As a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Durham University, I worked on PEOPLE (People-Centred Development Approaches in Practical and Learning Environments). This was an international project co-funded by the by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme (Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, Knowledge Alliances for higher education). Apart from working on the PEOPLE “learning cycles”, methodology and the sustainability model, I also co-taught the research module and oversee the research project in Durham, in collaboration with the Durham Energy Institute and Durham County Council.
Project Reference: 574832-EPP-1-2016-1-SI-EPPKA2-KA
Start date: 01. 11. 2016
End date: 31. 10. 2019
⇒ PEOPLE on Erasmus+ Project Results Platform
At the core of the project was the idea that understanding people should become an indispensable part of industrial development processes, as a means to achieve practical-based education as well as new categories of products, services, or business strategies that truly address people’s needs and lead to sustainable innovation.
To jointly develop and integrate people-centred development approaches into research, teaching and learning practices an alliance was formed between a higher education or research institution and an industry partner from the energy efficiency and sustainable energy sectors in each of the four participating countries:
Slovenia: Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, company Metronik and IRI UL (the coordinator);
United Kingdom: Durham University and Durham County Council;
The Netherlands: VU Amsterdam and company Alliander;
Czech Republic: Charles University in Prague and company VUPS.