UPT's digital transformation, presented at IEEE DEMOcon 2026: How the European project "Accelerate Future HEI" supports institutional transformation

The Politehnica University of Timișoara, through the Department of ID/IFR and Digital Education, hosted for the first time, on June 24–26, 2026, the IEEE DEMOcon 2026 International Conference on Digital Education and MOOCs — organized by the IEEE Education Society and which, this year, merged with eMOOCs, the European Summit of MOOC Stakeholders. The conference brought together over 90 researchers, teachers and experts from 23 countries at the UPT Conference Center in Timișoara.

The opening plenary session was chaired by Prof. Em. Dr. Eng. Radu Vasiu — General Chair of the conference — but the intervention of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Florin Dragan (Rector of UPT), Prof. Dr. Arnold Pears (President IEEE Education Society), Dr. Eng. Diana Andone (Vice President of the IEEE Education Society and Director of the Digital and Distance Education Department, UPT) and Prof. Dr. Carlos Delgado Kloos (Co-Chair of the IEEE DEMOcon Steering Committee).

A fundamental contribution to the success of these academic events belonged to the European project supporting university innovation Accelerate Future HEI (Horizon Europe). It acted as the main sponsor of the workshops, directly supporting the organization and smooth running of the entire scientific program.

As part of this support initiative, Dr. Eng. Diana Andone presented at a workshop entitled „"Managing institutional evolution through institutional transformation action plans (ITAPs) - UPT's path towards digital transformation"”, which was initiated within the European project "Accelerate Future HEI". The presentation explored in detail how the Department of ID/IFR and Digital Education (DeL) coordinates and implements the "Institutional Transformation Action Plan (ITAP)" of UPT in the field of digital transformation, with a focus on strategic initiatives related to digitalization, open education and strengthening collaboration at European level.

Within the UPT vision of building the future through digital transformation, Dr. Andone presented the actions and results for the three main objectives: capitalizing on digital education through microcertification programs and challenge-based learning using digital technologies (AI, VR), promoting openness and creativity in a digital world by capitalizing on research, with direct impact at the local and regional level (capitalizing on research and development), as well as increasing the impact on the community through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and social innovation projects.

The final research paper will be officially published in the international database IEEEXplore. Through this initiative, both the "Accelerate Future HEI" project and the Politehnica University of Timisoara reaffirm their roles in modernizing educational ecosystems and disseminating best research practices.