Benutzer:Emcra co-shaper/Upgrade2Europe(ENG)

upgrade2europe is a European project funded by the European Commission and implemented by seven partner organizations between January 2020 and October 2023. Under the leadership of the German training and consulting company emcra - co shaping europe from Berlin, various products were developed to prepare small and medium-sized organizations for European work.

Key Information
Type of partnership	Innovation
Start date	09.01.2020
End date	31.10.2023
National agency of the applicant institution	DE02 National Agency Education for Europe at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (Nationale Agentur Bildung für Europa beim Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung)
Applicant institution and lead partner	emcra GmbH (Germany)
Total EU grant	389.964,00 Euro
Partners
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Csongrád-Csanád (Hungary)	EU-Fundraising Association (Germany)
Cyprus Project Management Society (Cyprus)	Associazione PRISM (Promozione Internazionale Sicilia-Mondo) (Italy)
TALTEC - Talinn University of Technology (Estonia)	European Center for Quality (Bulgaria)

Introduction

“upgrade2europe” aims to support small and medium-sized organizations (SMOs) such as associations or foundations, educational institutions, and SMEs from the service sector in facing the challenges of transnational work in Europe. An integrated digital learning tool offers six complementary and freely accessible online products that accompany organisations on their path to Europe. With this learning tool, users should acquire the necessary knowledge for the Europeanization of their organizations, applying an on the job, step-by-step learning approach. Educational providers are encouraged to use the materials and a sample curriculum for further training offerings.

"upgrade2europe" is a European project initiated to address the imperative need for enhancing awareness and capabilities among organizations to actively engage in European civil society activities, embody European values, and participate effectively in the European economic landscape. The project recognizes that many organizations lack the institutional preparedness required for such endeavors and seeks to provide the necessary tools and resources to empower them for greater participation.

Operationalized between October 2020 and August 2023, "epgrade2europe" was a collaborative effort involving seven partner organizations from six European countries. This initiative received funding from the European Union's "Erasmus+" program under the project number 2020-1-DE02-KA202-007626. All participating partner organizations possessed extensive experience in international cooperation and organizational development.

At the heart of "upgrade2europe" lies a holistic approach aimed at assisting organizations in recognizing their strengths and identifying areas that require further development in the context of European engagement. It offers a comprehensive analysis tool and various organizational development resources to help build capacities across operational, technical, and financial domains.

This project builds upon the successes of the earlier EU project "europeanisation," executed from 2014 to 2016 (Project number: 2014-1-DE02-KA200-001539). "europeanisation" received acclaim from the European Commission, earning the distinction of a "Success Story" and being recognized as a "Good Practice Example" by the National Agency Germany NA-BiBB. In essence, "upgrade2europe" strives to continue the legacy of its predecessor by furthering the cause of European engagement and facilitating a more effective utilization of opportunities for participating organizations.

Project Goals

The aim of the project is to provide educational actors, SMOs and SMEs with the necessary materials so that they can develop and implement their Europeanisation strategies themselves. Before the project started, there were no comprehensive, easily accessible materials. With the 6 outputs that are freely accessible online, which together form an integrated digital learning tool, SMEs and SMOs should, on the one hand, advance the Europeanisation of their companies or organisations on a professional basis. On the other hand, training providers can use the developed materials and the model curriculum for further training offers for SMEs and SMOs.

In the medium to long term, the project partners aim to establish "upgrade2europe" as the No. 1 organisational development tool for all organisations that want to intensify their work across national borders in Europe.

Project Partners

Seven organisations from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Hungary and Italy aimed at combining their expertise to create the holistic "upgrade2europe" approach, which is meant to accompanie organisations on their way to Europe.

The partners are experienced in the Europeanisation process and in organisational development. All of them offer educational and training activities and share an interest in facilitating the Europeanisation process of their members, clients, or stakeholders. They advertise, that based on their experience, opening up towards Europe improves the offer and performance of educational organisations, organisations in general, and companies.

