Project acronym: CLUVEX

Project number: ERASMUS-EDU-2022-VIRT-EXCH

Project duration: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026

Project website: https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/cluvex/

CLUVEX (Climate University for Virtual Exchanges; 2023-2026) is a 3-year project carried out by four universities from Finland, Denmark, Ukraine and Armenia together with an art & science non-for-profit association based in Finland. The CLUVEX thematic areas are “climate action, environment and nature protection”, “environment and climate change” and “green skills”. CLUVEX organizes virtual workshops and facilitates the participation to the Climate University MOOCs for the university students.

The main aim of CLUVEX is to bridge students from European and Neighbourhood East universities and to engage them with climate competences e.g., ideas of adaptation and mitigation to climate change and the green agenda together with interdisciplinary/green/soft skills.

The primary activity is Virtual Exchange (VE), which includes interactive online courses and working in small groups to discuss topics related to climate change.

Project builds on the "Climate University" platform of the University of Helsinki (coordinator), which is already in use in 25 higher education institutions in Finland since 2018. A unique feature of CLUVEX is its collaboration with the BioArt Society, which brings artistic perspectives to climate discussions through lectures and creative exercises. Project equally represents European universities (Denmark and Finland) and universities of Ukraine and Armenia, combining technical and pedagogical resources for new forms of student interaction.

Project will use its networks like Una Europa, an alliance of 11 European universities, World Meteorological Organization’s Global Campus initiative, in Europe and Neighbourhood East to attract other participants on a diversity basis.

The major outcome of CLUVEX is nurturing the generation of young Climate Messengers competent in building climate awareness and sustainability strategies in their home organisations and future work life. Virtual exchanges are especially relevant in the post-Covid period, providing global cooperation and training of specialists to solve climate challenges.