T1.1 Project Kick-Off Meeting

The project objectives, WPs, activities, target groups and stakeholders are presented. Subsequently, the management structures and decision-making processes already presented in the proposal will be explained, as well as the communication tools and time frame. Furthermore, the requirements of QC are explained by means of examples.  

T1.2 Consortium Implementation Plan

The Consortium implementation plan will be set by the Management board (PMB) and will include the details of work to be performed under each task, the responsible team for implementation, the allocated budget as well as the payment schedule. The consortium plan will be updated accordingly when any modifications from the original proposal are needed as well as on regular basis. The approval of EACEA shall also be obtained when major changes will be necessary.  

T1.3 Project Management Board (PMB) Meetings and tasks

Quarterly PMB Meetings will be held to perform PMB’s mandate, get an overview of the progress of the project, strengthen the sense of community, and foster inter-WPcollaboration. The reporting will be also discussed and performed by the PMB (progress and final reports)  

T1.4 Advisory Board Meetings

A project-external Advisory Board will meet every 6 months to advise the PMB. The PMP will present the progress and the seek the feedback of the board on the problems or bottlenecks of the implementation. The advises will be considered to update of the consortium implementation plan whenever necessary (T1.2).  

T1.5 General Assembly Event

Annual meeting to be hosted and organized each time by a different partner university (rotational). In this meeting all the project achievements and future plans will be presented by the WP leaders and all the details of the dissemination and sustainability will be discussed.  

T1.Q Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.

T2.1 Development of a data acquisition model

To identify the real needs, a conceptual framework, specific questionnaires, interview guidelines, etc. are developed. Besides students and universities, public and private sector organisations are addressed for participation.

T2.2 Data collection

Questionnaires are sent to the participating organisations. Organisations, universities and students are interviewed to gain in-depth insight from different perspectives on the improvement potential of the study courses.

T2.3 Data analysis and reporting

The data collected by interviews and questionnaires are analysed with regard to the different groups (public agencies, private sector,students, university teaching staff). The challenges and approachesfor improvement are clearly identified.

T2.Q Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.

T3.1 Determination of courses to be modified and new courses to introduce

Based on the results gained in WP2 and the expertise of the European partners, the courses to be modified and introduction of new courses will be elaborated. Measures to achieve this goal defined.

T3.2 Curricula development workshop for knowledge transfer to the GH partners

Workshop will be held by the staff of the EU universities to discuss the results of the in-depth analysis and reflect them in the curricula. Each of the involved departments from the EU universities will have contribution in the contents. LFI/RWTH contribute in the water, NaBI/RWTH in Life cycle and sustainability, GDI/RWTH in gender issues, POLIMI in energy and environment. The actual enhancement of the curricula will be the role of the GH partners under the EU supervision and orientation. This will ensure the sustainability after the project life time.

T3.3 Detailed description of the modifications of the specific study programmes

The aim of this task is to describe the changes and the new courses in detail so that they are integrated in the study programme. In case of an official approval, this structure should facilitate the process.

T3.4 Implementation in a pilot phase

The modifications are tested in a pilot phase in the 3rd year. Results, achievements as well as drawbacks including suggestions for improvements are summarized afterwards.

T3.Q Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.

T4.1 Elaboration of the scope of the gender and diversity offer

Objective of this task is the elaboration of the requirements (input from WP2) and identification of the scope of an gender and diversity offer that assures that the offer can continue after the end of the project.

T4.2 Establishment and training of a gender and diversity contact point

Based on the results of T4.1 a contact point will be established and promoted at each university. During the WP3 workshops, the contact people related to the offer, will be trained and the structure implemented at the EU universities presented.

T4.3 Pilot and improvement phase

The pilot phase is intended to test how well the offer is accepted, improvement potential will be identified and implemented to the extent possible. The exchange is to be maintained even after the project has been completed, especially if the offer is to be expanded.

T4.Q Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.

T5.1 Skill Assessment

This task is dedicated to the training needs of the staff of the GH universities. In particular, the results of WP2, WP3 and WP4 are considered, in order to specify the required training and its contents.

