In November 2021, six founding partners of EUTOPIA Alliance were awarded in the framework of Erasmus+ (KA220- HED - Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education) for the project "Flexible LEarning Communities Supporting Lifelong Learning Across Borders'" (FLECSLAB), which was submitted to the National Agency (NA) for European Community Programmes and International Mobility Programmes in Slovenia. On February 3, 2022, the kick-off meeting of the partnership (Univerza v Ljubljani, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, The University of Warwick, CY Cergy Paris Université, Universidad Pompeu Fabra and Goeteborgs Universitet) took place online and was hosted by the University of Ljubljana as project coordinator.
Firstly, vice rector of University of Ljubljana Boštjan Markoli and Nikki Muckle, Secretary-General EUTOPIA Alliance welcomed the participants. Jo Angouri, Rosette S'Jegers and Tomaž Deželan, the core project team, presented the content of the project and explained the main goals and background of FLECSLAB. Building on the development of Connected Learning Communities in the EUTOPIA alliance, FLECSLAB will create a dedicated tool for all institutions at HE that will go beyond the demand of degree-seeking students and open up to non-modal learners seeking international learning experiences. This tool will include guidelines and training modules to support academic staff in reaching out to adult learners (WP1 - Lifelong Learning Toolbox).
Secondly, the project aims to introduce, through pilot projects and practical experiences, a business model that will enable European universities to sustain their efforts to offer high quality lifelong learning (WP2 - Lifelong Learning Business Model). It will be aligned with the EU Higher Education Area agenda to foster EU cooperation and create synergies with existing frameworks. Miha Lebič from University of Ljubljana briefly explained the Erasmus+ rules and the role of the Slovenian agency that awarded the project.