Free University Berlin is a full university with 15 departments and central institutes offering over 150 degree programs across a wide range of subjects. It is a leading research institute: Free University is one of the German universities successful in all three funding lines in the federal and state Excellence Initiative and takes its place as an international network university. The Chair of Early Childhood Education is located at the Department of Psychology and Education. Prof. Yvonne Anders is holding the chair. In company with currently 12 researchers and research assistants, she is working on three key areas of research: Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care and its impact on children’s development, Professional competencies of ECEC staff, International comparative analyses of ECEC quality and its impact. Prof. Anders is involved in several collaborations with national international partners (e.g. German Institute of Economic Research, University of Bamberg, University of Amsterdam, University of Purdue, University of Oxford, University of Porto, Institute of Education of the University of London).
The Hellenic Open University is an independent and wholly self–governed tertiary education institute, operating as a Legal Entity of Public Law under the supervision of the Hellenic State, as exercised by the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs. The HOU is the only State University that provides distance education in both undergraduate and postgraduate levels via the development and utilization of appropriate learning material and methods of teaching. The promotion of scientific research as well as the development of the relevant technology and methodology in the area of distance learning fall within the scope of the HOU’s objectives. These academic activities are provided through the four Schools, namely of Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Applied Arts which are supported by independent units (Educational Content, Methodology and Technology Laboratory [e-CoMeT Lab], Evaluation Unit) administrative departments. The School of Humanities is directly involved in the proposed project since Education is one of its major academic fields. Members of the staff have been previously involved in large scale projects like PISA, CARE (FP7), and nationally-wide educational intervention projects.
ISSA is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s community today stretches across the globe with members from close to 40 countries primarily located in Europe and Central Asia. Building upon the Step by Step Program initiated by the Open Society Foundations in 1994, ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from birth to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of children’s development and learning. ISSA is home to the Romani Early Years Network (REYN), which connects more than 400 individual practitioners working to support early childhood development for Romani and Traveller children in 32 countries. In 9 countries National REYNs have been established to provide information in local languages. ISSA has extensive experience in facilitating knowledge transfer and hosting international events and meetings of experts in the Netherlands and internationally.
Masaryk University, located in Brno, is the second-largest public university in the Czech Republic and the leading higher education institution in Moravia. At present it comprises nine faculties with more than 200 departments, institutes and clinics. It is recognized as one of the most important teaching and research institutions in the Czech Republic and as a highly-recognized Central European university. Faculty of Education has its primary goal in education of teachers of primary and lower secondary schools, and of secondary schools in certain fields. Besides teaching programmes, the faculty runs studies in special and social education. The Faculty of Education offers degrees in bachelor’s, master’s, long-cycle master’s and doctoral programmes. The last degree programme to complete the structure is lifelong learning containing advanced, follow-up, special and conversion programmes and short-term courses to answer the demand in practical teaching. The university is heavily involved in the mobility activities and research programmes of the European Union and other countries, thanks to which graduates of Bachelor’s or Master’s studies at other institutions may continue at the Master’s or doctoral levels at Masaryk University. A special feature of the university is its policy with regard to students with sensory or physical disabilities. Masaryk University places a strong accent on international cooperation with prestigious foreign universities and research institutions. It supports the continuous exchange of knowledge, ideas, information, researchers, instructors and students throughout the world and assures equal chances of access to education and the free exploration of ideas.
The Trinity College Dublin - University of Dublin - provides a liberal environment where independence of thought is highly valued and all are encouraged to achieve their potential. This institution promotes a diverse, interdisciplinary, inclusive environment which nurtures ground-breaking research, innovation, and creativity through engaging with issues of global significance. There is a campus culture of scholarship, innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and dedication to societal reform. Trinity is Ireland’s highest ranked university and one of the world’s top 100. It is home to 17,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across all the major disciplines in the arts and humanities, and in business, law, engineering, science, and health sciences.
Centre for Psychological Research and Social Intervention (CIS), where key staff members participating in this consortium conduct their research, is one of the nine research units conducting excellent research at ISCTE-IUL. It is integrated in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, and is closely linked to the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology of ISCTE-IUL. Research is conducted mainly through externally funded projects and researchers are organized in research groups sharing scientific interests and backgrounds. CIS-IUL is a center of reference in several areas at the national and international level (e.g., community psychology, social cognition, gender studies, social justice, organizational psychology, risk perception, emotions, and intergroup relations). The research lines in community psychology, education and development, and psychology of societal change are fuelled by the diversity of interests and activities of their research members. CIS-IUL has a long and solid experience in developing evaluation, research and intervention activities in the areas of early childhood education, inequality and discrimination.
