The ESIC III Transnational Project Meeting (TPM) held in Cartagena and Murcia, Spain, on January 29-30, 2025, provided a valuable opportunity for project partners to collaborate and align on key objectives for the upcoming year. With active participation from all work packages (WPs), the event focused on fostering productive discussions, strengthening cross-functional collaboration, and co-creating actionable insights.
On Day 1, attendees gathered at the Fundación del Teatro Romano in Cartagena, where a series of workshops and co-creation sessions took place. These included discussions around external evaluation, mutual goals, and WP 2 (Skills Intelligence), with a guided tour of the Roman Theatre providing a cultural break. The evening concluded with a dinner in Murcia, fostering team bonding.
Day 2 was held at the Amusal building in Murcia, featuring intensive workshops on WP4 (Co-design and delivery of training programmes) and WP5 (Dissemination and Communication), including a speech from the Department of Business, Employment and Social Economy of the Government of the Region of Murcia. Key discussions focused on enhancing role clarity, building a skills strategy, and preparing for the next steps in WP3 (Design: Sectoral Skills Strategy and Core Curriculum) and WP6 (Developmental evaluation and quality assurance), all aimed at ensuring the long-term impact of the ESIC project.
Pedagogical Aspects for Developing Social Innovators
One of the major outcomes of the TPM was the presentation of the WP2 (Skills Intelligence) report, which delved into the pedagogical aspects critical for developing social innovators. The report highlighted key pedagogical strategies tailored to equip individuals with the skills necessary for social entrepreneurship, a central theme of the ESIC project. The workshop also focused on refining the ESIC survey, gathering valuable feedback from participants to ensure its alignment with the project’s goals.
Upcoming Activities
Looking ahead, the TPM participants discussed key upcoming activities, including continued work on WP3 (Design: Sectoral Skills Strategy and Core Curriculum) and WP4 (Co-design and delivery of training programmes). The development of a skills strategy and core curriculum is set to advance, with contributions from all work packages ensuring a holistic approach to training future social innovators. The project is also preparing for the next phases of piloting and validation, where participants will be instrumental in shaping and testing new frameworks designed for sustainable social economy growth.
The collaboration across WPs and the engagement of all project members were instrumental in refining strategies, solving strategies, and charting the way forward for the project’s continued success. We thank consortium member Amusal for organising and hosting the 3rd TPM in beautiful Spain.