NEXT - Digital Transformations for Supporting Next-Generation Labour

📣 General Assembly Meeting | April 30, 2026
Today’s online Assembly Meeting brought together project partners for a productive full-day session focused on progress, collaboration, and next steps. 👏 Thank you to all partners for their active participation and commitment to driving the project forward!💙💛

Irina Tal, DCU: I was delighted to speak and interact with the audience at STEM for Good, (some time ago now, on 4th of Feb.), a collaboration event between DCU Faculty of Engineering and Computing and the DCU Women’s Impact Network, showcasing how research can drive real and meaningful change.
The event brought together leading DCU researchers from our Faculty exploring powerful themes: engineering with empathy, creating safer shared spaces through data, blockchain beyond cryptocurrencies, re-imagining engineering education through visual thinking, electronic textiles that fuse tradition with innovation, and questioning trust in the age of GenAI.
My focus was on Blockchain for Good, including the importance of education and standardisation and the role of initiatives/projects like EU NEXT project (nextstudy.eu), SEEBLOCKS.eu (SEEBLOCKS.eu), and blockW (BlockW) in this context.

Exciting research in Carinthia, Austria: Long Night of Research in Klagenfurt, April 24, 2026

The Long Night of Research held on April 24, 2026, in Klagenfurt was a great success: around 9,000 visitors flocked to the shared campus of the University of Klagenfurt and Lakeside Park to experience science up close. With 106 stations, around 500 researchers, and an event area of 27 hectares, the event was larger than ever before.
Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) also made a significant contribution to this success with its diverse and engaging exhibits—ranging from 3D printing, health literacy, and family council, to nature and high tech, aging/dementia, migration, multimedia technology, and more. CUAS (FH Kärnten) was represented with 13 out of a total of 106 stations. The content presented was academically impressive and communicated in an appealing way, which was very well received by both young and old alike. We also had the opportunity to present our NEXT project at the event, which was a valuable experience and met with great interest from visitors.
We are already looking forward to participating in future events.

International Day 2025 at CUAS. Under the motto “Reflect. Connect. Create.”, more than 150 participants from around the world celebrated the international diversity of Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (FH Kärnten).
The International Day on December 4, 2025, was a vibrant celebration of cultures that placed internationalization front and center. Over 25 students and staff members with international backgrounds actively shaped the day: they cooked traditional dishes, presented musical performances, and offered profound insights into their own cultures. The event provided a unique platform to appreciate and celebrate the immense diversity and intercultural exchange.
The International Day was a resounding success, celebrating the joy of international community and making internationalization at our institution wonderfully tangible. We thank all participants for their commitment to this unique celebration of diversity and cooperation.

On October 23–24, the project consortium held the Next assembly meeting, kindly hosted by the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Over two highly productive days, partners presented the results achieved so far and discussed the next steps for implementing upcoming project activities.
A big thank to CVUT for the warm welcome and excellent organization. We look forward to see you all soon and continuing our successful collaboration — together we are stronger! 💪
NEXT project website https://nextstudy.eu

NEXT Tutors Training "Digitalization, Immersive Tools and Student Engagement Global" was organized from 8 to 12 of September 2025.
It aimed to prepare university staff to become coaches in the NEXT digital education model, which focuses on student-centered and flexible learning using modern digital tools.
Participants included teachers and project team members from partner universities in the EU and Ukraine.
This training was an important step in ensuring the quality and long-term success of the NEXT learning model. It also laid the groundwork for testing and expanding digital courses and coaching methods across the partner universities.