COMSUS aimed to strengthen higher education institutions' capabilities in promoting co-creation of resilient, inclusive and sustainable society through strategic social media communications. The project sought to develop innovative e-learning solutions to enhance HEIs' digital competencies in two key areas: teaching staff's ability to utilize social media for educational content and personal branding, and communication managers' capacity to build sustainable institutional communications. Specific objectives included developing and piloting two specialized e-courses, creating a comprehensive manual for sustainable social media communications, and establishing a "Hub of sustainable communications" to facilitate knowledge exchange. Through these activities, the project aimed to support HEIs in implementing the European Green Deal and Skills Agenda priorities while fostering inclusive dialogue with stakeholders. The ultimate goal was to position HEIs as effective changemakers in promoting sustainable development values through modern digital channels.
The COMSUS project emerged in response to the growing need for higher education institutions (HEIs) to develop effective sustainable communications in social media. With the implementation of Directive 2013/34/EU on non-financial reporting and the European Green Deal, HEIs faced new requirements to disclose their environmental and social initiatives. The pandemic period highlighted the importance of bringing human-centered approaches back into digital communications. Despite these challenges, HEIs lacked structured approaches and capabilities for sustainable stakeholder engagement through social media. Our research identified critical gaps in teaching staff's digital skills for educational content creation and communication managers' abilities to promote sustainability values. The project addressed these needs by developing comprehensive training programs and methodologies to strengthen HEIs' role as drivers of sustainable development through strategic social media communications aligned with EU priorities for digital transformation and inclusive education systems.