Incubator seed funding fuels collaborative education innovation
Two teams of university educators were recently awarded ENGAGE.EU seed funding to create joint teaching initiatives
By Ina-Cristine Helljesen
Komori-Glatz has the lead on one of the proposals selected for funding after academic teaching staff across the alliance were invited to submit proposals for joint teaching initiatives supported by seed funding from the Academic Initiative Incubator.
Equipping students with crisis management tools
Komori-Glatz and the rest of the team from WU Vienna, the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and University of National and World Economy (UNWE) are developing an interdisciplinary master’s level elective course designed to enhance intercultural communication skills. The course addresses key societal challenges, including communicating sustainability and managing ESG crises.
“Communication lies at the heart of every business, and it’s especially important when a business finds itself to be in a crisis,” said Komori-Glatz, in response to why she wants to develop the course. “Communication is essential in maintaining and restoring trust in an organization during and after a crisis,” she added.
The team is currently creating a syllabus for the online course, employing innovative teaching methods such as case-based teaching and team-based learning.
Alliance collaboration targeting societal change
The ENGAGE.EU Academic Initiative Incubator (the Incubator) supports academic staff in the bottom-up development of new educational offers within the alliance.
To qualify for funding, initiatives should include colleagues from at least three partner universities and align with the ENGAGE.EU mission to equip students with skills essential for contributing to societal change.
Transform education through intercultural connections
Primary Education Teacher Trainer at Ramon Llull University (URL), Dr. Helen Ruiz also received funding for the initiative to create a collaborative online learning course (COIL) promoting cultural awareness. She has teamed up with partners from UT Capitole, Hanken and University of Mannheim (UMA).
“In our increasingly interconnected world, effective cross-cultural communication and intercultural understanding are more important than ever,” she added.
A pilot for future initiatives
Her COIL initiative aims to address shared challenges and reduce inequalities in educational opportunities by fostering intercultural awareness and language proficiency.
Ruiz and her team hope to create a learning environment that helps students think critically, communicate across cultural boundaries and collaborate on solving real-world issues.
“I’m excited to continue to develop and implement this initiative,” she said. “If we successfully pilot this project, it can serve as a valuable model to other ENGAGE.EU projects. It can also have a much broader impact on student learning outcomes,” she said. According to the plan, both Ruiz’s and Komori-Glatz’s courses will be launched in the spring of 2026.
The next call for proposals for the Incubator seed funding will be announced in early spring 2025.