The University of Amsterdam is a major higher education institution in Amsterdam, core member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and has an outstanding international reputation in inequality studies and research and longstanding experience in EU-funded projects. The research programmes of the AISSR focus on the functioning of contemporary societies and their interrelationships from historical, comparative and empirical perspectives. The programme is organised into thematically focused groups, that each have an anchor in one or more of the represented disciplines: Sociology, Geography, Planning & Development Studies, Political Science and Anthropology. The research for the ISOTIS project will be anchored in the programme group 'Institutions, Inequalities and Life Courses' (ILL) anchored in the Sociology Department. Institutions and Inequalities is one of the Faculty Priority Research Areas.
The University of Coimbra was founded in 1290 and constitutes a reference in higher education and scientific research in Portugal, with excellent academic reputation recognized worldwide. It comprises 8 faculties and 46 research centres, providing teaching and conducting research in almost all study fields - Exact Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences, Architecture, Medicine, Social Sciences, Humanities and Sports -, as well as several structures devoted to promote science and technology, culture and sports. UC pursues a policy of continuous improvement, ensuring high teaching and research standards, as well as being an active participant in the development of the corporate world. The continuous technological development promoted by UC’s R&D units, addresses the challenges involved in the design, operation and regulation of technologies, bringing together teachers from different scientific backgrounds with a long experience in teaching, research, technology transfer and technology consultancy. UC is today an example of dynamism in its perpetual search for improvement and enhancement of knowledge, research and technology.
The University of Milano-Bicocca is one of the principal universities in Italy. It is the first Italian University and ranks 24th in Times Higher Education 100 under 50 list of universities less than 50 years old. Constant interaction with researchers, corporations, over 200 universities in 24 countries facilitate the high educational standards of the University matching the needs of over 30,000 students. It has sixteen departments (in the fields of ICT, Educational Sciences, Economics, Law, Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences, Medicine, Psychology and Sociology) research centres and centres of excellence, that cooperate together, with different consortia, and with public and private third parties from outside the University.
It can offer its students experimental theses, internships in corporations, scholarships, doctorates, research grants, and international research exchange facilities. UNIMIB supports professors, researchers, collaborators and students who start new businesses by creating academic Spin Offs. 15 spin-off of UNIMIB work in the areas of: environment, life sciences, biotechnology, ICT, and one specific office is in charge of the transfer of new technology to the industrial sector, with specialists in: Industrial Liaison, Patents, Contracts. The multidisciplinary Department of Human Sciences (pedagogical philosophical, anthropological, psychological, natural science, etc.) offers several degree courses, one (Early Childhood Education Sciences) to license ECEC and Primary school teachers, based on a strong ground of national and international researches and on a close collaboration with local and national schools, early childhood services and research centers (Reggio Children, CNR).
CEMO is a center at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Oslo, specialized in quantitative method development, applications of advanced quantitative methods, teaching and dissemination of quantitative methodology to the field of education, covering all levels of education from pre-primary to higher education. Areas of expertise include measurement models and psychometrics, structural models (including multi-level), and applications of econometrics in educational research. CEMO is a newly established center, but has a broad publication record within psychometrics, large-scale assessments, and applications of econometrics. CEMO had recently its two first grant proposals funded by the national research funding agency.
CEMO’s profile is particularly relevant for WP1, including scaling of measures across countries, longitudinal modelling, and econometrics. The combinations of these areas is necessary to provide meaningful comparisons of inequality over time and across countries, and form a methodological basis for drawing causal conclusions about the effect on socioeconomic indicators across countries.
The University of Oxford aims to lead the world in research and education. The researchers from this institution seek to do this in ways which benefit society on a national and a global scale. Over the period of this plan, the researchers will build on the University’s long traditions of independent scholarship and academic freedom while fostering a culture in which innovation plays an important role. The University of Oxford’s distinctive structure, born of its history, is a source of strength. Its colleges offer environments, which are both supportive to individual scholars and characterised by a defining and enduring sense of community. The personal sense of academic identity that they provide is life-long.
