BLIST Boosting Inclusion of students in research activities

The Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) are higher education establishments with a particular focus on applied research and training. More explicitly, their mission is twofold:

   1) provide applied, practice-oriented higher education (including degrees with a clear vocational focus); ;
   2) implement applied research and innovation often developed in conjunction with the regional socio-economic fabric.

The UAS research function is placed in the context of the challenge of prepare students as future European professionals for the knowledge society. Research plays an increasingly important role for the UAS, directly linked to their teaching and training missions. Students need to take better account of this dimension if they are to develop their full potential. UAS staff are key players in this respect, developing proactive capacities to integrate students into research activities, in order to access high-level knowledge, develop new research skills and position the UAS in the European Research Area.

By creating better conditions, developing a new training framework and a toolbox dedicated to staff (teachers, researchers, managers, international relations officers) and students, the project aims to strengthen the UAS's capacity as an institution to better develop its role as a major player in the European research area.

The project aims to : 

• Implement cross-disciplinary approaches and innovative teaching methods such as research-based learning; ;
• Rewarding excellence in learning, teaching and skills development through :
  • Train academics in innovative and/or online pedagogies, including methods linking education to research and innovation, where appropriate; ;
  • Foster an entrepreneurial, open and innovative higher education sector by promoting learning and teaching partnerships with commercial and non-commercial organisations in the private sector; ;
  • Develop new practices in instructional design, based on research and creativity in education. 

Overall objectives :

• Strengthen the link between teaching and research in EMS; ;
• Empower the ASUs in their ability to carry out applied research activities; ;
• Maintaining and developing the role of UAS in the knowledge society; ;
• Promote and strengthen the international dimension of the UAS through applied research activities; ;
• Strengthen the specific position of the UAS in the development of the new European Research Area (ERA).

Operational objectives :

• Stimulate UAS students' interest in research by providing them with practical tools and appropriate methodology courses; ;
• Raise awareness among senior staff, teachers and researchers at the UAS of the opportunities that the student cohort can represent for boosting applied research activities through awareness-raising activities and the development of good practice and tools tailored to the UAS; ;
• Strengthen the capacity of the UAS to carry out research activities by involving more students during and after their studies; ;
• Strengthening collaboration between teachers and students through research projects
• Support the networking capacity of ASUs by integrating mobile students into the research capacity strategy; ;
• Provide the ASUs with a range of practical tools; ;
• Sharing and comparing practices in different partner countries (benchmarking).