PRECIUS Project Description

The origins of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) are in the University of Lithuania, established on 16 February 1922. On 8 June 1930, the university was named Vytautas Magnus University. The university then consisted of seven faculties: Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Faculty of Evangelical Theology, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Technology. The beginning of 1940 saw the reorganization of Vytautas Magnus University, with The Faculties of Law and Humanities being transferred to the University of Vilnius.

On 21 August 1940, following the Soviet occupation, the university has renamed the University of Kaunas. In the autumn of 1940, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences was transferred to the University of Vilnius. After the German occupation in 1941,[2] the university was again renamed Vytautas Magnus University with five faculties: Theology, Philosophy, Technology, Civil Engineering, and Mathematics. On 17 March 1943, the university was closed.

On 13 November 1944, the Soviet government reopened the university, and until 1946, it operated under the name of Kaunas National Vytautas Magnus University. In June 1949, the Faculty of History and Theology was closed. In 1950 the University of Kaunas was reorganized into Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (KPI) and Kaunas Medical Institute. Throughout the Soviet era, the KPI resisted Russification and, in particular, kept teaching in the Lithuanian language.

Under Perestroika's influence, Lithuanian SSR's government reinstated the school'suniversity's status. In 1989, Vytautas Magnus University was re-established as a separate university from KPI. In 1990, KPI was renamed to its current name Kaunas University of Technology.

Following the restoration of independence, the institution rapidly adopted Western standards. In 1992, following the Law on Science and Education, the university started implementing a two-level degree program of higher education and a new procedure for awarding research degrees and academic titles. In 1998, the university joined the Magna Charta of the European Universities and became a member of the European University Association and the International Association of Universities.

What are the activities and experiences of the organisation in the areas relevant to this project? What are the skills and expertise of key persons involved in this project?

Prof. Dr. Žaneta Stasiškienė is the director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering (IEE) at Kaunus TU. Her research areas are Sustainable Industrial Development, Sustainability Assessment Systems and Processes, Environmental Economics, and Strategic and Preventive Environmental Innovation Creation and Evaluation. The vision of IEE is to be a unique international leader in the field of sustainability based on interdisciplinary research and advanced studies. The mission is to disseminate sustainable development principles in Lithuania and worldwide by applying innovative sustainable solutions through interdisciplinary research, topical studies, and the continuous spread of knowledge and values. IEE always aims for the best results, responsibly makes decisions, we are proactive, and believe in what we do. By sustaining our values, we motivate others – the Institute's activity is our way of life and driving force.

In PRECIUS, Prof. Dr. Žaneta Stasiškienė will be assisted by PhD candidate MSc. Akvile Feiferyte-Skyriene depends on the knowledge, expertise, and experience of the researchers and scientists of the Institute of Environmental Engineering, has accumulated 25 years of experience in the field of sustainable development and offers R&D services in the following areas:

Sustainable development tools in manufacturing companies/organisations

• Know-how on sustainable development and how to implement it in an organisation/business
• Important things to consider when starting a new business or wanting to expand
• Knowledge and skills in EIA and HIA procedures for new activities
• Knowledge and skills in IPPC or emission permit
• Know-how on optimisation of processes, more efficient use of resources, and increased energy efficiency
• Analysing sustainable development opportunities is available in your company.
• Analysing options for biodegradable waste management, incl. ABP generated by your company
• Knowledge and skills on how to meet the ever-changing environmental requirements

Ecologically cleaner products development

• Knowledge and skills on how to design/produce environmentally friendly products
• Analysis and evaluation of the product/service/technology life-cycle
• Analysing possibilities of making eco-friendly products (eco-labeling, etc.)
• Knowledge and skills in the ecological design of energy-using products and packaging to meet EU requirements.
• Risk Management of Chemicals

Knowledge and skills on how to meet the ever-changing legal requirements for chemicals

• Analysis of the risks to human health and the environment caused by substances that you use or are entering into products
• Analysis and testing of the options for substituting specific chemicals
• Search for and analysis of substituting/new materials