Details of the individual organisations are provided below.

emcra - Co-shaping Europe (Germany)

emcra Co-shaping Europe is a company specializing in training and consultancy, with a strong focus on public, national, and European funding, as well as organizational development. Its operational activities encompass three primary areas: the "Berlin School Funding and Change" for further education, consultancy services, and the Innovation & Research division.

As a registered training provider, emcra actively engages in vocational training and adult education, offering a diverse range of training programs, from webinars to in-house seminars and shorter formats lasting 3-5 days, to comprehensive 5-month full-time training courses. Their methods encompass in-person training, online-based education, and blended learning—a combination of both approaches. emcra's learning formats have benefited over 2,500 managers and employees since its inception in 2002.

emcra's core mission is to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in managing their tasks and challenges, with a particular emphasis on enhancing organizational development. Additionally, emcra provides support to institutions in developing, implementing, and evaluating their funded projects, with a strong focus on ensuring project sustainability aligned with the organizations' strategies. In essence, each project serves as a building block in the broader organizational development of the project holder, reinforcing institutional sustainability by strengthening human, technical, and financial capacities.

emcra actively participates in European projects, both as a coordinator and partner, with a primary goal of enhancing the quality of European education and learning systems. These projects aim to support SMEs and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Operating in the fields of management and Europeanization/internationalization. emcra's involvement spans various domains, including inclusive leadership styles, digital transformation of SMEs, project management, risk management, and Europeanization/internationalization of VET (Vocational Education and Training) and adult education institutions.

The emcra team comprises eight permanent employees and approximately 20 freelancers, many of whom boast over two decades of experience in vocational education and training, as well as European project management. Their collective expertise spans international collaboration with entities from the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

emcra actively engages in multiple networks and associations, including the Institute for Business Consulting, Economic Development, and Research (Institut für Betriebsberatung, Wirtschaftsförderung und -forschung), the German Fundraising Association (Deutscher Fundraising Verband), the EU-Fundraising Association, and ENFORCE (European Network For Research & Excellence).

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Csongrád-Csanád (Hungary)

The Csongrad County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CSMKIK) looks back on a 130-year history and has 1,100 members from the fields of commerce, industry, services and crafts. CSMKIK has direct access to more than 22,000 businesses in the region. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has 44 employees and collaborates with a large European network.

The primary task of CSMKIK as a business council operating as a public body is general business representation as well as the promotion of economic development in the region. Specifically, CMSKIK strives to help its members by improving the business environment, providing economic analysis and forecasts, conducting business training, developing management skills, and offering events and conferences on various topics. In addition, the Chamber strives to build credible and authentic business relationships, providing advice on legal, tax, financial, IPR and quality management, financial, IPR, quality management and other issues. One of CSMKIK's core tasks is also to strengthen cooperation between businesses, increase their competitiveness, to promote the development of the business community, and to help them internationalise.

The Chamber's training department acts as an intermediary between companies and vocational training institutions and coordinates the practical training of apprentices in companies. Among other things, it also facilitates the implementation of internships in companies. The training department is closely networked with educational institutions at local, regional and national level.

The Chamber hosts the regional office of the European Commission's Enterprise Europe Network, which helps businesses innovate and grow internationally. It is also the world's largest support network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions.

CSMKIK is a member of the following associations or networks:

Hungarian-Serbian Bilateral Chamber
Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary
Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Enterprise Europe Network of the European Commission (approx. 600 member organisations worldwide - the regional office is located at CSMKIK)
Danube Chambers of Commerce Association DCCA (19 chambers from Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Romania, Austria, etc.

CSMKIK has already been involved in projects related to the upgrade2europe theme:

Europeanisation - Organisational Maturity Assessment Tool for the Europeanisation of Educational Institutions (Erasmus+ KA2): The aim of the project was to develop an online tool for self-assessment of the degree of Europeanisation of educational institutions.
ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK (COSME): The EEN acts as a one-stop shop for business support services in the areas of internationalisation and innovation.
Inn-Commerce - Gamified Training for Successful Commercialization of Young SMEs' Innovation (Erasmus+ KA2): Through the development of training specifically tailored to the needs of young SMEs' needs, their capacity to innovate was increased.

