We are thrilled to announce that a team from the current edition of our BlendEd course has been awarded a prestigious prize at the National Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, in Portugal. This recognition highlights the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial excellence within the ATHENA European University alliance.
Award Details
The BlendEd team competed against more than 100 entrants from across the country and emerged victorious, earning four months of incubation at the renowned UPTEC Business and Innovation Hub. This prize offers a great opportunity for the team to further develop their project, gain invaluable support and resources, and elevate BlendEd to new heights.
The winning team consisted of students from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (Portugal), VILNIUS TECH (Lithuania), Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (Austria), Odisee Technologie campus Gent (Belgium), LUCA School of Arts (Belgium), University of Maia (Portugal), Glasgow Caledonian University (United Kingdom), University of Human Development (Iraq). The team is developing the new version of the BlendEd web portal that will support the effective internationalization beyond European borders of the BlendEd course.
International Expansion
This achievement follows BlendEd’s recent expansion beyond European borders, starting with exciting developments in Kampala, at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyoro (MUARIK), Graduate Training and Research Lab, where the challenge-based BlendEd model was introduced to African partner universities. This first edition of the course outside the EU is running with a class of 12 students from six universities in Uganda (Makerere University and Soroti University), Nigeria (University of Nigeria and Federal Technical University of Minna), and Mozambique (Eduardo Mondlane University and Zambeze University), with the support of RUFORUM – Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture. Students, organized in two teams, are solving two challenges in the fields of agriculture: one on feces disposal and management in poultry and pig farms, and another on community seed banks.
What is BlendEd?
BlendEd is an innovative course that combines the best of online and offline education, offering students a unique, flexible, and comprehensive learning experience embedded in an international and multidisciplinary learning environment. It is a testament to ATHENA’s dedication to modernizing education and equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in today’s dynamic world.
Looking Ahead
We are incredibly proud of our BlendEd team for their dedication and hard work, and we look forward to witnessing their continued success as they take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the UPTEC Business and Innovation Hub.
ATHENA teams will attend the final meeting of the BlendEd 2024 edition at VILNIUS TECH on June 17-21. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting journey!
* Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
101128996-ABC BlendEd – ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE-STRAND-2.
