The Partnership

Coventry University is the lead partner in the project. With a proud tradition as a provider of high-quality education and a focus on multidisciplinary research, the university has established a robust academic presence regionally, nationally and across the world. Coventry University has an extensive track record in engagement with Europe and European research and development. It has widely recognised experience in the delivery of Framework Programme activity, with extensive European collaborative management experience from lead and partner roles in a variety of projects.

The COVUNI project team is based in the Centre for Postdigital Cultures (CPC). The CPC builds on previous successes and reputation for new technology (augmented reality, virtual reality and serious games). With a wealth of experience and project success the Centre contains gifted and talented researchers working on this immersive technology for 21st Century knowledge exchange.

INFODEF, the Institute for the Promotion of Development and Training, is a private and independent centre for research, development and innovation. INFODEF’s mission is to design and carry out projects that contribute to achieving sustainable and inclusive development through education, culture and innovation. INFODEF supports the modernisation of educational systems and the pedagogical innovativeness of public and private educational institutions, at national and European levels, by designing and developing innovative tools, methodologies, products and services that respond to current social and economic challenges and enable us to anticipate and drive the changes needed to achieve future goals and objectives in society.

The Dutch STEAM Stars project team works in the School of Education, which is a part of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS). RUAS offers a range of study programmes at undergraduate (Bachelor) and postgraduate (Master’s) levels. The School of Education also offers special preparation programmes for Bachelor and Master’s Programmes, as well as accelerated programmes, exchange programmes for students from partner universities, summer courses and tailor-made business courses.

All courses provide preparation for the profession of a teacher in Primary, Secondary, Vocational and Adult Education. The design of the various teacher training programmes is quite similar but, naturally, they differ in knowledge areas, training schools (internships), instructional methods, and educational theories. Students will acquire competences and knowledge that contribute to teaching in primary or secondary education and will gain the ability to become a highly competent teacher.

The work in the institute relates closely to the STEAM Stars project as gifted students can be RUAS students; additionally the students, who will become teachers, are trained to teach a variety of pupils, including those who are gifted and those with special educational needs.

The Turkish STEAM Stars project team works at Dokuz Eylül University, in the Buca Faculty of Education. The Buca Education Faculty provides undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education in many different fields, and has eight departments for the training of teachers at primary, secondary and high school levels. The faculty has been engaged in many different projects at national and international level, scientific publications, congresses, symposia and courses, and is making a significant contribution to education in Turkey. The Turkish project team works in the Department of Gifted Education within the Buca Faculty of Education. The team works in the fields of interdisciplinary interaction, developing activities and training programs for the education of gifted students at national and international level, and each member contributes to the STEAM Stars project according to their expertise.

ZABALA is a Spanish SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) with more than 200 employees that has been working for more than 30 years promoting innovation as a key competence to organisations, including SMEs, big companies, Research & Technology Centres, universities and public organisations. As part of its services, ZABALA specialises in providing project management services for projects funded under transnational collaborative programmes, including exploitation and innovation management in multi-beneficiary grant agreements. Its Social Innovation department has extensive experience in social innovation, social awareness and stakeholder engagement, with more than 16 years working for social development, international cooperation, project management, and human rights all around the world. In the field of education and inclusion, ZABALA has participated in the preparation of several Erasmus+ project proposals and participated as a partner in other Erasmus+ projects related to the design and development of innovative and inclusive EQF-based curricula in educational organisations. 

This institution is the most authoritative institution and policymaker in Turkey in terms of special education, specifically vocational education and guidance services in special needs. The General Directorate for Special Education and Guidance Services carries out its activities in two main fields as special education services and guidance services.

The basis of the work of the General Directorate is:

• to provide education access for the individuals who need special education, and
• to increase the quality of special education services; providing educational, personal and vocational guidance services to students, parents and teachers.

As the General Directorate for Special Education and Guidance Services of the Ministry of National Education, our fundamental aim is to ensure that every individual in society can exist in every field of life and improve themselves. To this end, we provide guidance services that all students in the education system need, along with education services for individuals with special needs and gifted individuals in Turkey.

Innoquality Systems (INQS), STEAM Stars’ Irish partner, is a social innovation company based in Dublin, Ireland. INQS provides program and policy services to enable positive student and teacher outcomes. The scope of their work covers early childcare, school, college and workforce training. They are expert in crafting innovative approaches, methodologies and digital designs which address critical educational gaps to improve the quality of educational programmes, both in the classroom and the digital realm.

STEAM Stars is strongly aligned with INQS’s activities. It addresses two critical educational gaps: a deficiency in the educational programming of STEAM for gifted students in standardised education, and a lack of clarity around the translation of the innovative quality of artistic practice into tiered STEAM educational planning, projects, programmes and systems.