The BELONG@HEI partnership held its first Transnational Project Meeting in Mainz, Germany, on 28 and 29 January 2026. The meeting took place at the University of Mainz and brought together the project partners to officially launch the Erasmus+ project “BELONG@HEI: Building Inclusive Communities in Higher Education.”
During the two-day kick-off meeting, partners got to know each other, aligned on the project vision, and discussed the implementation of all key work packages. The first day focused on project management, participatory research for the Belonging@HEI Framework, capacity building through OERs, and the development of the Self-Assessment Toolkit. Partners also reviewed the outcomes of the first day and planned the next steps.
On the second day, the consortium discussed the Guidebook and training activities for embedding educational change, institutional learning, and uptake. The meeting also covered dissemination, exploitation, sustainability, branding, the project website, upcoming tasks, deadlines, and future meeting dates.
The kick-off meeting marked an important starting point for the BELONG@HEI project and laid the foundation for collaboration between partners across Europe. Through research, training, digital tools, and institutional guidance, the project aims to support Higher Education Institutions in creating more inclusive communities where students and staff can feel a stronger sense of belonging.