EBU student journey Bioeconomy qualification supplement Erasmus Project

Project Title

EBU student journey
Bioeconomy qualification supplement

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Cooperation between educational institutions and business; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The European Bioeconomy University (EBU) alliance is strongly committed to expand the longstanding cooperation in the fields of education, research and innovation to shape the European bioeconomy. The alliance covers the entire spectrum of bioeconomic sectors and dimensions – from the production of renewable biological resources, through to the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value-added products, such as food, feed, biobased products and bioenergy, and also their marketing and sustainability assessment. Our strongest lever is our intellectual leadership in the field of the bioeconomy in Europe, while reflecting the heterogeneity of the European regions.

The new alliance of the six leading European universities in the Bioeconomy field consisting of : Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences – AgroParisTech (APT), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna(BOKU), University of Eastern Finland (UEF), University of Bologna (UNIBO), Wageningen University and Reseach (WUR) and University of Hohenheim (UHOH) will act as a think tank for knowledge generation and as a creative hub for knowledge transfer to transform diversity into creativity, support the European approach of democratic, transparent and participative processes and foster actual change in an innovative and sustainable way.

The major drivers of the EBU activities is the tremendous skills demand of the biobased industry and the European bioeconomy sector. Education and (vocational) training are vital to tap into the full potential of the future bioeconomy.

The education offered at the six EBU institutions is already leading the bioeconomy education in Europe, however so far only few dedicated bioeconomy study programs with a rather national focus are in place (see description of participating institutions for details). Therefore, the EBU aims at integrating the following bioeconomy-relevant skills, competences and expertise into the manifold study programs at the EBU institutions, in addition to the disciplinary expertise:

• Inter- and transdisciplinary skills based on a cross-sectorial mindset,
• Sustainability competences including system thinking, strategic competence, normative competence,
• Personal and interpersonal skills including critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, empowerment, reflection, participation, motivation as well as anticipation and transition knowledge,
• International (digital) communication and collaboration skills,
• Management and entrepreneurial skills,
• Assessment, decision making, regulation and policy skills.

This strategic partnership aims at integrating these skills, competences and expertise into existing master curricula and forms one of the building blocks in the establishment of the EBU. With this specific project, the alliance aims to:

• Develop and implement of the EBU bioeconomy qualification supplement for master students of the six EBU universities to signalize and assure a joint educational strategy with an specific focus on inter- and transdisciplinarity, cross-sectoral collaboration, problem-solving, sustainability competences and soft-skills development.
• Conceptualize the “EBU student journey” as pedagogical concept through which students strongly engage with each other across the EBU institutions by collaboratively working on real-world bioeconomic challenges based on a mix of several methodological approaches to obtain required knowledge, skills and competences.
• Establish an interactive online platform easily accessible by all members of the participating universities (teachers, students, staff) and potential cooperating partners (e.g. companies, researchers and politicians providing input for bioeconomy challenges) that covers academic/subject specific, challenge based, horizontal skills related and organisational inputs.
• Implement two pilot journeys, in which 72 master students will participate, will take place during 2022 and 2023 to apply the guidance materials, and execution of the journey framework and the other results. During these pilot journeys, there will be continuous assessment and improvements that will serve as input for the handbook of best practices in the bioeconomy education that will be a base for the future EBU student journeys.
• Develop a best practices manual for bioeconomy education in Europe based on the previous results.

Master students at the EBU, becoming the future professionals in the bioeconomy sector, will be prepared to tackle current and future environmental and societal challenges. EBU graduates will be able to analyze and consider the dynamics in industry, research and society for the development and implementation of innovations along biobased value chains, novel biobased products and new business models to drive the transition towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.

Project Website

https://european-bioeconomy-university.eu/education/ebu-label/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 443284 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAET HOHENHEIM & Country: DE

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITAET FUER BODENKULTUR WIEN
• ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
• ITA-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO
• INSTITUT NATIONAL DES SCIENCES ET INDUSTRIES DU VIVANT ET DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT – AGROPARISTECH
• WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY