The project “Digital Academy in Teaching Practice for a Seamless Transition from Pre-Service to In-Service,” received third prize for Project of the Year from the European Union, as judged by an international jury, and first place in the social media voting at the prestigious ACEEU Triple E Awards, at a ceremony held in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 12.
The project ceremony, held at Prague Castle, was attended by Dr. Thomas Prola, co-leader of the DigitalTA project, and Iva Koribska and Danping Peng, from Palacký University Olomouc.
The DigitalTA project concluded in June 2025, but will continue its work with the launch of the Teacher Well-being Program, which will begin in October 2025, coinciding with International Teachers’ Day. It stems from the collaboration agreement between the European University of the Atlantic and the Social Action area of the Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER), as well as the partners of the Digital Teacher Academy project, and will last for three years. It is a comprehensive approach focused on professional care to increase teacher well-being and reduce the dropout rate of professionals in the sector.
The awards ceremony was held as part of the forum: “Excellence in Higher Education in the 21st Century: Cultivating Synergies between Purpose, Strategy, and Culture to Drive Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact.” With welcoming remarks from Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kliewe, president of ACEEU, and Prof. Dr. Michal Lošťák, professor at the Czech University of Life Sciences, two days of exchange on entrepreneurship, commitment, and social impact began, attended by 100 people from all continents, including academics, professionals, students, and entrepreneurs.
The conference focused on exploring the experiences of the universities that were finalists for the awards. It featured presentations by specialists and renowned academics. The discussion focused on the transformation of the university space in the age of AI, as a space for critical reflection that can offer students a safe space for converting knowledge into meaningful action.
The idea of entrepreneurship goes beyond creating marketing conditions or thinking about business plans: it is related to social commitment. In this regard, ACEEU has launched another accreditation for universities in recent years: the seal of a university committed to society. Through meaningful actions, students would obtain a safe space for experimentation at the university of the future where they could create small-scale products and then build capacities in connection with the learning ecosystem, as stated by Dr. Meena Galliara, director of the Jasani Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Management at the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai, India.
In this sense, the transformation of the university aims to turn the learning space into a place of creativity and reflective construction clearly focused on social needs. Julieth Lizcano-Prada (University of Magdalena, Colombia) pointed to the need to move from an inflexible, academically-led model to co-creating solutions with communities: “Universities must be the voice that guides society, with society. We have to build trust and a sense of belonging with nearby communities,” summarized Dr. Nik Maheran of the University of Kelantan Malaysia in the final panel.
The awards are organized each year by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU). Based in Münster, Germany, ACEEU is the leading provider of quality assurance for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education.
