12 May 2023 – One of the two overall goals of the EEA and Norway Grants is to strengthen bilateral relations between the Donors and the Beneficiary States. Bilateral cooperation at the project level is in full swing in Slovenia. Study visits offer an excellent opportunity for project partners to learn about good practices and share valuable experience. Several Slovenian project partners visited Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway and welcomed donor project partners to Slovenia in the past months. Thus, for example Slovenian and Norwegian project partners learned about new methods of outdoor learning as part of the SCHOOL21 project. In the scope of the SALOMON project, which brings together two Slovenian institutions and the Norwegian partner of Nord University, the partners took part in the official opening of the bicycle parking facility and electric vehicle charging station in front of the Novo mesto General Hospital.
KIPSI: Visits of partner schools and conference Digital and Innovative
As part of the KIPSI project, Slovenian project partners hosted partners from Norway and Iceland on a three-day study visit between 17 and 21 April 2023. Project partners visited the Celje School Centre and the Koper Secondary Technical School. Partner schools showcased the demo versions of e-materials and shared what it was like to have students participating in the creation of e-materials. They also visited the Novo mesto School Centre where they discussed blended learning in practice. To learn more about the study visit, please click here.
A conference Digital and Innovative was held as part of the study visit. Partners from Slovenia, Norway and Iceland presented to the Slovenian public the possibilities of introducing blended learning in the learning process and didactic-pedagogical approaches that are being tested through combining traditional face-to-face teaching in classroom-based settings with online learning. Visitors were able to try out for themselves what the video and digital resources developed in the scope of the project are like. You can find more about the conference here.
The students of the Novo mesto School Centre, Nejc Matjašec and Tomaž Stupar took photos at the events and filmed the events respectively. You are welcome to have a look at the photo gallery and video recordings.
TALENT LAB: Measures, incentives and initiatives taken by Norway to prevent brain drain
Project partners from Slovenia (Pomurje Technology Park, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Maribor, School of Economics Murska Sobota, Bilingual Secondary School Lendava, Biotechnological School Rakičan, Secondary School for Catering and Tourism Radenci) visited the Trondheim-based Norwegian partner, University of Science and Technology between 18 and 21 April 2023 in the scope of the TALENT LAB project.
The aim of the study visit was to share good practices with the relevant educational, supportive and administrative institutions given that Norway, more specifically Trøndelag region, also faces the challenge of rural-to-urban migration of qualified young people. Norwegian project partner presented interesting measures, incentives and initiatives that have been designed to encourage young people to remain in the region, connect them with local economy and mitigate or prevent brain drain. The latter has been a critical issue for years in the Pomurje region.
Trata 2.1: Good practices of sustainable mobility from Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein
Partners of the Trata 2.1 project visited Liechtenstein and the Austrian region of Vorarlberg at the end of March to learn about good practices the country and the companies are rolling out to encourage a shift in employees’ travel habits and promote use of sustainable modes of travel. During the two-day visit, local companies and organisations, energy institute as well as local and national authorities presented a number of initiatives that are being implemented particularly at the organisational level to promote sustainable mobility among employees and local population. The decision to support walking, cycling, using public transport or car sharing and car pooling is dictated by the care for the health of both people and the planet, significant cost savings for the employees and the companies alike and reduced environmental impact of transportation.
To learn more about good practices, please click here (in Slovenian).
digi.komp: Norwegian partners carry out the first round of workshops
Slovenian project partners hosted a delegation from Norway between 21 and 23 March 2023 as part of the digi.komp project. Norwegian project partner Piksel together with three lecturers carried out the first round of workshops. In this context, Norwegian partners learned more about the relevant Slovenian institutions and the way they work and shared knowledge about new approaches and methods of teaching with Slovenian partners.
To end the study visit, project partners visited the Cukrarna Gallery and saw the exhibition Konsekvence – Fragments of a Possible Ecosystem. The visit to the gallery was a perfect opportunity for Norwegian partners to learn more about Slovenian projects that are similar to their educational, artistic and technological activities.
IMRO: Visits of various Norwegian organisations
As part of the IMRO project, Project Promoter Slovenian Hospice Society and project partner Society for Cultural Relations SPES paid a seven-day visit to Norway in the first half of March 2023. The host, Norwegian partner Bjerkaker LearningLab, made excellent arrangements and prepared a study visit programme that was packed with insightful visits to Norwegian organisations that are active in the areas relevant for the development of activities in the scope of the project.
In this context, the participants paid a visit to the non-profit organisation Fransiskus Hjelpen that provides home-based palliative care services, Diakonhjemmet Sykehus General Hospital, non-profit organisation Oslo Sanitetsforening that runs various women support and empowerment programmes, centre for activities Aktivitetshuset Prindsen that offers a range of services to people with mental health issues, the housing and community centre for senior citizens Forsmannsenteret and non-governmental organisation based on voluntary work that encourages creative leisure activities Sandefjord Vikingparken. The study visit allowed Slovenian project partners and organisations from Norway to share valuable knowledge, good practices and experience and inspired them with new ideas.
NovIKroG: Norway as a circular economy hotspot
Five Slovenian partners of the NoviIKroG project visited the Bodø-based Norwegian project partner Nord University in March 2023. Slovenian delegation met with the representatives of Norwegian scientific and research institutions, public sector, NGOs and economy that showcased many good practices and trends in circular economy. Slovenian delegation consisted of the representatives of Urban municipality Novo mesto, Development Centre Novo mesto, Faculty of Industrial Engineering Novo mesto, Public Utility Company Novo mesto and Knof social enterprise.
To learn more about the study visit, please click here (in Slovenian).
Think XR: Roll-out of XR technology in Norway
Partners of the Think XR project, in cooperation with a multidisciplinary working group, organised a study visit to Norway between 6 and 8 March 2023. They met with experts at the Trondheim-based Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) who acquainted them with the novelties and the projects under development. The Norwegian partner took the participants through development labs, explaining how work is done in labs and classrooms. Thus, Slovenian project partners saw first-hand how the teaching process, the work with students and the work on projects are carried out at NTNU. On Gløshaugen and Dragvoll campuses, the hosts presented the didactic and pedagogical approaches they employ and explained how augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) technologies are being used in this process. They outlined the work and progress done in XR projects and showed the Slovenian project partners the labs and the equipment used for work with XR technologies. The participants also got to know how contents are being developed and how academia, researchers and companies that are rolling out XR technology in their processes are involved in the work of NTNU.
The study visit was an excellent opportunity for Slovenian partners to meet with various representatives and stakeholders of Norwegian XR community that shared their views on introducing educational modules for technologies of the future in Norway.