University of Aveiro (UA) is a young university founded in 1973, with over 15000 full-time students (graduate and postgraduate). The university has a robust research profile and a unique governance model (16 Departments, 4 Polytechnic Schools, and various training centres). It acts as a regional network for education and training while promoting solid links with the surrounding community and is a pioneer in launching degrees in new subject areas. The BMD (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate) structure is fully implemented, and learning outcomes are introduced. Recognition of prior learning is also implemented for those who do not have formal entry requirements. The university has been a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, the ECIU, since 1998, as well as several other international university networks of excellence and, since 2019, a member of the ECIU University under the EU Universities initiative.

UA was the first institution to be granted the ECTS label in 2004, with this distinction was renewed in 2009 and 2013, and the Diploma Supplement Label also awarded in 2013. UA also runs several joint doctoral programme with other Portuguese Universities and is one of the Portuguese institutions participating in the programme of collaboration between Portugal and Carnegie Mellon University to develop postgraduate programmes and ICT research. At the same time, the development of a Creative Science Park off-campus is an example of how the university has encouraged both innovation and commercialization linked to research. It has also provided resources for its research policy through funding and the provision of high-quality researchers and researcher mobility.

UA is a member of EUniverCities, a European network launched in 2012. In which medium-sized cities and universities (working in tandems) work together to give knowledge cities more visibility within Europe. The network aims to exchange and spread knowledge, expertise, and experience about city-university cooperation across urban Europe.

UA has participated in the Erasmus Programme since 1987, having coordinated projects of most actions while participating in Erasmus Mundus joint master courses in several fields. During the Erasmus+ Programme 2014-2020, UA participated in 98 projects (23 as the coordinating institution). Nowadays, UA participates in 3 ERASMUS MUNDUS Joint Masters's programmes and 2 ERASMUS MUNDUS joint doctorate programmes. In terms of numbers, UA comprises 2406 paid staff (1191 lectures, 477 researchers, and 738 technicians) and 15310 learners in the three cycles, of which 1746 are from foreign provenience.

What are the activities and experiences of the organisation in the areas relevant to this project? What are the skills and expertise of key persons involved in this project?

The project involves the participation of a multidisciplinary team with different backgrounds from two research units of the University of Aveiro (UA).

i) CESAM [Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies]:

Myriam Lopes is an Associate Professor at the Department of Environment and Planning and Vice-coordinator of CESAM. She holds a PhD in Environment Sciences and Engineering, MSc in Air Pollution, and BSc in Environmental Engineering. Her research interests include Environmental Management, Air Pollution, Climate Change, Urban Metabolism, and Sustainability. She participates in several international and national projects, being the national coordinator of the H2020 ClairCity project, which focuses on the engagement and involvement of citizens in air quality policy. She also participates in consulting and I&D projects with local authorities and private companies. She represents UA in the Environmental Studies Network of Portuguese Speaking Countries. She participates in the ERASMUS+ Project EUSTEPs Enhancing Universities' Sustainability Teaching and Practices through Ecological Footprint and ERASMUS+ Consortium AMIGO Mobility projects. Recently she was invited by FCT as an expert redactor of the Portuguese I&R Agenda for Circular Economy.

Paula Gomes is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Environment and Planning. She holds a PhD in Environment Sciences and Engineering and BSc in Environmental Engineering. Her research interests include Environmental Management, Environmental Technology, and Solid Waste Treatment and Management, namely biomass and organic waste valorization. She participates in several national and international projects and is the author and co-author of several papers on environmental and waste management, technology, and sustainability.

ii) GOVCOPP [Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness, and Public Policies]:

