About

ECOcircular AI aims to promote sustainable, ethical and entrepreneurial business practices among continuing education trainees in Europe. It will use an interactive learning process that employs an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot assistant to equip VET-C trainees in Finance and Management with the competencies needed to apply data-driven knowledge in real-world scenarios and acquire the awareness and skills needed to apply environmental sustainability and social responsibility in their workplace.

The project incorporates an AI chatbot assistant into VET programs, aims to generate a positive impact by improving competencies to meet the needs of VET-C and VET-I trainees, expanding knowledge of the circular economy and developing digital skills, fostering technological adaptation and employment sustainability.

The ECOcircular AI project is co-funded by the European Union in the field framework of the Erasmus+ program. Its duration is from 04/01/2024 to 30/09/2025.

Specific Objectives

Three main competences with their specific bjectives will be developed using the EcoCircular AI tool

Competence 1

Ability to sustainably manage and reuse natural resources and materials of the company.

Specific Objectives:

C1.1. Analyze and control the costs associated with the use of natural resources and materials.

C1.2. Contribute to the preservation of natural resources such as water, energy and raw materials.

Competence 2

Ability to identify and evaluate environmental and social risks associated with the company’s projects and economic decisions.

Specific Objectives:

C2.1.Identify and assess the impact of factors such as pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change and social aspects.

C2.2. Understand the regulations and ethical standards related to sustainable resource management.

Competence 3

Ability to promote ethical and sustainable business practices with a positive impact on society and the environment.

Specific Objective:

C3.1- Apply ethical and corporate social responsibility criteria in business actions and decisions.

Outputs

Platform

Creation of a platform that hosts interactive educational materials as an educational game with challenges for trainees, an AI chatbot assistant, a trainers’ pack, a users’ guide, and a discussion forum, which will be linked with the project website with free access.

AI Chatbot Assistant

This AI chatbot assistant helps users by efficiently understanding their questions through text. It quickly accesses a vast database to provide accurate and relevant responses, streamlining interactions and facilitating immediate assistance or information retrieval. This capability enhances user experience by offering quick, reliable, and contextually appropriate help.

Interactive Educational Materials for Trainees

The platform hosts materials to support trainees in learning about the circular economy, green electronics production, circular production, and reducing the ecological footprint. The diversity and interactivity of materials enhances the learning experience of the trainees and integrates different learning styles within the platform.

Digital Escape Rooms

Digital escape rooms are interactive learning experiences designed to engage learners in a dynamic and immersive way. In this series, participants will explore key sustainability challenges through themed escape rooms focused on topics such as circular economy principles, sustainable production, responsible consumption, and ecological impact.

Trainers’ Pack

The platform provides trainers with useful materials such as lesson plans, assessment exercises with detailed instructions, and all the learning materials for trainees to be able to use in their teaching sessions.

Users’ Guide (both for Trainers and Trainees)

This guide is a resource to help any users, either trainers or trainees, to navigate the platform and learn about how to use it properly and efficiently. It provides detailed information about each section of the platform, explaining the content and the different functionalities. This guide aims to provide a smooth onboarding experience to first-time users and be a constant source of help and guidance.

Discussion Forum

The discussion forum functions as a digital space where users can post questions, share information, and engage in conversations about specific topics. The discussion forum can significantly enhance interaction between trainers and trainees and help manage their relationship by providing a dedicated space for communication and resource sharing.

Partners

The project will be coordinated by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and implemented jointly by 2 partners from European countries:

Fundació Privada Institut D’estudis Financers (BFS-IEF), España
Innovade LI Leadership & Innovation , Cyprus

This consortium originates from IEF, an organization specialized in financial education programs at the local level and with previous experience in overseeing European projects focused on green economy initiatives that have a significant impact in Europe, while prioritizing the involvement of the target audience.

The UOC, due to its position as project leader and its status as an online university, is ideally suited to oversee this initiative, providing added value through quality assessment. Finally, INNOVADE brings its expertise in technology, especially in the development of tools, with a specific focus on AI.

Eco Circular AI is supported by 4 associated partners who will evaluate the work packages and results, participate in the national steering committee of the project and participate in the multiplier and dissemination events.

These are:

ASOCIACIÓN EMPRESA MUJER (ASEM)
ASOCIACIÓN NACIONAL DE CENTROS CON CERTIFICADOS DE PROFESIONALIDAD-ANCCP
CRN en Administración, Seguros y Finanzas (CRN Fuencarral)
CENTER FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD – CARDET