Motivation
Participation in the Erasmus+ BIP project offered an excellent opportunity for international cooperation and professional development. The BIP was initiated at an international conference in Graz in November 2023. The Private University College Augustinum Graz was chosen as the host because, together with EUF and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in Kaunas, it played a central role in the thematic orientation as a project partner. The focus was on the common theme of “Promoting social-emotional skills in educational and therapeutic settings” – a central concern of the participating institutes (general studies, health sciences, and nutritional sciences) at EUF.
Preparation
The preparatory virtual phase of the project was successfully completed in the fall semester of 2024/25. The physical mobility took place from May 5 to 9, 2025. Two lecturers and ten students traveled from each university. The regular online meetings between the teachers were very helpful in discussing and planning everything in advance. Following the planning phase, we began recruiting students for the project in good time. The project was integrated into a curricular seminar in Integrated Primary Science and Social Studies, and students also participated in the project in health and nutrition. It is advisable to hold information events in good time in order to reach the required number of students. The International Center provided us with a great deal of support in all phases of the project and was on hand to offer advice and assistance. Our information event took place in June 2024, and the first online meeting of the BIP was held in October 2024. It was easy to clarify the formalities during this time, but you should not allow for less time than this. When planning the travel arrangements for the on-site phase, it proved beneficial to organize accommodation and travel early on and to maintain close contact with the partner university in Graz. It was particularly helpful to coordinate the online and on-site phases in advance within the interdisciplinary team, as this allowed us to take the different semester times into account.
Stay
The one-week program in Graz included interactive workshops, specialist lectures, group work, excursions, and practical exercises. One item on the agenda was the presentation of the health promotion program “Schulwechsel Ahoi” (School Change Ahoy) developed by Dr. Carmen Schumacher, which was tested in practical units with the international student group. The Austrian training program “ELLA” was also presented and implemented together with two elementary school classes. Other program items included visits to local educational institutions such as the Augustinum elementary school and Mosaik GmbH. In addition to professional exchange, there was also plenty of opportunity for intercultural encounters – for example, during an international cooking event led by Dr. Claudia Plinz and a festive final presentation on Mursinsel.
Conclusion
The stay was a great benefit for our teaching and research activities at EUF. Our own programs, such as “Schulwechsel Ahoi” (School Change Ahoy), were presented and further developed in a European context. The intensive exchange with international colleagues and students provided valuable impetus for the training of future teachers and specialists. A continuation of the collaboration is already being planned: in 2026, EUF itself will host a BIP.