EU-Fundraising Association (Germany)

The EU Fundraising Association e.V. (EUFA) is a non-profit organisation active throughout Europe and listed as a registered association under German law. The EUFA is a European organisation that actively promotes exchange in Europe. Since 2010, the EUFA network has provided around 100 members and organisations with the basis for their joint European activities. One of the main purposes of the EUFA is European integration and the support of European citizenship. Through its work, the EUFA tries to encourage individuals and organisations to think and work in a European context. Most of its members are experienced in European cooperation and transnational projects. The members are active in different fields such as socio-economic development, culture, civil society, environment, (social) economy, etc.The association is represented by its chairperson and its two other board members. A team of currently two staff members (two part-time) in the EUFA office in Berlin and a permanent circle of about 10 committed volunteers form the basis for the successful work in Europe.

Fields of activity:

The EUFA promotes professional exchange in Europe and carries out European projects or participates in European project consortia. So far project partnerships have been established and implemented with the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Hungary, United Kingdom and Cyprus.
The CFCA actively supports professionalisation in the companies and organisations of its members and develops common European quality standards for European professionals. Among other things, the EUFA is a supporter of the "Code of Ethics for EU Project Managers", which was developed within the PROVE project (https://eufundraising.eu/code-ethics/).
The EUFA also supports its members in the Europeanisation and internationalisation of their organisations. For this purpose, the award-winning self-evaluation tool "Europeanisation" was developed (https://www.na-bibb.de/erasmus-berufsbildung/strategische-partnerschaften/good-practice/bildungsinstitutionenfit-making-for-europe/).
In the project "Inclusive Leadership" (https://inclusiveleadership.eu/de), the EUFA developed a practical inclusive leadership approach that supports actors from the non-profit sector, business and administration in developing their individual inclusive leadership style. For this purpose, a Quick Check, a handbook "Inclusive Leadership" and a handbook for trainers were developed. The findings of this project are currently being used and further developed in the project "Inclusive Leadership in the Digital Age".
At symposia and conferences, the EUFA brings together European experts from the fields of business, the social economy, public administration and the non-profit sector. non-profit sector.
Among other things, the EUFA members regularly exchange ideas at expert and regional group meetings. The topic of Europeanisation has been the subject of discussions several times, so that a broad base of know-how exists in the organisation.

The Cyprus Project Management Society (Cyprus)

The non-profit organisation Cyprus Project Management Society (CPMS) was founded in February 2008. The aim of CPMS is to establish a project management culture, apply accredited international project management standards and certify professionals, organisations and companies, and conduct training events in Cyprus.

CPMS is a member of the International Project Management Association (IPMA, www.ipma.ch). IPMA is a non-profit organisation registered in Switzerland for the promotion of international project management. The association was initiated in 1965 in Vienna by a European group of managers. IPMA provides standards and sets guidelines for the work of project management professionals through the so-called IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB®). IPMA is one of the world's largest project management associations and is represented by around 70 member associations around the world. CPMS represents IPMA in Cyprus and thus promotes the activities of the International Project Management Association, its project management standards and techniques as well as its professional trainings. On a voluntary basis, CPMS has participated in a number of projects carried out by IPMA, including a project to improve the World Bank's project management curriculum.

CPMS is governed by a board of 5 members and currently has 30 members. The Society has experience in transnational work and has been involved in several EU projects. The Society is also a founding member of the European Network for Research & Excellence - ENFORCE (www.enforcenetwork.eu) with members including universities, business development and consultancy organisations, training institutions, etc. The network aims to strengthen European cooperation.

PRISM (Italy)

Associazione PRISM (Promozione Internazionale Sicilia-Mondo) is an association that supports the social, cultural and economic development of the area in which it operates.PRISM acts as a qualified development agent, using local structural funds and transnational funding, in particular provided by the EU, to promote development policies in its territory.development policy in its territory. The association provides an innovative and creative space in which individuals and stakeholders can be brought together to exchange ideas and work together to develop projects and integrated approaches that combine social, economic, cultural and environmental interventions. interconnected. PRISM consists of five sections: Youth and International Mobility; European Cooperation; Local Development; International Cooperation. and Research and Innovation.

