Ulysseus receives funding from the European Commission for PATH Project 

Ulysseus European University is thrilled to announce that its PATH project has been approved by the European Commission and will receive a maximum funding of €400,000. This project represents a significant advancement in career guidance services across the six participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) – University of Seville (Spain), Université Côte d’Azur (France), University of Genoa (Italy), Technical University of Kosice (Slovakia), MCI | The Entrepreneurial School ® (Austria) and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) through the development of an ethical AI-powered tool. 

The PATH project is designed to strengthen the Career Guidance Services of the HEIs by developing the TRL 2 PATH prototype, establishing sustainable networking and collaboration with key stakeholders in the European career guidance ecosystem such as Cedefop and the PES Knowledge Centre, and enhancing the research capabilities of the Consortium in AI expert systems for career guidance. TRL (Technology Readiness Level) refers to the stage where the technology concept and/or application has been formulated. 

Furthermore, the core activities of the PATH project will include analysing the state-of-the-art of AI software solutions for career guidance and the new AI European Regulatory Framework (AI Act), defining functional, non-functional, and ethical requirements for PATH, validating the catalogue of requirements, developing the PATH TRL 2 software prototype, and drafting an Action Plan for further development of the tool to TRL 6/7.  

Career Guidance through an ethical AI-powered tool 

The primary outcome of the PATH project will be a paradigm shift in the use of Artificial Intelligence in Career Guidance Services within the participating HEIs. This will directly influence the strategy and action plan of the Ulysseus Career Development Programme by initiating the development of a sustainable tool that balances human-machine interaction while adhering to the highest ethical standards. 

By working within this framework, the PATH project will identify research challenges and potential partners for collaborative RTDi projects in AI applications for career guidance, as well as collaboration opportunities with regional education, training, employment, and entrepreneurship ecosystems. 

The project will comply with the European regulatory framework established by the AI Act and other institutions such as UNESCO and OECD to address the risks associated with AI-powered career guidance tools. 

Link to Ulysseus goals 

As a satellite project of Ulysseus, PATH will contribute to the Alliance’s objectives by improving the quality of professional guidance services, expanding the services and scope of Ulysseus, and strengthening the Community and Associated Partners (APs) network, ultimately enhancing employability and entrepreneurship opportunities for students and graduates, facilitating their transition to the labor market. 

Ulysseus is one of the 64 European Universities selected by the European Commission to become the universities of the future. Led by the University of Seville, the Alliance encompasses other seven universities in Europe: the University of Genoa, Italy; Université Côte d’Azur, France; the Technical University of Košice, Slovakia; MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, Austria; Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland, the University of Münster, Germany, and the University of Montenegro, Montenegro.