CREATING VIRTUAL REALITY E-RESOURCES FOR

 EUROPEAN SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION  IN 

CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY WITH BIO-BASED PRODUCTS 

-CYRUS-



PROJECT 2019-1-RO01-KA203-063773

Co-founded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union


„The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."





    Available courses

    Sustainable and circular Bioeconomy, the European way: Leading edge studies in European Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy with bio-based products

    A content to structure the needed knowledge and skills regarding the European Sustainable Circular Bioeconomy with bio-based products (CB) is in line with the EU decision to make legislative proposals that would break away from the traditional European linear economic model of make-use-dispose, in favour of a circular and regenerative model that uses resources in a smart and efficient way, turns waste into a new resource, and considers sustainability and circularity in the design of products and processes. So the requirements for highly trained specialists in the domain will become tremendous.

    The innovative character of the proposed content consists of well targeted offer of knowledge and skills in accordance with the identified and described in the curriculum competences needed to perform in the Circular Bio economy, with highlighted characteristics of complexity, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary and really at the beginning as economic and technical implementation. Other innovative feature will be the important capacity to offer added value for the target groups of students, being structured based on advanced curriculum, assembling up to date knowledge, when the education offer for such IO’s is scarce. It will be achieved by going through the typical stages of developing an innovative scientific and technical content, meaning: realistic assessment of the existing situation; understanding of what is required; adequate structure of the improved information.

    Finally another important innovative characteristic of the content will consists of the presentation by using online learning, but especially the use of Mixed Learning methodology of learning for two of the most complex topics.
    The proposed content will be organized in several modules, as follows: Concepts of circular economy that generated sustainable circular bio-economy; General presentation of main developed domains in European bioeconomy; Model of transition from present bio-economy to circular and sustainable bioeconomy through waste valorization, based on solving the different categories of requirements to implement the new economic path; Bio-refinery for urban waste processing (based on MR techniques); Food waste bio refinery: Sustainable strategy for circular bio-economy; Advanced lignocelluloses bio-refinery to exploit the forest potential; Advanced lignocelluloses bio-refinery to exploit the forest potential; Development of new business models for circular bio-economy.

    Developing Mixed Reality Educational Applications: A Dedicated methodology for postgraduate education in Circular Bio-economy through Mixed Reality

    The educational world has been profoundly changed due to the emergence of the Information and Communication Technologies. Various computer technologies, from multimedia to the Internet, have had a deep impact on many aspects of education. Some of them, such as the creation of content on the Web or the use of Learning Management Systems (e.g., Moodle) have been already adopted as
    a standard practice worldwide. Hence, in on line learning environments, learners now have access to a range of learning resources supplemented by concrete artefacts such as visualizations and simulations that relate more closely to their real-world experience and by the rich social context afforded by networking.
    In technical terms, the following innovative concepts will be used:
    Augmented reality: Refers to a system in which the user views and acts within an enhanced version of the real world. The enhancements are virtual (computer generated), and can include objects or information. In AR the real-world view is augmented with additional information. This can be computer-generated 2D and 3D images or information superimposed on the real-world view, seen through data glasses, or captured from the camera of smart phone, computer or another device. Augmented image appears to its users like virtual and real objects coexisted in the same space. In other words, AR immerses its users in virtually enhanced real world. By definition of AR, it has three characteristic elements: a) it combines real and virtual objects in a real (3-D) environment, b) it runs
    interactively and in real time, and c) it registers (aligns) real and virtual elements with each other.

    Virtual reality: Refers to the immersion of users in a fully artificial digital environment. VR is an environment, created artificially, typically using computers, and presented to human users via various audiovisual displays. In principle, virtual reality may contain artificial stimuli for any human sense, but in practice the virtual environments nowadays are mostly limited to visual and auditive content.

    Mixed reality: Refers to a system that combines real and virtual objects and information. MR is the art and technology that is used to mix real-world elements with VR. In the already classical VR continuum, everything between the extremes of reality and virtual reality is called Mixed Reality 

    The aim of this module is to provide to students’ basic information on MR (definition, terminology, concepts, hardware, software), examples on the use of these technologies in different fields/applications (especially in the field of bio economy, as well as practical information on how to develop and integrate MR applications for enhancing the value of the training materials dedicated to
    learners.

    Competences acquired by learner: students will be able:
    • to provide basic information on VAR technology, equipment, software and applications •
    • To know about MR hardware and be able to install MR software
    • to create simple to medium MR applications which can be included in courses / learning tools
    • to know about MR software, platforms to create MR, end to end solutions.

    Boosting the sustainable circular bioeconomy in Europe: identifying impact-oriented strategies

    The bio economy, which in the EU is worth an estimated €2 trillion employing 9% of the workforce, comprises the production and use of renewable resources from land and sea, and the use of waste to make value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bio energy.

    Sitting at the heart of the bio economy is the bio refinery – where industrial biotechnology turns renewable raw materials, such as agriculture and forestry residues, into essential everyday products. As plants capture CO2 from the atmosphere, the carbon in these raw materials and, subsequently, in the end products is renewable rather than fossil carbon, thus making them out of the natural carbon cycle. In this way, industrial biotechnology creates smarter, more sustainable products and processes based on renewable raw materials, enabling carbon to be recycled at the end of a product’s life. This process is a perfect example of the circular economy, which is about using resources more efficiently and sustainably throughout the economy.

    Bio refineries are essential to making the EU economy circular by meeting its targets of increasing resource productivity (by 30% by 2030), reducing municipal waste (by 65% by 2030) and banning the landfill of biodegradable waste as of 2025.

    The aim of this module is to provide to students’ an introductory training program in order to be able to work within the bio-based goods and services industry using biological resources and biotechnological processes – and moreover, to understand the EU vision and policy regarding this topic.

    Hence, the module gives to students the opportunity to deal with the environmental, social and economic dimensions of the bio-economy from a macro level perspective (the EU vision in the field), especially in re-design of biotechnological processes, preservation of natural resources, zero waste solutions and use of renewable sources.

    Competences acquired by learner: students will be able:

    • to understand current trends and recent achievements in life science innovation
    • to recognize the innovation process from 'proof to concept' to market readiness
    • to be familiar with risks, regulation and governance of the bio economy
    • to identify knowledge management and intellectual property in life sciences as necessary steps toward the modern EU CB policy
    • to apprehend new business models and value systems
    • to have updated information about financing of life science innovation and changing R&D models and strategies