Metacog and ALFA Labs kick off in Haaga-Helia

Last week, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences hosted the kickoff meeting for two innovative Ulysseus satellite projects: Metacog and ALFA Labs. The two-day event (March 4-5, 2025) brought together representatives from Slovakia, Finland, Montenegro, Netherlands and Austria to establish roadmaps for these initiatives aimed at advancing digital education across Europe. While primarily connected to Ulysseus European University, Metacog also brings in expertise from outside the alliance with a Dutch partner; The Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Given the strong synergies between the two projects, the event was organized as a joint kick-off, creating valuable networking opportunities for participants.

The Metacog project, led by Haaga-Helia, focuses on strengthening AI literacy to combat disinformation and fake news in European societies. This initiative will equip higher education students and teachers with skills to identify and counter misinformation through a comprehensive educational program including classroom activities, a MOOC, webinars, and practical toolkits.

Running parallel is the ALFALabs project, also led by Haaga-Helia, which aims to advance digital education and AI integration in higher education institutions. ALFA Labs will develop a Digital Transformation Plan, AI assessment tools, and an ALFA Kit with actionable steps for institutions to enhance digital capabilities. This initiative is carried out in close collaboration with the Ulysseus Innovation Hub ecosystem.

Kick off

The kickoff featured presentations from key stakeholders, including Outi Tomperi from the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) and Salla Huttunen, Vice President at Haaga-Helia. After the initial presentations participants of both projects engaged in detailed planning sessions for each work package, establishing clear objectives and responsibilities for the coming year.

Ulysseus European University synergies were presented, highlighting the extensive dissemination resources and tools available to satellite projects, along with access to the shared Ulysseus learning management system for MOOC and course development.

The event concluded with an engaging networking session, bringing together participants from both projects to foster collaboration and build connections.

Strengthening Digital Competences across Europe

Both projects align with EU digital education priorities and the European Skills Agenda, with outcomes to be shared through Ulysseus Innovation Hubs and open-access platforms, extending their impact across European educational institutions.

The successful kick-off sets a strong foundation for these initiatives that will contribute significantly to digital competence development across the Ulysseus network and beyond.

Learn more about Alfa Labs
Learn more about Metacog
Visit the Ulysseus satellite project website

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus is one of the 65 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.