Sara Moreno Pires is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Social, Political, and Territorial Sciences of the University of Aveiro and a researcher at the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness, and Public Policies (GOVCOPP). She holds a PhD in Applied Environmental Sciences (University of Aveiro, Portugal), an MSc in Development and Planning: Environment and Sustainable Development (University College London, UK), and a BSc in Economics (University of Coimbra, Portugal). Currently, she is the Deputy Director of Common Home of Humanity and the scientific coordinator of the Ecological Footprint of Portuguese Municipalities project, developed by a strategic partnership among Global Footprint Network, the Portuguese ENGO ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável and the University of Aveiro, and the UA coordinator of the ERASMUS+ Project EUSTEPs Enhancing Universities' Sustainability Teaching and Practices through Ecological Footprint. She mainly focuses her research on public policies for urban sustainability, territorial innovation for sustainable development, sustainable development indicators, and local governance. She participates in several national and international projects and is the author and co-author of several sustainability and local governance articles in international journals. She has also collaborated in sustainability projects with Local Councils, NGOs, and private companies.

The University of Tampere was founded in 1925 as the Civic College in Helsinki, teaching public administration, organisation management, and journalism. In 1930, 195 students were enrolled at the College, and its name was amended to the School of Social Sciences. The institution expanded to municipal administration, public law, child protection, and civic education. The faculty of Social Sciences was established in 1949 as the first faculty. By 1960, the number of students had increased to 933, and the School of Social Sciences moved to Tampere. The institution was renamed the University of Tampere in 1966.

Tampere has been Finland's most important industrial centre since the late 19th century. Agathon Meurman, a member of the Senate of Finland, had already expressed the need for a technical higher institution in the mid-19th century. Yet, even after the continuation of the war, all technical higher education was conducted at the Helsinki University of Technology. Urho Kekkonen, the President of Finland, signed a proclamation for establishing a Tampere-based branch of the Helsinki University of Technology in 1965. The school began operating in the same year. The unit gained independent university status in 1972 and was named Tampere University of Technology.

The two universities always had close relations, and cooperation was joint in economics, computer science, biotechnology, and medical technology. Therefore, merging the universities has been suggested multiple times. In 2015, the three universities created a new university in Tampere. In 2016, the Ministry of Education and Culture appointed a steering and a working group to prepare a new foundation university. Initially, Tampere University of Applied Sciences was planned to merge into the new foundation, similar to the other two universities. However, this would have required changes to legislation since Universities of Applied Sciences, or polytechnics, are not considered universities in Finland, granting licentiate and doctorate degrees. The Finnish Parliament approved the merger in December 2017, which came into effect on 1 January 2019. The university commune (TUNI) comprises the new Tampere University and the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, of which Tampere University is the major shareholder.

Tampere University is one of the most multidisciplinary universities in Finland. Almost all internationally recognised fields of study are represented at our university. Tampere University brings together research and education in technology, health, and society. Our collaboration with our partners is built on our strengths, unique combinations of scientific disciplines, and applied expertise. Tampere University is a community of 21,000 students and has nearly 4,000 staff members. The university was created in 2019 through a merger between the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. At Tampere University, multidisciplinary research is conducted across the boundaries of fields of science. More specifically, our strength lies in health, technology, and social research. The topics our Centres of Excellence (CoEs) study range from body-on-chip research to game cultures.

The missions of our research include fostering a just and participatory society, promoting the health and welfare of people of all ages, developing safe living and working environments that are resource-efficient, and ensuring socially responsible digitalization and transformation of work.

What are the activities and experiences of the organisation in the areas relevant to this project? What are the skills and expertise of key persons involved in this project?

Operations and Supply Chain Group (OSCG) research group implements the project at Tampere University. The group investigates value creation in operations and supply chains supported by managerial and decision-making models, tools, technologies, and practices. The group aims to produce high-quality research and teaching in its topic areas and actively involve international and national scientific networks. The group provides and develops teaching at B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels in operations, supply chain management, and international sales and sourcing. More specific research topic areas of the group are:

• Digitalisation of supply chains
• Humanitarian logistics
• Operations strategy
• Performance measurement
• Public procurement
• Purchasing and supply management
• Production location decisions
• Sustainable supply chain management
• Value creation in business-to-business customer-supplier relationships

The group has seven employees: a full professor, two associate professors, two doctoral students, and two research assistants. The group implements several research projects funded by external sources such as national funding agencies, companies, and public organisations. One of the projects funded by the Academy of Finland investigates the value creation of public procurement and outcome-based procurement. The currently applied project supports the continuum of research work in the area and transforms the results into teaching content supporting university students and practitioners. The applied project also supports the internationalisation plan of the group by widening its international collaboration. Furthermore, the project supports the university-level objective of producing cross-disciplinary teaching content combining the fields of economics, engineering, and administrative sciences.

