i -Skills by MUOVA

Fostering Innovation Skills as Key Competences for improving Employability of PhDs in SMEs

i-SKILLS i-Skills, Fostering Innovation Skills as Key Competences for improving Employability of PhDs in SMEs is supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union. The sub programme is KA3, information and communications technology and development of learning solutions.

text : Tanja

Oraviita P h oto s : Shutterstock Development of the e-assessment methodology The main objective of i-Skills is to contribute to the development of innovation skills of PhD students and doctoral holders by developing an e-assessment methodology (immersive game) that can be implemented at formal, no formal and informal learning contexts in order to promote the employability opportunities of these individuals in SMEs and, finally, to contribute to the effective implementation, transference and management of innovation processes in these organizations.

Target groups - PhD students and doctoral holders will have access to a user friendly e-assessment methodology (immersive game) that enables them to foster their innovative talent in a pleasant manner in class, at work or at home. - University teachers and HRM professionals will have access to an innovative training tool for innovation skills development that can be used in class and in the work context, along with a guide of i-Skills facilitator to help them in the application of this tool. - University and SMEs managers and policy makers will have a new tool from research to use in their quest to improve innovation skills at doctoral level.

Project newsletters and publications: http://www.i-skills.eu/links/ 2

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This Project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

About the project The coordinator of the project is Fundación General Universidad de Granada Empresa. The working group consists of a university, a university foundation and four companies, who act in the consultation, education and research sectors, as well as a European education and innovation network for new technologies. The project started 1.1.2014 and ends 30.6.2016. The project number is: 543128-LLP-1-2013-1-ES-KA3-KA3MP. Coordinator: - Fundación General Universidad de Granada Empresa (Granadan yliopisto, Espanja). Partners: - Vaasa university of Applied Sciences (Finland) - NTL New Technologies and Learning in Europe e.V (Germany) - Advancis Business Services, Lda. (Portugal) - Militos Emerging Technologies & Services (Greece). - Christos Anthis & SIA O.E – Crystal Clear Soft (Greece) Lisätietoja: Muotoilukeskus Muova: Tanja Oraviita 040 163 2940 | tanja.oraviita(at)vamk.fi

i-SKILLS – Fostering Innovation Skills as Key Competences for improving Employability of PhDs in SMEs Lifelong learning Programme KA3 – Multilateral Projects Reference Number: 543128-LLP-1-2013-1-ES-KA3-KA3MP More information: www.i-skills.eu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iskillseurope Twitter: https://twitter.com/iskillseurope Forum, for exchanging experiences and information on the issues related to the project: http://community.i-skills.eu/

Te x t & photo s: Tanja O r av ii t a

i - skills-newsletter 1

1/ Cristal Clear Soft in the 23rd EBN Annual Congress in Lleida (Spain), discussing on creative SMEs, gamification and edutainment

2/ I-Skills Framework validation Workshop with SMEs. Granada (Spain), 20th May 2014. Partners: Scienter and FGUGRE

Project news

We are pleased to welcome the first i-Skills project’s Newsletter, supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union, and developed by a Consortium composed by seven institutions coming from the academic and business fields of different European countries and led by Fundación General Universidad de Granada Empresa (FGUGRE), (Spain). The project aims to increase employability of PhD students and holders in Small and Medium Enterprises, through the training of their innovation skills using an e-assessment methodology (immersive game). Visit the website and read the leaflet (available in the five partner’s language versions) to get more information: http://www.i-skills.eu/links/ Since this initiative was started in January 2014, a range of activities have been carried out, launched by partners within their first meeting, held in Granada on 13 and 14 February 2014. In that meeting, several key methodological aspects for i-skills tools, framework and implementation were discussed.

