aggregate structural power of states and creates hurdles that need to be compensated for. A small state s administrative capacity is more limited than the capacity in bigger states, making it more challenging to engage in decisive and independent policy making. Good leadership skills are required to be able to practice the correct prioritisation and tactical bargaining in international diplomatic surroundings. Small states need to defend their interests in their key sectors and within these sectors they need to be able to show leadership initiative, offer clever solutions to problems, while also wielding positive influence outwards. Leadership skills are imperative to make this happen and secure successful diplomacy for a small state.

The main objective of this strategic partnership was to train students of small states with skills to take on leadership roles at home and abroad. The consortium built on a long-standing partnership between the participating institutions in developing small state studies as an academic discipline. The project was led by the Centre for Small State Studies at the University of Iceland in close collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, Tallinn University of Technology, Vilnius University, the University of Ljubljana, Lund University and Aarhus University.

The small states summer school in Reykjavik (hosted since 2003) has been the central point of this cooperation. Around 500 students have finished the summer school, many of whom have gone on to build successful careers in public or private sectors. This strategic partnership will utilised this knowledge and pool of leaders to create intensive leadership schools throughout the project that were aimed at training students in becoming leaders within their respective fields of interest. Teachers and lecturers at the schools were leading academics in small states studies, as well as former summer school students that have since taken on leadership roles in their professional lives.

The project changed substantially from the application to the agreed grant agreement. Initially the consortium had planned for a three year project that would result in the creation and publishing of a finished MOOC for the highly acclaimed edX platform. The current project was reduced in size, to a two year project that resulted in the creation of a manuscript for a MOOC. The consortium sought continued funding to create a finalised MOOC from this script and has received funding from the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership programme for the project “Leadership in Small States” – (2020-1-IS01-KA203-065825). In this next phase of the project the consortium will finalise the MOOC for the edX platform.

The activities of the project were thus reduced and after the agreed grant agreement the consortium planned to carry out the following activities :

a. Five Intensive Study Programmes or leadership schools focused on small state leadership.
b. Two transnational meetings – a kick-off meeting at the start of the project and a consortium meeting following the last leadership school.

And produce the following output:
d. a manuscript for a MOOC developed for the highly acclaimed edX platform, to be delivered at the end of the project.

The project was substantially affected by Covid-19 and restrictions of travel in relation to the pandemic. As a result one Leadership school, Small State Leadership in Gender Policy (Module 4) was moved online and taught through Zoom. The Leadership school “Small State Foreign Policy: Taking Leadership in International Diplomacy (Module 5)” was cancelled, as well as the transnational meeting that was supposed to follow.

Despite the difficulties faced due to Covid, the project managed to reach out to a substantial amount of students – close to 100 students attended the leadership schools – teachers from partner schools, as well as beyond the partnership taught at the school – and the consortium managed to finalise the manuscript for the
MOOC. The project is expected to impact its participants on various levels as well as to have sustained impact beyond the lifetime of the project. The project´s main initial target group were students from within the partnership participating in the leadership schools. However, the project will also impact students, institutions and civil society on different levels by creating a new dynamic dimension in leadership and small state studies that all partners aim to foster and grow even further. The MOOC created will secure a lasting impact of the project well beyond its lifetime and beyond the partnership. It will be available open access thus maximising the potential reach and impact of this innovative course.

Project Website

https://ams.hi.is/en/projects/leadership-small-states/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 189323,7 Eur

Project Coordinator

HASKOLI ISLANDS & Country: IS

Project Partners

• KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
• UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
• TALLINNA TEHNIKAULIKOOL
• VILNIAUS UNIVERSITETAS
• LUNDS UNIVERSITET
• AARHUS UNIVERSITET