Partnership
The CDOA project is implemented by a consortium of seven organisations from four European countries: Poland, Austria, Belgium and Italy. The partners bring together expertise in higher education, research, advisory services for local governments, innovative learning methods and communication.
Below are short presentations of the partners and their roles in the project – based solely on the project documentation.
One of the oldest and most prestigious economics universities in Poland, with a history dating back to 1926. It provides high-quality education and continuously develops its research infrastructure, combining strong academic traditions with modern teaching methods. The university prepares numerous expert reports for the economy, implements innovative projects and specialises in training highly qualified managers, economic experts and public administration staff. PUEB holds international accreditations such as IQA CEEMAN, AMBA and EPAS, and regularly ranks among the top higher education institutions in national rankings. The university employs more than 500 academic staff members, including around 130 professors, and is strongly embedded in international networks of research and education.
A leading public university in Europe in the field of lifelong learning. It focuses on inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to complex societal challenges and applies innovative teaching methods across all its programmes. UWK holds the AQ Austria quality label in line with the Austrian Higher Education Quality Assurance Act and has established itself as a competence centre for research, practice and education in knowledge and communication management through its Department for Knowledge and Communication Management (WUK). The university offers around 20 master’s programmes (MBA and MSc) with a strong emphasis on transdisciplinary approaches and work with real-life cases. It has long-standing expertise in system thinking, system modelling and strategic games, which are developed in transdisciplinary labs that connect academic knowledge with real-world practice.
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM) is one of the leading academic centres in Poland and holds the status of a research university. It belongs to an elite group of Polish universities that place a strong emphasis on high-level research and international cooperation, alongside their educational mission. UAM conducts advanced research, develops education in close partnership with the socio-economic environment and promotes social responsibility. The university consistently appears in major international academic rankings, including the Shanghai Ranking, Times Higher Education and QS. It is also a member of the EPICUR – European Partnership for an Innovative Campus Unifying Regions consortium, which strengthens its position within the European Higher Education Area and supports innovative, regionally embedded forms of education and research.
EFMD is an international network bringing together around 991 members from academia, business and public administration. Headquartered in Brussels, with offices in Geneva, Hong Kong, Miami and Prague, the organisation plays a central role in shaping global approaches to management education and higher education. EFMD provides a platform for cooperation and the exchange of good practices between universities and business, and is recognised worldwide as a major accreditation body. Its portfolio includes EQUIS for institutional accreditation, EFMD Accredited for programmes, EOCCS for online courses, EDAF for quality development and BSIS for assessing the impact of higher education institutions. Through its activities, EFMD supports quality enhancement, internationalisation and innovation in higher education on a global scale.
It was established by the Association of Polish Cities to provide professional support to cities and municipalities. It builds on the Association’s long-standing experience and its organisational and staff capacity, drawing on a team of highly qualified local government experts from various fields with extensive practical experience. The foundation has prepared nearly 100 diagnoses, more than 110 programmes and around 40 territorial strategies, as well as numerous supralocal and integrated territorial investment strategies. Its work also includes large-scale social research, carried out for example in 339 municipalities, involving tens of thousands of residents and local leaders. This combination of analytical, strategic and participatory experience makes the foundation a key actor in supporting evidence-based urban and regional development in Poland.
It has been active since 1995 at national and international level in the areas of research, training and consulting. The organisation designs and implements research projects and training plans in on-site, experimental and e-learning formats, also utilising Artificial Intelligence based solutions, and provides consultancy services for businesses and the public sector. Its activities include traditional communication plans as well as initiatives using new media, audiovisual and film productions, and innovative solutions in virtual, augmented and mixed reality, along with Edugames and Minigames. CONFORM also develops and applies gamification strategies in learning and communication. It cooperates with a network of over 350 partners at national, European and international level, is accredited as a training provider in several Italian regions, holds the ISO 9001:2015 certificate (including for training and consulting) and is registered in the national register of research organisations.
Vienna-based company specialising in communication. Its work covers strategic communication, including positioning, brand development and organisational development, as well as crisis communication and 360-degree campaigns. The company provides consulting in sustainability and diversity communication, employer branding and internal communication, and designs digital strategies and activities such as social media campaigns, video and podcast production, websites and corporate publishing. Its portfolio also includes advertising, marketing, events, analysis and trend scouting, and training and workshops in communication and crisis management. The team consists of around 30 staff members and works with a broad network of partners with a combined experience of around 250 years. The company brings together an interdisciplinary group of professionals with backgrounds in journalism, psychology, political science, economics, ethics, marketing and digital communication.
