The Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) is a public and comprehensive university made up of 24 Research Departments that welcome annually 12.000 undergraduate students, 2000 master’s students and 1.200 PhDs. Since then, URV has developed a successful model of balanced research and training dedication, which has placed it among the first five Spanish universities in terms of research outputs according to several domestic classification, and derived in its international recognition in several rankings; for instance, it ranks 78th in 2019 from the World University (younger) Times Higher Education. The URV endorsed the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (Charter and Code) was awarded the HR Excellence in Research logo. URV has strong links with other knowledge-generating agents of the South of Catalonia (40% of the URV Scientific production is made jointly with these innovation agents).
The URV is a key actor of the Catalan implementation of the European Research and Innovation strategy for Smart Specialization (RIS3). The university is currently beneficiary of some of the most important financing tools from the Catalan Regional EU funding program (RIS3CAT) in order to effectively transfer knowledge with high impact to the society. To maximize impact and strengthen international relations, URV is an active member of AURORA network, a University network platform for European university leaders, administrators, academics, and students to learn from and with each other.
Professor of Sociology at the Rovira i Virgili University and director of the research group Social & Business Research Laboratory (https://sbrlab.com/inicio/). She has been director of the Equality Observatory of the Rovira i Virgili University from its creation in 2007 until 2022 and has directed numerous national and international research projects as well as eight doctoral theses.
Imma Rosell
Head of Employment area at DINCAT. She holds a master’s in social innovation by the URV. She has more than 4 years of experience in project management. She is a member of the SBRLab research group at URV. Her research fields are fostering innovation to reach open employment inclusion of vulnerable groups and developing comparative studies about employment policies.
Dating back to 1222, the University of Padova (UNIPD) is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious seats of learning. UNIPD offers its students 32 departments, 37 doctoral degree courses activated this year, 2 international doctoral degree courses and 44 research and service centres across the spectrum of sciences, medicine, social sciences and humanities. UNIPD is one of the first subscribers of the Statement of Commitment for the implementation of the European Charter of Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (C&C). The University was rewarded with the ‘HR Excellence in Research’ logo by the European Commission on the 27th, February 2012. The logo has been displayed on the UNIPD homepage since the beginning of March 2012. For more information click here https://www.unipd.it/en/
The Department of Philoshophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology (FISPPA Department) was established on January the 1st 2012, it brings together scholars from various fields with the aim of developing interdisciplinary analyses of human experience in social contexts. Research topics mainly cover inter-cultural problems, analysis of social, educational and psychological processes in highly complex societies, individual choices and practices in socio-historical and cultural contexts. Recognising the importance of merging forms of knowledge, the Department values its disciplinary traditions, and promotes theoretical and empirical research spanning from individual to societal concerns. It also coordinates several degree courses, PhD programmes, specialised courses and masters. For more information click here https://www.fisppa.unipd.it/
The Larios Laboratory (Laboratory for Research and Intervention in Vocational Designing and Career Counselling) of the FISPPA Department was founded in 1994 with the aim to give impulse to both research and application in the field of Career Counselling and Guidance. The Laboratory aims to realise highly qualified services for career counsellors and for public and private bodies that deal with career guidance and counselling. It organizes postgraduate Master Courses in career guidance and counselling (the last one is Career Guidance and Counselling for inclusion, sustainability and social justice) and national and international conferences in the field. Research and intervention activities focus on inclusive and sustainable career guidance for children, youths, and adults with and without vulnerabilities (e.g., disability, migration, low socio-economic status). Researchers of the Larios laboratory are members of the UniTwin international network “Life Designing Interventions (counseling, guidance, education) for decent work and sustainable development, Life Design International Research Group; European Society for Vocational Designing and Career Counseling (ESVDC), Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counselling in Europe (NICE) and of Italian Association for Vocational Guidance (SIO). Larios coordinated the European Doctoral Programme in Career Guidance & Counselling (ECADOC) co-funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme from October 2013 to November 2016 (Project No. 539608-LLP-1-2013-1-IT-ERASMUS-EQR). For more information click here http://www.larios.fisppa.unipd.it/en-en/
Maria Cristina Ginevra is an associate professor at FISPPA Department, University of Padova, where she teaches Psychology of career guidance and Human rights and inclusion. She collaborates with the Larios Laboratory (Laboratory for Research and Intervention in Vocational Designing and Career Counseling) at the University of Padova. She coordinates the post graduate training course ‘Career guidance for inclusion, sustainibility and social justice’ and is Co-editor of the Journal International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance
Andrea Zammitti was a Research Fellow at the FISPPA Department, University of Padova. He collaborates with the Larios Laboratory (Laboratory for Research and Intervention in Vocational Designing and Career Counseling) at the University of Padova. He coordinates the working group “Career Guidance over the life span” at the Order of Psychologists of the Sicilian Region and is a member of the board of directors of the Italian Society for Career Guidance (SIO). He is currently a researcher.