According to its mission, PRISM wants to promote development, whereby the following conditions are to be fulfilled:

Development takes place at the local level through the promotion of regional identity and the potential of endogenous resources,

it is based on effective local governance and the development of social capital in the region, and
it is sustainable by meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising future generations.

The main objectives of the association are:

Promote non-violent development in the region through participatory processes and bottom-up planning.

Promoting cooperation and international mobilities in the field of youth

To support European cooperation initiatives in the field of lifelong learning, education and training.

Promoting international cooperation activities in developing countries

PRISM is currently involved in several Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships in the field of youth, adult education and vocational and educational training education, with a focus on social inclusion, entrepreneurship and empowerment of vulnerable groups. Since 2013, PRISM has hosted over 750 youth and adults from the EU and around the world, offering guests international non-formal learning experiences, including youth exchanges, trainings, seminars, job shadowing, study visits, etc.

In 2015, PRISM was recognised as a research centre by MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research) (reference number: 61958KIH). Since 2016 PRISM has been involved in the Horizon2020 proposal submission for the development of research on cultural literacy, cultural diversity and intercultural education.

PRISM is a member of the RIDE network (Rete Italiana per il Dialogo Euro-mediterraneo (https://ride.mediper.eu/en/) and the ALF network (Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures; https://www.annalindhfoundation.org/).

TALTEC (Estonia)

Founded in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (commonly known as TalTech; Estonian: Tallinna Tehnikaülikool) stands as Estonia's sole technical university. Situated in the capital city of Tallinn, TalTech serves as an academic institution with a strong emphasis on engineering, business, public administration, and maritime affairs. In addition to its main campus in Tallinn, TalTech extends its reach with colleges located in Tartu and Kohtla-Järve. It is important to note that, despite their similar names, Tallinn University and Tallinn University of Technology are distinct and separate educational institutions.

There are over 30 fully accredited international degree programmes (4 Bachelor programmes, 18 Master programmes and 10 PhD programmes) that are available fully in English.

European Center for Quality (Bulgaria)

European Center for Quality Ltd (ECQ) is a consulting company founded in 2001, specialising in the following areas:

Development and implementation of management systems in accordance with international standards (ISO 9001:2008/2015 Quality Management Systems (MS); ISO 27001. Information Security MS; ISO 14001:2004/2015 Environment MS; ISO 50001:2011 Energy MS; ISO 18001 Occupational Health and Safety MS, ISO 22000:2005 FSM).
Development and management of projects under various EU programmes
Advising Bulgarian SMEs on how to increase their competitiveness and productivity, innovation and growth
Design and implementation of training activities for business units and employees
Implementation of various initiatives linking the world of business and innovation with the education and training sector.

During its 19-year existence, ECQ has become one of the leading consulting companies for European-funded projects in Bulgaria. The company works closely with a wide range of national and international partners, including educational institutions and universities, qualification centres, non-governmental organisations, chambers of commerce, consulting firms, etc.

ECQ was involved in a variety of project activities, including: transnational needs assessments conducted through online surveys, focus groups and interviews; analysing and summarising the results of the research conducted; developing innovative training curricula and self-analysis tools; Analysis and synthesis of the results of the research conducted; Development of innovative training curricula and self-analysis tools; Conducting training workshops and evaluation seminars; Interacting with stakeholders and collecting feedback; Developing project websites and sophisticated learning platforms; Organising small and large events and conferences; ensuring wide dissemination and use of project results. and quality management of projects.

