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Erasmus+ funding success for the UCD School of Medicine

01 Jun 2021

Erasmus+ funding success for the UCD School of Medicine

During the autumn of 2020, the European Commission launched a special call for Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness in response to the COVID-19 situation. Following a highly competitive selection process, Associate Professor Kate Matthews and Professor Louise Rainford, UCD School of Medicine, were awarded €300,000 for a project titled “Framework for Online Radiographer Clinical Education (FORCE)”.

Over the next 24 months, Kate and Louise will lead a consortium of eight European universities to implement the FORCE project. COVID-19 has reinforced the critical role Radiography plays in frontline healthcare services. COVID-19 has also disrupted student clinical training, highlighting a need to revolutionize learning practices. The overall aim of the FORCE project is to develop a virtual web-based learning resource where Radiography undergraduates across Europe can engage in interactive, problem-based development of radiographic knowledge, ability, and professional awareness. Networking, the sharing of expertise, and the sharing of resources is made possible through a consortium of 8 academic partners: 

  • Tampere University of Applied Sciences; 
  • University of Suffolk; 
  • University of Applied Sciences, 
  • FH Campus Wien; 
  • University of Malta; 
  • Turku University of Applied Sciences; 
  • Polytechnic Institute of Porto; 
  • Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. 

Programme participants include academic staff, digital technology providers, and importantly, student radiographers. The continued development of FORCE will address further sub-speciality strands within the patient pathway, and increased outreach as an open access resource will make FORCE deliverable to Radiographers not only across Europe but globally, and will enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion in education for Radiography professionals.

For more information on Erasmus+ funding opportunities, please visit the UCD Global website.