Among a wide range of dissemination activities are the Facebook and Twitter profiles: https:// www.facebook.com/iskillseurope and https:// twitter.com/iskillseurope, linking to the main project’s website. Also, all the partners have informed about i-Skills through their own webs. Moreover, some of them have participated into highly relevant external events, taking advantage to present i-Skills and reaching a great range of stakeholders (Universities, SMEs interested in improving their innovation processes, Regional and Local Authorities dealing with innovation skills, Chambers of Commerce, Innovation Networks and Entrepreneurship Centres). For instance, the German partner, New Technology for Learning in Europe (NTL) participated in the MENON Network Researcher Days in Brussels (28th and 29th January), as a great opportunity to establish strategic links outside the i-Skills Consortium. We invite you to register in our Community (taking just 2 minutes) and participate in the Forum, that provides an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and information on the issues related to the project: http://community.i-skills.eu/

The 2nd Work Package, the research basis, led by the Portuguese partner Advancis Business Services, has almost been concluded, emerging the following outcomes (shortly available on the project’s website): •

•

Framework for innovation skills composed of a set of critical transversal competences such as: Risk assessment and negotiation, Communication, Networking and leadership, etc. This framework has been validated by SMEs in five workshops that took place in every partner’s country (Spain, Portugal, Germany, Greece and Finland). See news on partners’ webs: http:// scientergrupo.wordpress.com/?s=iskills and http://www.muova.fi/tmp_muova_site_6. asp?sua=1&lang=1&s=332 Best practices in the use of e-assessment methodologies, like immersive games/computer games/ serious games, mostly used by private companies to train their staff’s soft/transversal skills.

Nowadays, and based on the research’s results, the i-Skills Consortium, led by the partner Crystal Clear Soft, is working in the design of the technical specifications report on the e-assessment methodology. The draft version will be presented at the next partnership meeting, which will be held in Athens, on 29 and 30 September 2014.

THE INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY OF

MUOVA

F or more infor ma tion: Tanja O r av ii t a / t anja.or av ii t a@muov a.f i

Muova is an active international actor. Its international aspect covers all Muova’s activities from education to developing SMEs. The core principle Muova’s international activity is increasing the international competitiveness of companies and organisations by the means of user-oriented design, and the application of creativity and design thinking in different sectors. These are applied through development, research and educational projects. As Finland is part of the European Union, also the policies of the European Union influence on the background of Muova’s activities. Additionally independent of the policies Muova has been worked for year on cooperation between the higher education, research and SMEs and within the called knowledge triangle where education, research and innovation meet (EU). During the recent years the European Union’s development programmes have been highly presented in Muova’s international activity, to mention Lifelong Learning and Culture programme, Botnia-Atlantica, Interreg IVC and Erasmus+. Through the international project Muova has developed a

vast and multidisciplinary international network. Also the national research projects have integrated international partners in them. The international projects have provided Muova a platform to develop common solutions with international players. One of the most highlighted subjects has been developing virtual, narrative and creative learning environments.

examples of Muova’s international projects:

D-THINK

, Design Thinking Applied to Education and Training, promotes Design Thinking among educational professionals and professional trainers. This is done as an innovative and digital training course, a mobile course in Design Thinking applied to education and training. The project is financed by the EU Erasmus+ programme. The internet link and the project logo will be provided promptly. www.dthink.eu.

i-Skills, Fostering Innovation Skills as Key Competences for improving Employability of PhDs in SMEs aims to develop the innovation skills of the PhD holders and students, and the use, application and management of the innovation skills in SMEs, thus promote the employability of PhD holders and students in SMEs. This will be done through an online immersive game to be used in formal, informal and no formal learning contexts. At the same time university teachers and HRM professionals are guided to support the process and hence narrow the gap between the worlds of research and SMEs. The project is financed by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, subprogramme KA3 – ICT, multilateral projects. The project website: www.i-skills.eu.

InnoWork, promotes innovation at work place by deve-

loping and delivering vocational teaching and training material, and builds a relationship across the sectors involved in the project which contributes to the sharing of knowledge between formal and informal education and training sectors. The fields present in the project are VET institutions, enterprise, higher education institutions research centre and regional technological park. The project is financed by the EU Erasmus+ programme. The internet link and the project logo will be provided promptly. www.innowork.eu.