The applied project is participated by 2-3 members: one associate professor and 1-2 doctoral students named later. Assoc. Prof. (tenure track) Dr. Aki Jääskeläinen is the Operations and Supply Chain Group (OSCG) leader at the Industrial Engineering and Management unit at Tampere University. He is also an Adjunct Professor at LUT-University and has led and implemented several research projects on purchasing and supply management, digitalisation, and performance measurement. He has produced around 100 publications addressed to both academics and practitioners. He has also won 4 paper awards in international research publications.

The University of Twente is a young, entrepreneurial research university that unites high-tech with a human touch. Founded in 1961 in Enschede, the Netherlands has 3,300 scientists and other professionals working together on cutting-edge research, innovations with real-world relevance, and inspiring education for more than 12,000 Bachelor and Master students. The leading strategy is Shaping 2030: Shaping Society, Shaping Connections, and Shaping Individuals.

UTwente is a research university that focuses on the development of technology and its impact on people and society. This focus can be seen in the range of 23 Bachelor's degree programs and 31 Master's degree programs that the university offers in technology and behavioural and social sciences. UTwente's research is highly regarded at national and international levels and is accommodated within world-leading research institutes. The main research themes of the UTwente are nanotechnology, information technology, biomedical technology, governance, behavioural sciences, and geo-information science. The research institutes combine scientific excellence with a sharp eye for economic and societal impact. They are highly successful in generating spin-off businesses (over 50 new companies annually).

High-Tech, Business, and Entrepreneurship (HBE) department is part of the Behavioural, Management, and Social Sciences faculty at the University of Twente that provides research, education, and impact in technology-based entrepreneurship, innovation, and purchasing. HBE is leading in research based on engaged scholarship from an interdisciplinary perspective, and we are at the forefront of educational development. Together with our partners, we play a vital role in the University Twente entrepreneurial ecosystem, the four Dutch universities for technology (4TU), the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) network, and the Dutch higher education landscape on entrepreneurship, innovation, and purchasing topics. HBE's objective is to improve performance in business modelling, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, and supply chain management, to create real value for employees, people and society. For PRECIUS, HBE researchers for entrepreneurship, industrial purchasing, public procurement, change management, organisational behaviour, and competency development are united. HBE has enough staff, experience, and capabilities to lead and contribute to the project. HBE is the project lead of the Erasmus+ project

PERSIST aims to develop a 5 ECTS gamified master course on (industrial) purchasing and supply management in the era of Industry 4.0, i.e., the Internet of Things/machine-to-machine communication. HBE hosts the European Lab for Innovative Purchasing Studies (ELIPSE) - an initiative to be launched in early 2022, bringing together 25+ researchers from two faculties and five departments are united to research procurement issues in the broadest sense.

UT was the first university to be awarded the "Global Standard for Professional Competence in Purchasing and Supply," administered by the International Federation for Purchasing and Supply Management, a voluntary certification indicating the practice relevance of the study programme in procurement. Twente is the only Dutch university offering an entire bachelor's specialisation in purchasing and the second public university in Europe to offer a master's profile in purchasing.

What are the activities and experiences of the organisation in the areas relevant to this project? What are the skills and expertise of key persons involved in this project?

