BUSCO
- ProjectsHigher educationHEI ICI / HEPInternationalisation
Key information
Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities Through Co-creation Between Universities and Businesses (BUSCO)
Project Budget: €599,777 with MFA funding, total budget €759 095
Project Duration: 1.3.2017-30.3.2020
Coordinating Institution: Diaconia University of Applied Sciences (Diak)
Partner Institution(s): Partner Institution(s): University of Iringa, Tanzania; Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University, Tanzania and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Project description and Key Results
The building sustainable and resilient communities though co-creation between universities and businesses (BUSCO) project aimed at improving universities’ capacity to promote sustainable community development and communities’ resilience in partner universities and their surrounding communities in Tanzania. By improving employment opportunities, entrepreneurship and universities’ capacities, the project aimed to enhance the resilience of the communities and individuals in a multisectoral and multifunctional setting.
The project managed to achieve most of the planned results, even though the worsened financial difficulties of the partner higher education institutions in Tanzania caused challenges to the project. While the planned Master’s course did not happen, the project was able to find an alternative solution and the course content has been provided in open (free) Moodleshort courses in University of Iringa (UoI), thereby also utilizing the developed E-learning and ICT-capacity (Information and Communications Technology). Through the project, the capacity of the UoI to run online programmes improved. Improved E-learning skills and ICT-capacities and access to online research sources will contribute in the future to improved teaching and research capacity in the university.
Reviewed curricula can better meet the needs of working life, thereby promoting employment of the graduates. Through improved quality assurance systems good quality of higher education institutions will be sustained.
Strengthened university-community collaboration through Living Labs and through established Community Resource Centre, Legal Centre and Counselling Centre has increased universities’ capacity to promote sustainable community development and entrepreneurship in the region.