European Union European Regional Development Fund

Innocrafts - Innovating entrepreneurship policies in the

CRAFTS sector (EU, Interreg IV) is an international development project which aims to promote entrepreneurship in arts and craft sector. The project focuses especially on SMEs and women and youth entrepreneurship, as well as in UNESCO world heritage areas and art cities. The project focuses on gathering, mapping and exchanging good practices, networks and experiences. The four themes are: business models and services for companies, Innovation and financial services, promoting the international aspect of SMEs, and youth and women entrepreneurship. Website: www.innocrafts.eu.

EAAD -

”Development of Bachelor Degree Program Entrepreneurship in Applied Arts and Design”project aims to develop and implement a new interdisciplinary university curriculum/ study programme in the field of applied arts & design based on occupational and qualification standards in order to raise the entrepreneurial competences of Croatian graduates and increase their (self-) employability. The project is funded by structural instruments of the European Social Fund, and it is coordinated by VERN University of Applied Sciences. The other partners are Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK, Muova as the participating unit) and the Association of Former Students of the Applied Arts and Design School in Zagreb – UBU.

examples of Muova’s international projects:

DREAM (EU, Culture) - ”Design Recherche Europe Art

Métiers” (Design and Research for the European Art and Craft Professions). Dream contributed in enhancing the image the general public and the younger generation has of the art and craft professions and to give these professions the meaning they once had. Dream concentrates on glass, wood and natural fibre. The project included workshops where design and handicraft students worked in teams, a research of arts and crafts objects, developing an online gallery and a publication of student’s work. The website of the online gallery: www.dreamcraftsgallery.eu

e-Craft Idea Tutor – creative e-learning environ-

ment for the craft sector (e-CIT), (EU, LLP, Leonardo da Vinci) an educational pilot project that aims to develop and test a creative e-learning environment for the second grade handicraft and applied arts students and teachers in the EU area. e-CIT unifies handicraft, creativity and multidisciplinary information, e.g. consumer information, future trends and history, in finding new product ideas and developing them into a customer-oriented product concept and products. e-CIT aims to answer the challenges of today, e.g. more conscious consumers and the Storytelling society. Website: www.craftopolis.net.

CSF - Creative Strategic Foresight (EU, LLP, Erasmus multila-

teral) developed a study module which combines creativity with strategic thinking and applied research with education. The study module assists the tertiary level bachelor students of business, economics and engineering to develop their competences in evaluating and foreseeing changes in business environment, to foster students’ creative capacities in strategic thinking, and to become able to adapt information and innovate. The study module provides a model of how to combine research with education and business life. It provides students with up-to-date applied research and entrepreneurial information. Website: www.csf-studymodule. net. The project website: www.muova.fi/csf.

European Commitment to Entrepreneurship ECE (EU, LLP Leonardo da Vinci) is a transfer

CreaCIT – Creative Cross Innovation Tutor for product

development is an education development project for the EU LLP, transversal programme KA3. It is a spin-off of the e-CIT project. The project designed, developed and tested a creative and cross disciplinary e-learning environment for product development. In the learning environment the students are guided towards creative and lateral thinking to foster commercial innovation and the use of user-centered design in new concepts and products. Narrative and constructive approaches and creativity are embedded in pedagogy. The main target groups are secondary and tertiary educational levels, students and their teachers. The interactive and multilingual (English, French and Spanish) e-learning environment created is named CreativeMe www.creativemejournal.eu.

of innovation of the EJE entrepreneurship education method by Valnalón. The idea is to develop, translate and transfer the concept into national and organisational contexts, and realities applying partners experience and knowledge, and together to create a common (general) methodology. The applied knowledge is e.g. creativity, cultural knowledge and products in markets knowledge. The target groups are 2nd and 3rd level students and teachers, education and entrepreneurship experts. Participating countries: Belgium (coordinator), Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Sweden. Project website: http://ece.euproject.org/