ECQ chairs the "European Association of Quality Intermediary Organisations in Mobility" based in Brussels. The main objective of EAQOM is to provide common guidelines and standards for the implementation of mobilities to ensure the quality of European educational and labour mobilities. ECQ is a member of the European Vocational Education and Training Network ENNE ("European National Networks for the Enhancement of VET"), which was founded in October 2019 and brings together 29 organisations from five European countries. ECQ is also the coordinator of the Bulgarian VET Network of Excellence, which unites five VET schools and two VET providers. ECQ is a member of the international network "European Network for Research & Excellence - ENFORCE". The ENFORCE network aims to promote cooperation in research and business between organisations that share the same values and have similar research and business interests across Europe. Currently the network has 18 members from eight European countries. ECQ is a member of the Bulgarian Association of Management Consulting Organisations (28 companies and 56 individual members) and Club 9000" - a non-profit, non-governmental organisation with the aim of adapting quality management in Bulgarian organisations to international standards (205 members). ECQ operates in accordance with the ISO 9001 quality management system. ECQ is committed to the principles and values set out in the "Code of Ethics for EU Project Management" which ECQ has officially signed.

Intellectual Outputs of the Projekt

As the project is funded by the European Union, the concrete project results (intellectual outputs) are available to the general public free of charge on the project website.

Process model

The process model gives an overview of the conceptual background of the project. The model describes and structures the organisational development process on the way to Europe. It defines four domains of an organisation and assigns nine organisational development areas to them.

The domains include the following:

Domain: Corporate Governance - The Foundations of Success
- Mission, Vision and Organisational Culture
- Strategy and evaluation of results
- European and international dimension
Management and Leadership - Getting it right
- Management competence
- International activities and international project management
- Leadership competence
Operations & Resources - People, Infrastructure and Finance
- People and Infrastructure
- Financial performance and financial management
European Partnerships & Alliances - Cooperation and Communication
- Cooperation and external communication

Digital Self-Assessment Tool

Here users receive a evaluation of their organisation's maturity level as well as individualised recommendations for action so that they can initiate their next steps. The tool should be used in three phases:

Analysis: The tool shows users four situation descriptions per theme. Then users select the situation description that most closely describes their organisation. In total, all domains with their nine organisational areas are indirectly queried in this way.
Evaluate: After all questions have been answered, users receive an individual, automatically generated analysis. In this way, users can see how your organisation is positioned for international work and where there is a need for action. For each of the nine organisational areas there is an individual evaluation and subsequent recommendations for action.
upgrade2europe: On this basis, users should be able to prepare their organisation for work at the European level. In doing so, they can be guided by their individual recommendations for action.

It is recommended to design the whole "upgrade2europe" process together as a team and to involve as many colleagues as reasonable and possible. In this way, the path to Europe is shaped in a collaborative organisational development process, with the result of which the team identifies and implements together with commitment and conviction.

Handbook

Of the written project outputs, the handbook is the most detailed, consisting of over one hundred pages. The "upgrade2europe" handbook provides users with extensive material to prepare their organisation for activities in Europe. The tools and methods are prepared in a practical way so that they can be applied directly in everyday work. The handbook also helps trainers to design interactive workshops as a more detailed complement to the Curriculum.

E-mail course

The users receive a basic opportunity to get involved in the topic. The course raises awareness and enables the first steps towards implementation. In the email course, users receive weekly emails for 12 weeks with information on the Europeanisation process. The emails have a reading time of around five minutes and the tips are designed so that they can be applied directly in everyday work. The email course is therefore a very easy way to get involved with the contents of upgrade2europe individually and without spending a lot of time.

Teaching and learning videos

The short tutorial videos of an average length of 15 minutes provide an accessible overview of the nine relevant areas of organisational development to prepare for work at European level.

EQR-Curriculum

The "upgrade2europe" curriculum can be used to design both in-house and public training courses, to make the approach known among the organisations addressed. For nine organisational areas, the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities are described in detail that are needed to independently and responsibly accompany an organisation on its way to Europe. The curriculum has about thirty pages and is also structured in four domains and nine areas of organisational development (see process model).

Sources and Links

Project website "ugrade2europe"
Project website "europeanisation"
"europeanisation" on the project database of the Erasmus plus program
Information about upgrade2europe on the website of the project coordination emcra - co-shaping europe

Kategorie:Projektmanagement