Austrian Association of Inclusive Society (AIS) is a non-governmental organisation based in Vienna, Austria, dedicated to interdisciplinary research that promotes innovation and collaboration in the fields of human rights, social development and inclusion. AIS’s activities include research and analysis, evaluation, publications and advocacy, as well as convening and facilitating the exchange of ideas and open discussions that stimulate new thinking on current issues in Europe while keeping a global perspective. AIS holds conferences, workshops, trainings and other events that focus on social development, behavioural change and foster inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups. The main focus areas are:
● Community Development
● Personal and Professional Development
● Integration, Inclusion and Social Justice
● Climate Change and the Environment
● Human Rights
● Gender Equality
● Bullying/ Cyber-bullying and Conflict Mediation in Schools
● Migration, Citizenship and Belonging
● Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid
● Countering Violent Extremism
AIS has a strong reputation for producing independent quality studies, as well as engaging in international collaborative support and promoting good practices that generate relevant work. Inclusive Society currently works in delivering a wide variety of projects and advocates strategic influence in a range of sectors that touch on our focus thematic areas. Staff members and volunteers are committed to fight for equal rights for all and to promote the full inclusion of socially disadvantaged, vulnerable, and marginalised people in all aspects of life.
Marco Roux is a human rights advocate with extensive experience in providing technical assistance in international projects for vulnerable groups. Marco is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager at AIS, as well as Managing Director for VAEV Research and Development Agency with headquarters in Vienna. He holds a Master´s degree in Politics and Government focusing on migrant children and education, a Master of Arts in Huaman Rights from the University of Vienna, and currency pursuing a Master of Arts in Business in Management of EU projects from the University of Applied Arts Burgenland.
CONEXX-EU is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels (Belgium), which promotes research, cooperation and development activities within the EU and between Europe, Latin America, and other regions worldwide. Our work is focused on Development Cooperation and Cooperation in the Academic and Youth areas. The organization has 12 years of experience in writing and managing European funded projects, delivering trainings, offering advocacy and communication services, and assisting organisations in their internationalisation processes. CONEXX-EU is the only European organisation represented in the executive board of the Regional Observatory of Social Responsibility for Latin America (ORSALC) and it is part of the Caribbean and the Regional Center for Cooperation. In the last four years, Erasmus+, EuropeAID and Horizon 2020 Projects whose implementation CONEXX-EU has participated in, have impacted in 10 European countries and 18 countries of Latin America and Caribbean.
Beñat Uribesalgo Alzola is a project manager at the Belgian-based organisation CONEXX-EU, with experience in managing several Erasmus+ projects. He holds a degree in political science and public administration and a master’s degree in public management.
INDEPCIE (Institute for the Personal Development, Entrepreneurship, Coaching and Emotional Intelligence) is a training company founded in 2018 focused in the attitudinal training and the improvement of human performance. The company works with clients with the aim of increasing their results both in personal or professional areas, developing techniques and strategies in the areas of coaching, Emotional Intelligence, soft skills and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). INDEPCIE trains persons, so both the individuals and their organizations acquire skills and habits leading to a continuous improvement. The staff uses the most advanced techniques in training to develop and achieve this ambitious goal as experts in team management, emotional management and motivation. INDEPCIE learns from the experience gained by its staff, professionals with years of background in the fields of training and the development and management of transnational projects in the frame of Erasmus + Program. We have 8 permanent staff members and external collaborators.
Jesús Ruiz:
Graduate in Journalism and European Project Manager at Indepcie. He has worked as a teacher in Prague, as well as for the Spanish Red Cross training migrants. He has extensive experience in the Erasmus+ programme organising youth exchanges, as well as carrying out an EVS in Palermo (Italy) focused on working with migrants.
“Acción Laboral” is a non-profit organization, with a nationwide field of action with more than 20 offices and 100 employees. Acción Laboral has developed more than 100 comprehensive programmes of employment and training at national level, supporting more than 10.000 users and getting a relocation average of 50%. The objectives of these programs are the improvement of employment services and professional integration for unemployed people, which include adult people with difficult labour insertion, people with disabilities, migrants, long-term unemployed people, young people without qualifications, women, people with low literacy skills, etc. “Acción Laboral” has developed a working method which allows the organization to carry out programs anywhere and in a clear-defined time, achieving very satisfying results. This organization has a social purpose, trying to help to improve the quality of life of the users. Acción Laboral has more than 10 years of experience in employment and training projects focused for long-term unemployed people, including migrants and people at risk of social exclusion. Some training programs present a high level of complexity for their duration (2-3 years), number of participants (more than 500 people trained) . Acción Laboral operates nationwide owning offices in the different provinces of Spain and cooperating with various stakeholders in the field of work.
Irene Benito holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Spanish and English Literature and a Master’s Degree in Gender Studies from the University of Oviedo. She has experience as an English and Spanish teacher, as well as a content creator and researcher, especially in the gender area. She has 2 years of experience managing Erasmus+ projects in the social sector.
Julia Fernández Valdés: Head of the EU Department. More than 4 years of experience in the elaboration, development, management and implementation of European Projects, mainly focused on social and labour inclusion, as well as gender issues