The INCEPTION project - A New Era of VET Excellence - officially kicked off on 21 and 22 April at EWF’s premises in Oeiras, Portugal, bringing together the five consortium partners for two days of discussion, planning and alignment at the start of this new 36-month initiative.

At its core, INCEPTION aims to strengthen cooperation between Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) and help create the conditions for vocational excellence to generate wider impact across Europe. Through collaboration, shared methodologies and stronger links between actors, the project will contribute to a more interconnected VET landscape.

Coordinated by EWF, the project also brings together BIL - Belgium Welding Institute (Belgium), Fraunhofer FIT (Germany), Hanse-Parlament (Germany) and Algebra University (Croatia). The consortium will work together to advance the project’s objectives and lay the groundwork for long-term cooperation and knowledge exchange between CoVEs.

A key moment of the Kick-Off Meeting was the presentation of the four CoVEs at the heart of the project - AILEEN, AI4VET4AI, 3LOE and Win4SMEs. This provided an opportunity to map their strengths, identify synergies and reflect on the gaps the project will address over the coming months.

Throughout the meeting, partners aligned on the project workplan, responsibilities and priorities for the first six months of implementation, establishing a common starting point for the work ahead.

The Kick-Off Meeting concluded with a shared sense of commitment across the consortium, marking the beginning of a joint effort to reinforce cooperation between CoVEs and support the wider development of vocational excellence in Europe.