Fostering Digital and Green Transformation in SMEs

Our university, aligned with Europe's 2050 climate-neutral goal under the European Green Deal, is committed to integrating clean digital technologies to combat climate change. We focus on using te...

The FoDiGreT project aimed to integrate and align the digital and green transitions, a concept already recognized by the European Commission's Green Deal proposal. The consortium strived to overcome the traditional separation of these two areas, acknowledging their synergistic potential. Our objectives focused on leveraging digital solutions for greening the economy, enhancing product design, supporting sustainable consumption, reducing emissions and waste, and promoting circular economy and climate neutrality. Specifically, we aimed to: • Increase the knowledge, skills, and competencies of students in green digital technologies. • Transform future entrepreneurs' mindset towards green digital transformation. • Shift students' perception of the green economy from a cost to a gain perspective. • Provide skills and operational tools for managing green innovation and implementing new digital technologies in SMEs. • Deepen understanding of green and digital transformation in higher education and its impact on business and social relationships. • Prepare students to act as agents of green and digital transformation. • Enhance the competencies of academics in these areas.

To realize our project's objectives, we undertook a series of strategic activities within the partnership. These activities were meticulously planned and executed to ensure the effective integration of green aspects into the digital transformation curriculum, particularly focusing on SMEs. Our implementation strategy included: 1. Developing a blended academic curriculum. The consortium structured an innovative curriculum that emphasized green aspects of digital transformation in SMEs. This curriculum was designed to enhance student skills and competencies, increase awareness about digitalisation and Industry 4.0, and strengthen the skills of academics and educators. 2. Producing gamified open educational resources (OERs). The consortium created engaging and interactive training materials, including gamified videos with narrative crossroads. These were complemented with further investigation materials to support the understanding and application of the OERs. 3. Methodology for practical validation. The consortium developed a methodology to practically validate the content we created, involving check-ups in SMEs to ensure relevance and applicability. 4. Educational video production training. Students were trained in movie education, including the process of recording short educational videos. This hands-on experience was crucial in understanding and implementing digital content creation. 5. Developing video case studies. The consortium produced video case studies that exemplified the green use of digitalisation processes. These case studies served as practical examples to illustrate theoretical concepts. 6. Quality assurance approach implementation. A quality assurance system was designed for the course to ensure that the education delivered was inclusive and of high quality. 7. Content validation through multiplier events. The developed content was validated during multiplier events, allowing for feedback and refinement. 8. Project management. Effective management of all project activities was a continuous process, ensuring smooth execution and coordination among all partners. 9. Sharing and promotion outcomes. The consortium actively shared and promoted the outcomes of the project, ensuring that the knowledge and resources developed were accessible to a wider audience. Each of these activities was crucial in achieving our project's aims, ensuring that students and academics were equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate and contribute to the green digital transformation in SMEs.

The FoDiGreT project achieved substantial results, directly engaging significant numbers of students, companies, and academics. The key outputs and outcomes included: 1. Curriculum on green aspects of digital transformation in SMEs. The consortium developed a comprehensive curriculum, offering up to 15 ECTS, covering 12 topics for students in higher education systems. This curriculum focused on the intersection of digital transformation and environmental sustainability within the context of SMEs. 2. Innovative Open Educational Resources (OERs). A suite of 12 narrative training videos and 2 large gamified interactive training videos with narrative crossroads was produced, following the curriculum. These resources were complemented with further investigation materials and self-evaluation tests, enhancing the learning experience. 3. Methodology for practical validation. The consortium created a methodology for the practical validation of the developed materials, which included 8 check-ups in real-world settings. 4. Student-produced educational films. 11 short educational films were recorded by students participating in the project, providing practical insights and real-world applications of the learned concepts. 5. Academic-produced video case studies. Academics involved in the project produced 4 video case studies, further enriching the educational content. 6. Multiplier events. The consortium organized 4 multiplier events in various partner countries to promote the green aspects of digital transformation and education. These events disseminated project results to a broader audience and encouraged adoption beyond the partnership. 7. Quality standards and business orientation. With EFMD as a partner, we ensured high-quality standards and a strong business orientation in the developed content, leveraging the partnership's extensive business experience. The project's impact was both immediate and long-term. In the short term, we observed an increase in skills and competencies among students, academics, and educators in green digital transformation. In the long term, we expect a sustainable change in attitudes and approaches towards digital transformation. This includes a recognition of processes that benefit SMEs through the implementation of green technologies, ultimately leading to a positive impact on the environment and climate. Through these results, our project has made significant strides in integrating green digital transformation into higher education, benefiting students, businesses, and the wider community. All Results have been achieved and all indicators have been over-exceed. 12 topics (instead of assumed 10) has been covered by PR1, 221 students tested OERS (instead of assumed 80), 9 companies took part in the checkup (instead of assumed 8), 11 short educational movies have been recorded (instead of 8), 5 video case studies have been recorded (instead of assumed 4). The number of website visitors at the day of report's submission reached almost 3300, very close to the target 5000 assumed in 5 years after finishing the project.