Specific programme: Interreg VI-A Spain-France-Andorra POCTEFA 2021-2027
Project title: EMPLEABILITY WITH IMPACT
Acronym: EmPACT i3
Project objective: Improving the effectiveness and inclusiveness of labour markets and access to quality employment, through the
development of social infrastructures and the promotion of the social economy

Research team:

• María Iciar Recalde Rodriguez (Principal Investigator)
• Pilar Gil Molina
• Erlantz Allur Aranburu
• Esther Cruz Iglesias
• Olatz Zinkunegi Goitia

Partner Entities:

• Euskampus Fundazioa (Project Leader)
• University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
• University of Bordeaux

Total budget: €691,328.00
ERDF budget: 449,362.60 €

Project start: 01/01/2024
Project end: 31/12/2026

Total project duration: 2 years 11 months and 30 days

Brief description: EmPACT i3 will promote high-quality, highly qualified employability aimed at impacting the challenges of ecological and social transition in the cross-border territory of Euskadi-Nouvelle Aquitaine through innovative actions in higher education and in close collaboration with territorial agents. It will form a transdisciplinary community with three interest groups: public and private entities, research faculty, and students from UPV/EHU and UB who will be involved in the innovation of knowledge and skills capable of impacting the challenges of ecological and social transition. Cross-border meetings will be held to identify challenges and activate knowledge and skills based on real needs in the territory, focusing on three areas of transition: ocean pollution, marine renewable energy and the circular economy. Euroregional citizenship will be promoted through interculturality and multilingualism. Students will be able to immerse themselves in the cross-border labour reality by developing micro-projects and short-term mobility in collaboration with entities on the other side. Innovation for high-impact employability will be promoted by combining three paths: a) a shared vision of the territory's needs in terms of knowledge and skills, b) professional guidance through immersion of students in the entities, c) innovation of knowledge and skills in the entities inspired by the students' projects. The coordination of capacities enabled by the UPV/EHU-UB Euroregional Campus strategic alliance will enable the design of institutional instruments and cross-border collaboration structures to continue promoting, from higher education and in collaboration with territorial agents, high-quality and highly qualified employability with an impact on the challenges of ecological and social transition.

The EmPACT i3 project has been 65% co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain-France-Andorra Programme (POCTEFA 2021-2027). The objective of POCTEFA is to strengthen the economic and social integration of the Spain-France-Andorra border area.

More information about the programme:

https://www.poctefa.eu/

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/es/sheet/95/el-fondo-europeo-de-desarrollo-regional-feder-