T5.2 Development of training materials and offering four workshops

For the workshops, the EU universities prepare content so that each workshop is dedicated to a specific topic and has concrete objectives. This considers both topics related to contents (e.g. water management, LCA, WEFE Nexus, climate change) and teaching methodology. It is planned to organize four workshops (two in Milano and two in Germany) to train 80 participants from the three universities in Ghana. Each workshop will be one week.

• The first workshop/RWTH will cover topics such as water, green technologies, WEF Nexus, Gender issues, Life Cycle analysis, climate change.
• The second workshop/RWTH will cover agriculture and biotechnology topics, decision making process, environmental and sustainability topics, diversity and social aspects.
• The third workshop/POLIMI will be devoted to cover issuesrelated to renewable energies, climate change, engineering developments.
• The fourth workshop/POLIMI will cover green technologies and CO2 emission, climate change and energy systems, dynamic modelling and energy systems.

T5.Q Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.

T6.1 Selection of contents for MOOCs development

In accordance with the expertise of the partners and objectives, the thematic content of the MOOCs is selected. This can be as well as contents like water management, LCA, WEFE-Nexus, sustainability, or climate change as soft skills

T6.2 Development of MOOCs related contents like women in science, scientific writing or presentation skills.

After determination of the topics, the specific contents of the MOOCS are developed. Therefore, slides and other presentation material is prepared. Furthermore, the GH staff is trained in terms of creating high-quality videos. This involves training in using the corresponding materials (e.g. cameras, microphone, software).

T6.3 Dissemination of MOOCs (Pilot phase)

The MOOCs created are shared with students and stakeholders. This task also involves promoting the MOOCS and assure an easy accessibility.

TQ.6 Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.

T7.1 Quality Control Board

During the preparation phase, a Quality Control Board (QCB) will be identified from mainly 10, selected members from the consortium and external members. INaB/RWTH will lead this QCB and will be responsible for its deliverables. The board will be the main body responsible for setting an implementing quality indicators for each project activity aligning with the activity description and time plan.

T7.2 Quality Guide

The Board shall first review the quality indicatorsfor each work package, undergo any necessary modifications as well as develop the needed guidelines to achieve these quality criteria. The Quality Guide (QG) produced will be communicated to the work package leaders and will be used as assisting tool for quality control. Work package Leaders (WLs) will be responsible for following up the proper implementation of activities according to the quality indicators; they will communicate with the quality board in case assistance is needed. The Quality Board will utilize different toolsfor monitoring and control throughout the project implementation; these will include: a) evaluation surveys, b) questionnaires, c) interviews, d) self-assessment reports, e) site inspection visits, etc. The Quality Board will develop a quality plan and update it on regular basis to be disseminated to all partners; annual quality report will also be developed.

T7.3 External Experts

The Quality Board shall also involve external experts and evaluators from different technical backgrounds and sectors such as industry, business, civil society, etc. at different project intervals. The external experts will assist in quality assurance of performed activities as well as to ensure the involvement of different points of view from other stakeholders and target groups

T8.1 Dissemination events

A series of interactive events will be conducted in public universities in Ghana (UG, UENR, UESD). Different target groups will be invited to participate in these events, e.g., researchers, industry leaders, NGOs, ministries, etc. some events will also be open for public audience to maximize the outreach of the initiative. Speakers from international organizations will also be invited to take part. One project conference will be organized. Ghanaian partner universities shall also make use of other organized events such as national and international conferences and exhibitions that will be conducted in relevant fields where the project can participate. In this respect, a dissemination plan will be prepared by UG Team in collaboration with involved partners; the plan will be updated on a 6 months base and communicated to the project coordinator.

T8.2 Web communication and Dissemination

Is considered the most cost-effective dissemination tool; project news and events will be announced at the project website, group e-mails, Blogs, and virtual meetings will be also utilized. The Open Education Resources (OER-MOOCS) developed in (WP6) as well as the Capacity Building Program (WP5) will also be available online for professors and researchers from partner and external universities.

T8.3 Publications and Visibility Materials

Visibility materials including flyers, brochures, booklets, video materials, etc. will be developed to illustrate project activities and achievements. They will be made available at the University Nodes, project events as well as downloadable from the project website.

TQ.8 Quality Control

Quality control of WP deliverables—as in all WPs, the deliverables and outcomes of this WP will be quality controlled, using the protocol defined in WP7.