Category: News

In the first months of 2020, as COVID-19 infections were rising all over the world, entrepreneurs and employers have been asked to close their activities and, if possible, to transfer all of their work online, forcing them to implement telecommuting solutions that, in many cases, have never been experienced before. A comprehensive sample of results emerging from EU sources[1], confirm that EU SMEs and their internal workforce lack a strong and reliable digital/ICT culture (specifically those located in the Mediterranean and Balkan area); a skill-lag that throughout the post-crisis exacerbated pre-existing gaps in terms of opportunities for long-term financial sustainability. EU SMEs are the most affected by the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Europe is “closed for business”, and while large companies have systems in place to implement telecommuting and smart work, SMEs (especially microenterprises) do not have ICT systems in place nor policies for their staff to work remotely. SWIFT SME tackles the challenge to equip micro and SMEs all across...

The consortium joined the online Kick-Off meeting of SWIFT SME – Smart Working: Innovative & Flexible Training for SMEs, a project co-financed by Erasmus+ Programme On November 30, 2020, the consortium joined the online Kick-Off Meeting of SWIFT SME (Smart Working: Innovative & Flexible Training for SMEs), a Project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission, which brings together six Partners from five countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Romania and Spain). The Kick-Off Meeting, hosted by the Centrum fur Innovation und Technologie GmbH (CIT) and Institut De Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires asbl (IHF), was originally planned in Brussels, but has been rescheduled online due to COVID-19 restrictions. EU SMEs represent the backbone of the EU economy. Yet, they are also the least prepared to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdown measures. Contrarily to large companies, SMEs are ill equipped for the shift to remote work, lacking as they are both ICT systems and policies to ensure business continuity....

Presented results from Erasmus+ Project PREDICT On 26.11.2020 in hotel Holiday Inn in Skopje amultiplier event was held in the scope of the PREDICT project - Prevention ofDisasters ICT (informatics and computer technologies) implemented within theErasmus+ programme of the European Union (KA201-Strategic Partnership forschool education). During the multiplier event, there was a presentation of theresults from the research conducted within Intellectual Output 1 “Creation of amethodological framework (training and desktop research) regarding inclusivetraining of children, youth, and persons with disabilities”.  The results referred to the curricula analyses in primary, secondary and special schools in Macedonia, Spain and Bulgaria,analyses of semi-structured interviews with experts from schools, crisis management, and protection and rescue institutions in the mentioned countries, as well as research questionnaires filled-in by participants with or without disabilities in the role of students and pupils in primary, secondary, and pecial schools in each of the countries. Beside the representatives from project partner institutions, the event was also attended by representatives from...