Title and acronym: Delivering Mental Health Supports in Higher Education Institution across Europe [Care+Connect]

Project type: Erasmus+, KA220-HED - Cooperation partnerships in higher education

Ref. no.: 2025-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000357751

Promoter /Coordinator: Spoleczna Akademia Nauk, Poland

Duration: 24 months, 01/10/2025 to 30/09/2027

Total project grant: 250000 EUR

Total expenditure (grant) for the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (UNSTPB) – Pitești University Center: 36780 EUR

Local coordinator for the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (UNSTPB) – Pitești University Center: Assoc. Professor Dr. Georgeta CHIRLEȘAN

Summary:

The CARE+CONNECT project is driven by the need to address the rising mental health crisis in European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The project seeks to bridge the gap between the significant increase in mental health issues among university students and the HEIs’ lack of adequate mental health support systems, by integrating evidence-based interventions, including Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) and structured peer support programmes to promote positive mental health and early intervention strategies. CARE+CONNECT brings together students and HEI staff, mental health professionals, policymakers, NGOs and academic researchers and is funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union.

Thus, the CARE+CONNECT project aims to improve mental health support in European Higher Education Institutions by providing structured interventions to enhance students’ well-being and resilience. Key objectives include introducing an Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tool, establishing peer support networks, creating safe spaces for mental health conversations, training HEI staff and students and embedding sustainable support structures. It will be delivered in six EU countries.

The project will implement an 8-module iCBT course for HEI students, establish structured peer support networks (Professional-to-Professional and Student-to-Student), conduct national training workshops in each partner country, organise a transnational training event in Spain, and create the CARE+CONNECT Implementation Guide. Additionally, dissemination and sustainability activities will ensure long-term impact integrating the CARE+CONNECT results into HEIs across Europe.

The project expects to deliver 2 structured peer support networks, a multilingual iCBT platform, national pilot workshops training 5 HEI staff and 10 students per institution, and a transnational training event for HEI professionals and students.

Other results include increased mental health literacy, improved emotional resilience among students, institutional culture shifts towards inclusive mental health support and long-term sustainability through policy integration and stakeholder engagement.

Objectives:

The key objectives of the project are:

• introduce an internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course, called CARE, offering a guided self-help tool to improve students' emotional resilience and mental well-being;
• establish Peer Support Networks under the CONNECT Peer Programme that will support professional-to-professional peer networks and facilitate student-to-student peer training;
• create Safe Spaces for Mental Health Conversations within HEIs by facilitating peer-led discussion spaces where students and staff can engage in open conversations about mental health;
• train HEI staff and students in mental health awareness, emotional intelligence, active listening and intervention strategies thus strengthening the ability of HEIs to support students experiencing anxiety and other mental health difficulties;
• ensure that the developed methodologies and tools are widely adopted and embedded into HEI structures for long-term Sustainability.

Work Packages

• WP1: Project Management
• WP2: CARE Programme for HEI Students
• WP3: CONNECT Peer Programme
• WP4: Dissemination and Sustainability

Outcomes:

Concrete Results of the project will be:

• Two structured peer support networks (Professional-to-Professional and Student-to-Student);
• An 8-module iCBT course tailored to HEI students available on a multilingual digital platform;
• National pilot training workshops in each partner country training 5 HEI staff and 10 students per institution;
• A transnational training event in Spain equipping HEI professionals and students with intervention and mentoring skills;
• CARE+CONNECT Implementation Guide ensuring sustainability and replication of peer-led discussion spaces;
• Sustainability and exploitation strategy to ensure continued impact beyond the project’s duration.

Project website: https://careandconnect.eu/

Project partners:

1. 1.Spoleczna Akademia Nauk, Poland (coordinator)
2. 2.Spectrum Research Centre, Ireland
3. 3.Universidad del Pais Vasco/ Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Spain
4. 4.Neophytos Ch Charalambous (Institute of Development), Cyprus
5. 5.Universitaet Paderborn, Germany
6. 6.Universitatea Națională de Știință și Tehnologie POLITEHNICA București, Romania

CARE+CONNECT Newsletter 1_EN

CARE+CONNECT Newsletter 1_RO