We are pleased to announce the first annual COLOURS Conference, which will take place in Osijek, Croatia, from October 24-25, 2024, with a pre-conference day on October 23. This event will be organized by Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia in cooperation with Paderborn University, Germany. It represents a significant step in the development of our alliance, bringing together COLOURS partners, stakeholders, and students to discuss key initiatives and foster collaboration across institutions. The conference will be held in a hybrid format, enabling wider participation from across the COLOURS community. Those who are unable to attend in person will have the opportunity to join online and engage with the sessions remotely. The conference will provide a structured platform for sharing ideas and strengthening partnerships. The program will include workshops, presentations, and discussions focused on innovation, education, and strategic collaboration within the COLOURS network. Key Details: Pre-Conference Day (October 23) : Field study focused on the COLOURS Smart Specialization Strategy IT and Digital Transformation, for internal COLOURS members. Day 1 (October 24) : COLOURS Innovation & Engagement Day, involving external partners and stakeholders, with workshops highlighting Smart Specialization Strategies and a session dedicated to student talent development. Day 2 (October 25) : COLOURS Collaborative Progress Day, aimed at reinforcing internal collaborations, featuring the “Creators’ Corner” for showcasing innovative solutions and projects. We invite all partner universities to contribute ideas, and participate actively in the program. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a pioneering event that celebrates collaboration and the creative spirit of our alliance. Please register here by October 14, 2024

From this year, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences Master's study program "Strategic Intercultural Communication" includes study course "Digital Corporate Communication Strategies", within which our students together with other Master's students from different universities will participate in the "Global virtual teams" project. Students will work in multicultural teams, mixed from different universities, to develop a digital communication strategy for the expansion of a company in another country's market. This project is a simulation and the strategies will not reach the selected companies, but it will be good practice for the students to work in international teams and try their hand at developing strategic documents. The project will run for 10 weeks, from 7 October to 13 December, during which the students will work independently in teams, participate in virtual workshops and consultations, and, at the end, present their work. The project will allow students to put into practice their knowledge of intercultural communication they have acquired in the studies, improve their digital skills, learn about the benefits and challenges of multicultural virtual teams, and exchange knowledge and experience with students and lecturers from other universities who act as team mentors in the project. The mentor and lecturer in the project from VUAS is guest lecturer Elīza Cimdiņa. This international study project, led by the Paderborn University, has been running for several years. It is intended to be conducted entirely virtually, using the Paderborn University's e-learning platform KOMO. This will also give the VUAS representatives opportunity to adopt good practices in using e-learning platforms for virtual course delivery. The project will bring together students and lecturers from 6 European universities: Clermont Auvergne University (France), University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (Czech Republic), Paderborn University (Germany), Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University St Kliment Ohridski Bitola (Northern Macedonia) and Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (Latvia). Along with VUAS, the “COLOURS” Alliance university from Northern Macedonia has also joined the project this year. It is this European University Alliance "COLOURS" that is the basis for new faculty friendships and new faculty cooperation. This is a practical example of how the “COLOURS” Alliance colours and enriches our study process.

Enhance your language learning experience by joining us for activities such as language cafés, quizzes, videos, presentations and more in the languages of our nine partner universities : Croatian , French , German , Italian , Latvian , Macedonian , Polish , Spanish and Swedish . Registration UCLM, LMU, UNIFE, HKR, UNIOS, UPB: --> No need to register! To log in you simply: go to Bloomhub click on EduGAIN login choose your institution and log in with your university account UKLO, JDU, VUAS and external parties: Send an email to stefanie.muehlbaecher@upb.de asking to register for the European Day of Languages. Please provide your name and email address. The deadline is the 23 September 2024. You will receive your login details via email on the 25 September.

We invite you to participate in an informative seminar on microcredit courses within the framework of the COLORS project. Microcredits (Microcredentials) courses, intended for the professional development of citizens, are one of the activities of the "COLOURS" consortium of European Universities. The European Commission explains : "A 'microcredit' is a record of the learning results obtained by the learner after a small amount of learning (from 0.5 ECTS and above). The learning experience leading to the award of microcredits is designed to provide the learner with specific knowledge , skills and competences that meet societal, personal, cultural or labor market needs." During the project, at least 18 microcredit courses will be created, which comply with the principles of open education. We invite you to an informative seminar where you can learn more about the basic principles of microcredits and learn from the experience of UNA Eiorpa ( https://www.una-europa.eu/ ) and EUTOPIA ( https://eutopia-university.eu/ ) consortia. Time of the seminar: May 24, at 11.00 Registration: https://forms.gle/Vd7oafHEqUVF8fgN7