NextGEng aimed to establish innovative international teaching models developed in close collaboration with companies. In alignment with the guidelines of the European Education Area 2025 initiative, the project focused on modernizing teaching methodologies to create upgraded, student-centered courses and laboratories that are implemented through international cooperation. Throughout its implementation, the project achieved these goals by developing and piloting new teaching approaches through the Team Teaching Pilot Program (TTPP) and Cases for Experiential Learning (CEL) projects, which effectively integrated academic and industrial expertise. Together with the Tailored Training Program, these initiatives had a significant impact on enhancing collaboration between universities and companies, promoting interdisciplinary and cross-border learning experiences, and strengthening the link between education and real-world engineering practice.
The consortium partners applied for this project to address the growing need for stronger cooperation between higher education institutions and industry, ensuring that engineering education is aligned with labor market demands by establishing an international pedagogical collaboration framework. This framework supports the development of new teaching methods and learning materials consistent with the European Education Area 2025 initiative. The main target groups of the project were HEI students, HEI teachers, and company experts, whose specific needs guided the project’s objectives and activities. For HEI students, the project addressed the need for curricula that integrated industrial collaboration, international learning experiences, and competencies relevant to professional practice. For HEI teachers, it facilitated the exchange of teaching and research experience with European peers, the creation of new course content reflecting the latest industrial developments, and the enhancement of student motivation through applied learning. For company experts, the project supported the development of new professional competences, the establishment of cooperation with HEIs, and the identification of potential future employees.