Project: Facilitating blue growth with open courses by utilizing R&D products and virtual mobility (FOCUS)

Project information

Project manager for Linnaeus University
Catherine Legrand
Steering committee
Dalia Baziukė, Klaipeda University (LT, Lead Partner)
Ilona Rupšienė, Lithuania Business University of Applied Sciences (LT, Project Partner)
Catherine Legrand, Linnaeus University (SE, Project Partner)
Hanna Mazur-Marzec, University of Gdansk (PL, Project Partner)
Bent Holtzmann, Roskilde Business College (DK, Project Partner)
Other project members at Linnaeus University
Elisabeth Carlsson
Participating organizations
Klaipeda University, Lithuania; Lithuania Business University of Applied Sciences, Lithuania; University of Gdansk, Poland; Roskilde Business College, Denmark
Financiers
Interreg South Baltic, European Union, European Regional Development Fund, Centrum Projektów Europejskich
Timetable
2017-2019
Subject
Aquatic Ecology (Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)
Website
https://www.ku.lt/focus/#about_project

More about the project

In today's internet-driven world, it is vital to the advancement of knowledge, technology and science that we diversify and reach eager students on a mobile learning platform. The diversity of knowledge and culture only helps to expand our experiences. For that reason and others, we at Marine Phytoplankton Ecology and Applications are teaming up with Klaipeda University, University of Gdansk, Roskilde Business College, and Lithuania Business University of Applied Sciences to create and build a comprehensive Marine Biotechnology course, free of charge for all those with an internet connection and a will to learn. Funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund, Kalmar-based project coordinator Professor Catherine Legrand works with project assistant Elisabeth Carlsson in building this exciting new platform that rides the wave of the cultural zeitgeist and in the burgeoning field of education and technology. This platform not only can be used for this marine biotechnology course, but can be applied as a template for future mobile platforms in sustainability, biology, communication, etc.

The project involves five partners from Lithuania (2), Sweden (1), Poland (1) and Denmark (1). The partnership is composed of the universities and a business college. The partners are supported by 3 associated partners (biotechnology association, association of distance and e-learning as well as tourist information organisation). The project is led by the Klaipeda University from Lithuania.

The overall idea of the project is to enable the exchange of knowledge and transfer of good practice from R&D sector to practitioners in marine biotechnology, marine/coastal tourism sectors as well as to students searching for education in a given field. In order to achieve this objective a virtual mobility platform (VMP) will be created and a pilot delivery of digital education system will take place.

The project includes the following activities:

• Performing a feasibility study combining required knowledge needs for the marine biotechnology and tourism sector in the South Baltic region and defining human resources skills specific to blue growth;
• Identification of at least 5 crucial subjects for the knowledge transfer in the sector;
• Developing course syllabus related to blue growth sectors and e-mentoring course;
• Adaptation of developed content to the virtual training and launching the Virtual Mobility Platform (VMP);
• Pilot delivery of e-mentoring course to train the trainers;
• Pilot online delivery of at least 5 subjects addressing blue growth topics to train the target group;
• Feedback survey and improvement of content and virtual platform.

The main target groups are SME professionals working in marine biotechnology, marine/coastal tourism as well as students searching for education in the areas of blue biotechnology and coastal tourism.

The project is part of the research in the Marine Phytoplankton Ecology and Applications research group.