Sociology Students Led by Associate Professor Palić Participate in Erasmus+ Program in Porto

From July 6 to 10, 2026, the final phase of the international Erasmus+ BIP BlendED2026 – "International, Multidisciplinary Teamwork – Proof of Concept Development" was held at the Polytechnic University of Porto (Portugal). The program brought together students of various academic disciplines from European universities who, following an initial mobility held in February at the Hellenic Mediterranean University in Crete, developed innovative solutions for real-world business challenges through several months of virtual collaboration.
 

The program featured students and faculty from Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (Austria), Catholic University of Croatia (Croatia), Glasgow Caledonian University (United Kingdom), Hellenic Mediterranean University (Greece), LUCA School of Arts (Belgium), Odisee University of Applied Sciences (Belgium), Trier University of Applied Sciences (Germany), University of Maia (Portugal), University of Maribor (Slovenia), University of Orléans (France), University of Siegen (Germany), Polytechnic of Porto (Portugal), and the University of Vigo (Spain).  

In this year's edition of the BlendED2026 program, our University participated as the sole representative of the Republic of Croatia. Graduate sociology students Nina Ivasović, Natali Pera, Ante Glasnović, Marija Ratković, and Klara Puček took part under the expert guidance of Associate Professor Petra Palić, PhD.

During the multi-month virtual collaboration, international teams developed innovative solutions for business challenges presented by this year's industry partners: FLiP Kärnten, Adidas, Campus.ly, Zeitkapsl.eu, Heraklion City Bus, and My Learning Companion. The final mobility in Porto was dedicated to refining the developed proof-of-concept solutions through intensive teamwork, mentoring support, and workshops, concluding with final presentations delivered to representatives of partner universities and industry partners.

BlendED represents a unique educational model connecting students of social sciences, management, marketing, design, development, and information technology within international, interdisciplinary teams. Working on concrete challenges from business practice, students develop analytical, communication, and project competencies while gaining valuable experience collaborating in an international professional environment.