The project Learning to Live Together: Modern Perspectives on Transversal Skills in Education for Sustainable and Solidary Development (ElitMod) is promoted by the University of Craiova (Romania) with the partnership of Bifröst University (Iceland). The project is supported by an EEA grant (a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), has a total budget of 45,022 EUR and is developed between July 1, 2016 and January 31, 2017.

The project was designed with the main aim of responding a primary need of today’s society: how to use education in order to help our students learn to live together in an effective, sustainable and solidary manner. The expected impact, in the short run, is that the members of the target groups involved in the project will become aware of the importance of education for sustainable and solidary development (ESSD) and will be able to question and challenge their own mindset, as well as achieve intercultural enrichment.

Thus, the project will help the students taking part in its activities acquire new understanding that will help them live together in a global world, and will also benefit from exchanges in an international context, while the teachers/researchers answering the questionnaires and taking part in the project conference and the project volume will both enhance their awareness on the topic and also develop their research.

The University of Craiova and Bifröst University started their cooperation in 2013, with a Mobility project in higher education within the programme Scholarships and Inter-institutional Cooperation in Higher Education financed by the EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. Mobility projects have been operational in the academic years 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, to the benefit of students and teaching staff of both universities.

The partnership of the two universities developed in a significant way with the inter-institutional cooperation project “New Tools For The Integration Of Transversal Skills In Modern Teaching Practice” (TRANSMOD), supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The project was implemented during July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015 and it also involved Nesna University College from Norway. The focus of the project was to develop and implement new teaching strategies and tools for the promotion of transversal skills in formal education.

The strong cohesion of the collaboration between the University of Craiova and Bifröst University was a driving force that successfully underpinned the project outcomes, facilitated the achievement of the envisaged outputs, and generated mutual and sustainable enrichment.

Given the successful achievement of the goals proposed by TRANSMOD and the prompt, professional and committed inter-institutional cooperation, the partners agreed to contribute to both the sustainability of their first common project, and the identification and development of new cooperation axes. Therefore, the Romanian and Icelandic partners decided to continue and strengthen this cooperation within a new project dealing with a topic of common interest for both universities, identified pursuant to active exchanges and mutual discussions.