Developing digital-Self-learning Courses in Social Entrepreneurship for the future of collaboration between University and Community

The primary objective of the project was to strengthen the civic engagement role of universities by equipping students, HE staff, and civil society actors with practical tools to develop social en...

The primary objective of the project was to strengthen the civic engagement role of universities by equipping students, HE staff, and civil society actors with practical tools to develop social entrepreneurship initiatives. Specifically, we aimed to: ● Develop comprehensive report from all 4 countries and policy recommendations on social entrepreneurship to guide regional and institutional strategies. ● Create an innovative digital self-learning course, accessible to diverse learners, incorporating gamification and badges to boost motivation and engagement. ● Facilitate the creation of social entrepreneurship projects that tackle real-world community issues. ● Build institutional capacity for embedding social entrepreneurship practices in curricula and mentoring structures. These objectives aligned with the EU Strategy for Universities, focusing on inclusion, social innovation, and strengthening the “third mission” of HEIs as active contributors to society.

The project implemented a series of interlinked activities under five work packages: WP1 (Project Management): Ensured efficient coordination, financial monitoring, and quality assurance through regular partner meetings and internal evaluations. WP2: Produced national reports and a synthesis reports on social entrepreneurship competencies and prepared policy recommendations tailored to partner countries. WP3: Developed and piloted a flexible digital self-learning course on social entrepreneurship, which included 9 interactive modules with multimedia content for students, and interactive mentoring module. WP4: Guided participants in creating social entrepreneurship project ideas & case studies addressing community needs, supported by trained mentors. Best case studies (winners of international competitions) are publicly available, all case studies of the projects were documented for dissemination. WP5: Disseminated results through multiplier events, conferences, institutional and regional events, publications, newsletters and digital channels, while developing sustainability strategies to ensure the continued use of outputs beyond the project lifecycle.

The project successfully delivered several concrete outputs: Synthesis report on competencies for social entrepreneurship in HE (that integrates findings from the national reports) , accompanied by actionable policy recommendations. A digital self-learning course in social entrepreneurship (10 modules), available on elearnigproject.eu platform, and which is including gamified elements and digital badges to engage learners. Mentoring structures established in partner institutions to support course participants in developing real social entrepreneurship projects. 49 social entrepreneurship projects created by participants, addressing issues like sustainability, social inclusion, and community engagement. Dissemination results: Four multiplier events, that gathered several external participants, active presentation of project at conferences & different events, an active project website and social media presence, and materials translated into partner languages. Additionally, the project fostered stronger university-community ties and empowered participants with skills directly transferable to the labor market and civic life, ensuring long-term impact.