The Kick-off Meeting and Steering Committee Meeting for the Erasmus+ INVITE project was successfully held on November 13th, 2024, at the Medical School Split Croatia. This meeting marked the official start of the Project and brought together all partners to discuss goals, structure, and initial implementation steps. It was organized and coordinated by the project partners Mediterranean Economic Foresight Institute (IPEMED) and E.C.H.R. Ltd. (NetHub Accelerator). Alongside the coordinators, in attendance were representatives from Unità Complessa Cure Primarie del Reventino (UCCP), Medical School Split (Zdravstvena škola Split), Lokman Hekim Mesleki Ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi, Stredná zdravotnícka škola, and the University of Zadar (UNIZD).
The meeting was officially opened by Maja Mimica, representing the project coordinator NetHub Accelerator, who extended a warm welcome to participants and highlighted the project’s core objective – to empower vocational schools to become leaders and drivers of social innovation in digital healthcare. She emphasized the project’s focus on enhancing digital skills and healthcare competencies among teachers and students in vocational medical schools. Afterward, Karmela Japirko, another member from NetHub, introduced the structure and responsibilities of the Steering Committee, the governing body tasked to facilitate effective communication, collaborative problem-solving, and transparent distribution of responsibilities during the project’s implementation. The Committee will provide continuous support to the partners, offering guidance for the effective development and management of project activities.
IPEMED representative, Goran Pažin presented the Management, Financial, and Quality Assurance plans, ensuring a clear understanding of the project’s administrative framework. Following this, Daria Mitar, also from IPEMED, outlined the Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation Plan, detailing how the project’s results will be shared with broader audiences.
Moving on, Branka Bernard, the project coach, presented an overview of the project’s main objectives, work packages, and planned activities, offering insight into the expected outcomes. Partners also presented their technical contributions including representatives from the UNIZD (Marija Ljubičić), Stredná zdravotnícka škola (Ingrid Juhásová), and Lokman Hekim Mesleki Ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi (Nilgün Obuz) sharing their specific work packages and activities.
The meeting concluded with a productive Q&A session, providing an opportunity to address open questions and align on the next steps. The day ended with a joint dinner and exploration of the city of Split, allowing participants to get to know each other better.
The Kick-off Meeting laid a solid foundation for the INVITE project, ensuring a coordinated and collaborative start to this ambitious initiative.