HBE is responsible for the Master graduation tracks Purchasing and Supply Management (PSM), Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Strategy, Digital Business & Analytics, Strategic Marketing & Servitisation, International Management & Consultancy, and is offering multiple courses of 5 ECTS on PSM, supply chain management, public procurement, entrepreneurship, international business, change management et cetera. The researchers in ETM are focused on entrepreneurship, technology management, public procurement, health care procurement, public works and constructions, industrial purchasing, the necessary future individual competences, and the translation of state-of-the-art research into student-centred education.

Expertise in necessary future individual competences and the translation into educational programmes are built up in the previous and current Erasmus+ projects PERFECT (2015-2018 on defining a higher education PSM curriculum), PERSIST (2019-2022 on creating a course on Industry 4.0 in PSM) and PERISCOPE (2019-2022 on creating a PSM course for procurement of sustainable innovations). The Project PERFECT outcomes are implemented in the PSM curriculum. It is reflected in redesigning existing courses towards a student-centred approach in which intended learning outcomes (ILOs) are defined regarding knowledge, theory, professional skills, interpersonal, human-to-human skills, and intrapersonal character traits such as creativity and strategic thinking. Gamified elements are included by the PERSIST and PERISCOPE projects to introduce students to complex supply chain issues such as digitisation, sustainability, and social responsibility. HBE has the lead in Project PERSIST, and the project was highlighted as an example for other projects in an intermediate meeting of the Dutch Erasmus+ National Agency. Despite the Covid restriction. In HBE, there is knowledge, experience, and a workforce to lead the proposed project PRECIUS.

PRECIUS complements and is clearly distinguished from PERFECT, PERSIST, and PERISCOPE. PRECIUS includes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and, in procurement, targets experienced public-sector professionals. Given this broader scope, UTwente researchers on entrepreneurship, change management, and organisational behaviour are closely involved. Moreover, the Department of Professional Learning and Development (PLD) is included with its considerable life-long learning/education expertise.

Project PRECIUS is an initiative of four universities members of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU). Central in the ECIU cooperation is the online platform ECIU University which will serve as a platform for multiple online courses. Moreover, ECIU University will facilitate the micro-credentials to the learners.

The key persons in the project PRECIUS are:

• Prof. dr. Louise Knight - full professor of public sector and healthcare procurement, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. She has an outstanding state of research experience in the field of public procurement.
• Prof. dr. Holger Schiele, a full professor of technology management and supply, has initiated the PERFECT, PERSIST, and PERISCOPE projects. He has an excellent state of research experience in the field of industrial purchasing and supply management.
• Dr. Desirée van Dun is an assistant professor in change management and organisational behaviour. Her award-winning research and publications focus on sustainable operational excellence in organisations through effective leadership.
• Dr. Rainer Harms is an associate professor in entrepreneurial behaviour. His research concentrates on the personal attributes that distinguish entrepreneurs.
• Dr. Klaas Stek is a researcher that participated in PERFECT, PERSIST, and PERISCOPE and defended his dissertation on Purchasing Competencies in June 2021. He published about educational reforms towards student-centred approaches.

ECIU University is the first European university where learners, teachers, and researchers cooperate with cities and businesses to solve real-life challenges. Together, they create, test, and evaluate a new educational pedagogy. This will help to focus all the university activities from education, research, administration, and support through innovation and valorisation.

The partners in the project excel in educational programmes for bachelor and master students. However, the role of universities will increasingly focus on lifelong learning trajectories. ECIU University's mission is to facilitate a European-wide ecosystem based upon open and inclusive collaboration connecting societal stakeholders, researchers, and learners to provide European answers to future societal challenges. ECIU University creates a playground for solving multi-disciplinary challenges in entrepreneurial, innovative ways and offers personalised learning and career opportunities for life at the European level, enabled by a novel university model based upon co-creation.

In line with the mission of ECIU university, Project PRECIUS is proposed. The project members have experience with adult education and professional learning and development. However, Project PRECIUS' challenge is establishing an interaction between both societal target groups. Both are interdependent, and their interaction is necessary to contribute to the public procurement of sustainable innovations, which is part of the Green Deal policy.