The ‘Art + Design: elearning lab - design for social change’ based in the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts at Cyprus University of Technology starts the academic year 2019-2020 with two successful European funding proposals.

1) Programme: KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices KA204, Strategic Partnerships for adult education. Project Title: Cultural and Arts Entrepreneurship in Adult Education - CREATION (KA204-061315). Project duration: 2 years (2019-2021).

At the heart of different lifelong learning programmes across the globe is the discussion of the creative economies, their characteristics and local peculiarities, and the need for adult training for a future workforce that possesses both creative, cultural or artistic skills and considerable business acumen. Within this context, the gradual shift from an almost exclusive focus on management to the potential of cultural entrepreneurship, has seen an explosion in interest and a multitude of definitions of cultural entrepreneurship as a pedagogical approach and/or practical training for the creative industries. Based on these realisations, the intention through the CREATION project is to explore the theoretical roots, pedagogical approaches, and practical training in and for cultural entrepreneurship, targeting specifically underrepresented groups, being women who come from marginalised backgrounds (migrants, refugees and asylum seekers).

2) Programme: KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices KA204, Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training. Project title: The Third Way (T3W) – (KA202-0E9C7D50). Project duration: 2 years (2019-2021).

The Third Way is a project devised to improve communication and knowledge sharing between the vocational and higher education sector and social enterprises the so-called ‘Third Sector’. At the heart of the project proposal is the development of a new curriculum pathway for students from different educational domains around vocational and business subjects wishing to become social entrepreneurs and or create social enterprises. The curriculum devised will be available in digital form such as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) or through Open and Distance Learning via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) as well as delivered as innovative face-to-face programmes of study. The project proposal supports the development of new curricular pathways through a process of knowledge sharing and communication. It shall be embedded into existing education programmes to ensure effective outreach.

The ‘Art + Design: elearning lab - design for social change’ pursues a variety of educational and research activities, as well as practical socially orientated interventions in support of design for social change and innovation, social entrepreneurship, design education and technology-enhanced learning. The members of the lab are: Dr. Nicos Souleles, Dr. Andrew Laghos, Dr. Stephania Savva, Dr. Eirini Papageorgiou, Dimitra Perdiou, Claire Pillar, Eleni Dimitriadou, George Kyriakides and Dr. Ana Ferreira (www.elearningartdesign.org/).