Archipelago

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face critical challenges such as geographical isolation, limited access to digital infrastructure, and vulnerability to external shocks like climate change. These factors limit the adoption of digital education and restrict access to modern learning tools, leaving Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in these regions at risk of falling behind in the global shift towards digital learning.

ARCHIPELAGO - Digital Education Capacity Building for Higher Education Institutions in Small Island Developing States - addresses these challenges through targeted interventions that improve digital literacy, establish technological infrastructure, and promote sustainable collaboration among universities and policy actors in SIDS. The project's vision is to transform small developing islands into small digital islands, capable of offering inclusive, high-quality digital learning and administration.

Running from November 2025 to October 2027 and coordinated by Harokopio University of Athens, ARCHIPELAGO aims to empower HEIs in Small Island Developing States by strengthening their digital education capacity, administrative efficiency, and institutional resilience. Its general objective is to enhance the digital education ecosystem in SIDS by improving digital literacy, governance, and sustainable collaboration among universities.

The project's specific objectives are to:

• Strengthen the digital skills of students, faculty, and administrative staff.

• Build institutional capacity through digital pedagogy and governance training.

• Develop and implement digital toolkits and e-learning resources tailored to SIDS.

• Create a Digital Knowledge Hub connecting all partner HEIs for knowledge sharing.

• Promote long-term cooperation, visibility, and sustainability across SIDS through dissemination and policy recommendations.

VERDE leads Work Package 2 (Needs Analysis and Toolkit Development) and is responsible for quality assurance and the digital toolkit for students. By the end of the project, ARCHIPELAGO will have delivered three digital toolkits for students, faculty, and administrative staff, conducted train-the-trainer workshops and local pilot testing in all partner HEIs, launched a Digital Knowledge Hub and MOOC platform for open access to training materials, established International Cooperation Offices, and published policy recommendations supporting digital transformation in SIDS.