The University of Porto is among the 150 best universities in Europe and in the world top 400 (academic ranking of world universities 2014). The Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the University of Porto, FPCEUP, was created in 1980 and it is the school where research and higher education in Psychology and Education Sciences is carried out. About 1500 students attend FPCEUP undergraduate, master and doctoral programmes and over 1000 persons come every year to attend continuing education and professional training courses in psychology and education related topics. FPCEUP has been able to attract an increasing number of research projects, as well as students, faculty and researchers through protocols established in partnership with international and national institutions. With more than 30 years of activity, FPCEUP is committed to top level education and scientific research and to the promotion of an institutional culture addressed to well-being and social progress. FPCEUP has two R&D units funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. The Center for Psychology at the University of Porto is one of these units. It was rated Excellent in the most recent external evaluation (2013). CPUP is committed to top level scientific research, including translational applications to promote well-being in the society at large.
The University of South-Eastern NorwayUniversity of South-Eastern Norway (HSN) is the country’s fifth largest university, measured in the total number of students, after it was established as a University in 2018. As public (state-owned) institution, HSN has about 17.000 students, 2.800 graduates and 550 exchange students p.a. Of 1.500 employees, about 900 has scientific and/or teaching positions. Alongside a number of professional and bachelor's degrees offer several master studies and doctoral programs, and has one of the highest publication outputs among all university in Norway. The PhD program in Educational resources and learning processes in ECEC and school is the most relevant for this application. ISOTIS will be part of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, Department of Early Childhood Education and Professional Development. R&D in ECEC has been one of the trademarks of the university in the last decade.
University of Warsaw (UW) was founded in 1816 and, nowadays, is the largest higher education establishment and one of the leading research institutions in Poland. The Faculty of Education is the oldest department of education in Poland – it has existed for 60 years. It provides the highest level of training for future pedagogues, teachers, socio-cultural animators, educators, tutors, education policy specialists, pedagogical therapists and andragogues. Graduates of the department work in schools, kindergartens, adoption centres, children’s homes, community centres, the local media, psychological and pedagogical clinics. The University’s research teams have successfully participated in several EU Framework Programmes. They won 98 projects in FP7 (including 6 ERC Starting Grants and one REGPOT Project with a budget of 4.5 million euro). In Horizon 2020 UW has won 22 grants including: 4 ERC Grants (PoC grant, Starting Grant and two Consolidator Grants), one Twinning grant, one COSME grant and several grants under MSCA (ITNs, RISE and Ifs).
The Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne (UPEC) is the largest multidisciplinary university in the Paris region that offers a wide range of programmes from the bachelor to the doctorate level. Rresponsive and high-quality research in 8 main strategic areas is carried out. There is a dense network of international partnerships in Europe and beyond.
Inside the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, and Science and Technique of Physical and Sports Activities, the department of education and social sciences plays a significant role for research and training of education. High quality teaching, research and service is offered to empower students with resources to achieve the high level personal and professional development. Teaching is informed by research on a variety of themes that are covered by ISOTIS. In the research centre, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur les Transformations des pratiques Educatives et des pratiques Sociales (LIRTES), we focus on a variety of topics explored in many domains of expertise like Community Education, Training and Professional Development of social interventions workers, Trainers Training, Social Engineering, Accreditation of Previous Learning, curriculum and resource development. Specific consideration is given to practices, processes of experiential knowledge acquisition, both in formal, non-formal and informal contexts.
Utrecht University, founded in 1636, has evolved into a leading, modern institution with a growing international reputation.
The Shanghai Ranking lists the University as best in the Netherlands, 13th best in Europe and 52nd best worldwide. Inspiration, ambition, independence and commitment are the core values that define both the conduct and attitude of the students and employees of Utrecht University. Utrecht University conducts fundamental and applied research into a vast array of disciplines.
Its wide-ranging research activity provides an inspiring basis for multidisciplinary research inside and outside the University. The University works collaboratively with the business sector to undertake societally relevant and innovative research.
Wise & Munro is a small company (SME) involved in educational consultancy and in international research and development on collaboration, computers and learning. The company is a pioneer in developing and using technology in educational settings since the very beginnings of Internet. They are an expert in qualitative discourse analysis for evaluation of complex processes and interventions and in innovative design for educational and professional settings. As they are very experienced in acting in EU-projects in various roles, they also assist in complex project applications and project management tasks.
