The CONNECT project addressed the European priority of tackling skills gaps and mismatches by delivering a structured educational programme in the field of eHealth innovation. Engaging students from across European partner countries, the project fostered continuous innovation and entrepreneurship within the European eHealth sector through a combination of formal and non-formal educational approaches.
The project was coordinated by Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai (Romania), in collaboration with Asociatia Init (Romania), the Universidade do Porto (Portugal), and the Europäische Bildungsinitiative (Austria). Peter Mazohl contributed to the project through his affiliation with the Europäische Bildungsinitiative, providing expertise in instructional design, multimedia learning content, and technology-enhanced education.
The project group at the physical project meeting at the University of Porto (June 3rd 2022).
The programme aimed to improve knowledge of eHealth, develop cross-sectoral skills and competencies, and strengthen entrepreneurial thinking and critical reasoning. A central pedagogical element was the Intensive Study Programme (ISP), which used innovative formal and non-formal methods, including challenge-based learning. This approach supported students in developing digital healthcare prototypes with practical relevance.
The project produced two main outputs. The first was the eHealth Community of Practice (CoP) platform, an online environment connecting participants from academia, industry, and healthcare to support collaboration, peer learning, and mentoring. The platform was designed to remain active for at least three years after the project ended. The second output was a Moodle-based e-learning course, which integrated the developed eHealth curriculum using multimedia content and interactive elements, organised in a colour-coded module system.
The long-term sustainability of the project was ensured by integrating the open-source curriculum into Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at the Department of Public Health, Babeș-Bolyai University, and by sharing it with other higher education institutions across Europe. In addition, the biennial conference “Connect the eHealth Innovation Ecosystems” was established to continue and expand the professional network beyond the project duration.
More project details: Connect Project (EBI Webpage)
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