On October 30th and 31st, the University of Calabria hosted the kickoff meeting of the ERASMUS+ LEONARDO project, an exciting venture set to transform industrial engineering and management (IEM) education across Europe. The project involves the USS Lab of the DIMEG, University of Calabria as project coordinators and other esteemed institutions as project partners, including the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, University of Malta, CAL-TEK S.r.l., and EIT Manufacturing North.

What is ERASMUS+ LEONARDO?
ERASMUS+ LEONARDO is funded under the prestigious ERASMUS+ program, known for fostering international cooperation and mobility in education and training. This specific project has a clear vision to revolutionize IEM education by developing innovative teaching methods, materials, and tools with a human-centric focus. We aim to make it a reality through hands-on learning using a 5.0 replica brewing system. This practical environment will serve as an incubator for student ideas, inspiring creativity and real-world problem-solving. Additionally, we aspire to build a vibrant European community of faculty and higher education institution (HEI) staff dedicated to modernizing IEM education with a strong emphasis on human-centricity.

Why It Matters
The kickoff meeting brought together an array of international experts, educators, and researchers, all with a shared vision: to investigate the novel area of human-centric IEM education and create a lasting impact on the educational landscape.

A Glimpse into the Future
During these two days, participants delved into the project’s objectives, methodologies, and future goals. The project will yield tangible outcomes and invaluable resources, including two 5.0 learning brewing factories, the definition of the skill mix for the workforce 5.0, a set of open educational resources, a toolkit of LEAF-as-a-Service educational tools, a class of trained university-level students, a gap analysis of the IEM educational offer; a skill profile for H-IEM educators, a classroom resource kit for H-IEM trainers; a toolset of training and upskilling resources for trainers; a pool of trained educators in H-IEM.

What’s Next
This kickoff meeting is just the beginning. Over the next few years, ERASMUS+ LEONARDO will be a catalyst for positive change in higher IEM education. Stay tuned for updates on exciting developments and collaborative efforts as we work together to shape the future of learning. The USS Lab is proud to be part of this transformative journey and looks forward to the remarkable outcomes that will benefit students, educators, and institutions alike.

In the picture, Antonio Padovano, Martina Cardamone and Gianpiero Barbuto (University of Calabria), Thomas Schlechter (University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria), Emmanuel Francalanza (University of Malta), Francesco Longo and Karen Althea Manfredi (CAL-TEK S.r.l.), Pavel Kopylov and Jule Wegen (EIT Manufacturing North).

#ERASMUS+ #LEONARDO #HigherEducation #InnovationInEducation #HumanCentricity #Industry50