Open University of Cyprus coordinates a new research project aiming to build resilient, inclusive and forward-looking training to upskill higher education students to face the transformations in digital culture

Digital transformation impacts the cultural sector as any other domain. The Open University of Cyprus (OUC) addresses the challenges and opportunities of digital education and connects with international partners to coordinate a new research project entitled “Tackling the challenges of the European Education Area by building resilient, inclusive and forward-looking training to upskill HED students to face the transformations in digital culture with new e-skills, intercultural and entrepreneurial competences” (acronym: Pact4skills). The project secured funding of approximately €323.000 under the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 Programme and has a duration of two years (12/2021-12/2023).

The project responds to the demand and labor market needs of the cultural sector, identifies a new generation of culture-driven products, and aspires to develop educational offerings to training workforces and upskill university graduates. It empowers higher education students in digital culture that bridges digital industries and cultural institutions by introducing new validated skills in new fields of applications. The main objective of the project is to reconcile educational curricula, non-formal training and market demands for a competitive cultural sector as required by the EU Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, as well as to promote entrepreneurship education as a transversal key competence in cultural domains.

OUC academic staff and researchers with expertise in Cultural Policy and Development (Associate Professor Georgios Papaioannou, Academic Coordinator, and Dr Dorothea Papathanasiou, OUC adjunct lecturer) will lead the Pact4skills project with the following partners: Cergy Paris Université (France), Telavi State University (Georgia), Stichting for Education on Agility Liberating Structures (The Netherlands), Comunità Montana Alto Basento (Italy) and Artifactory (Greece).