On 8 October 2025, the COCO (Collaboration Compass) Erasmus+ project officially kicked off with an online meeting attended by 10 academics and higher education professionals from across the consortium, including representatives from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Aalborg University, University of Camerino, PISOP Centre Association, Poland, and ACEEU.
The COCO project aims to strengthen cooperation between higher education institutions (HEIs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) by developing innovative tools and approaches that promote mutual learning and impactful collaboration. Beyond introducing the COCO project partners and discussing responsibilities and expectations, the meeting also provided a meaningful opportunity for participants to showcase projects that share the goals of COCO and adopt complementary approaches.
ACEEU highlighted three initiatives making a tangible impact across Europe. ESG Impact Index – SHIFT equips higher education students, staff, and academics to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. EPiCS integrates Citizen Science with Service-Learning to foster interdisciplinary learning, empower students and researchers for active citizenship. ComEnt equips stakeholders with the necessary skillsets to develop and enhance the development of community-owned and community-led enterprises. Together, these initiatives illustrate how university-community-industry collaboration can bring about innovative solutions with lasting impact.
