The federal government and the German states (Länder) initiated the qualification initiative “Advancement through Education” in 2008 – with the aim of increasing education opportunities for every citizen. The federal government/Länder competition “Advancement Through Education: Open Universities“ is part of this initiative. The objective of the programme is the promotion and funding of concepts for studying parallel to being employed as well as livelong, scientific learning, particularly for professionals, people with family responsibilities and returnees into the labour force. Furthermore, a closer interlocking of vocational and academic education and the integration of new knowledge into practical fields of application stand at the centre.

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH functions as project manager for the competition “Advancement Through Education: Open Universities“. We support the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in implementing the competition – from the configuration of guidelines to review of proof of use. Technical and commercial support of the funded projects are central to our work.