About INSPIRE-U

INSPIRE-U – Innovative Network for STEM, Participation, Inclusion, Resilience and Higher Education to connect the European Union and Ukraine – is a 24-month Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in Higher Education (KA220-HED), running from 14 December 2025 to 13 December 2027. It is coordinated by Università degli Studi Giustino Fortunato (Benevento, Italy) and brings together six organisations from Italy, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Georgia and Ukraine.

The project aims to empower Ukrainian refugee women and female STEAM students by equipping them with entrepreneurial, digital and green skills for economic integration and career development. Through inclusive, flexible and multilingual learning pathways based on flipped learning and design thinking, INSPIRE-U addresses the barriers that keep women away from science, technology and entrepreneurship.

Our Main Objectives

INSPIRE-U is built around four strategic objectives that guide its learning activities and international cooperation.

01

Empower Women in STEAM

Increase the participation of women – especially Ukrainian refugee women and female STEAM students – in science, technology and entrepreneurship, and promote gender equality in higher education.

02

Build Entrepreneurial, Digital and Green Skills

Develop the competences needed for the digital and green transitions through flipped learning, design thinking and practical, project-based work.

03

Strengthen Cooperation with Ukraine

Support higher education institutions in working with Ukrainian counterparts and respond to the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

04

Connect Education and Business

Bring together universities, companies, NGOs and policymakers to create sustainable career pathways and support Ukraine's reconstruction.

Driving Change Through Education

INSPIRE-U is committed to building a more inclusive, innovative and resilient future by empowering women, strengthening STEM education and fostering international collaboration.

Creating Lasting Impact

INSPIRE-U develops a multilingual Open Learning Platform hosting five training modules on entrepreneurship, sustainability, design thinking and digital skills, delivered through a flipped learning approach. Participants first learn online at their own pace, then apply what they have learned in flipped learning labs and in a six-month Hackathon, solving real-world challenges with mentors from academia, industry and civil society.

Who it is for: Ukrainian refugee women and female STEAM students; higher education educators and career guidance experts; NGOs, mentors, industry representatives and entrepreneurs.

The project will pilot its training with at least 50 trainers and 250 students and present its results to 180 stakeholders through multiplier events. The Open Learning Platform and the training course will remain freely accessible in six languages after the end of the project.

Project number: 2025-1-IT02-KA220-HED-000365797

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