The healthcare sector is rapidly changing. To ensure the best possible care for everyone, healthcare professionals should adapt to these changes continuously. Zorgpact (Health Pact) is an initiative of the Dutch government that aims to support and strenghten ‘bottom-up’ cooperation in the healthcare field via regional ‘healthcare pacts’. These pacts are action agenda’s for cooperation created by networks of healthcare providers, education institutions and local government.

Building on the successful Techniekpact (Technology Pact) approach, Zorgpact facilitates regional cooperation, monitors regional developments, highlights relevant themes, and boosts best practice sharing between regions. On the national level, Zorgpact supports the regions by mapping legislative barriers, thematic research (e.g. impact of technological developments) and by connecting the initiatives to relevant instruments (e.g. the Dutch regional investment fund for Vocational Education and Training) for the development of new innovative approaches and solutions.

The MakersTown is a fair held to showcase makers across Europe. Makers are a new wave of entrepreneurs and Do-It-Yourself experts empowered by Web 3.0 tools, technology and crowdfunding. From 3D printing to robotics, from wearable technology to new ICT, from food to fashion, they are today’s Robert Bosch, Enzo Ferrari or Arthur Guinness.

MakersTown takes place yearly in Brussels, Belgium and is organised by ThinkYoung in collaboration with the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies and various partners from industry, including Google, Intel, ABInBev and Coca Cola. The event is supported by the European Commission and Startup Europe.

Makerstown is the first event of its kind in Brussels bringing together Makers, business leaders and European policy-makers to showcase, share and succeed!

Europe’s manufacturing tradition is getting an update, come to #Makerstown to experience it first-hand!

Coding Summer School is an intensive week-long event that immerses primary- and secondary age students in the world of coding and app development. The hands-on programme is taught by industry professionals and organised by ThinkYoung in cooperation with Boeing. By giving students a week-long immersive experience that culminates in students creating their own app, the programme aims to enthuse students for STEM subjects and kick-start their education in this field.

StarT is the flagship programme of the LUMA Centre Finland (Finnish STEM platform). Launched in 2016, the programme's main objective is to bring science, mathematics and technology closer to children and youngsters through interdisciplinary, project-based collaborative learning. The programme is implemented by LUMA Centre Finland (network between 13 regional STEM education centre within Finnish universities) through 'learning communities', supported by collaboration partners including the Finnish National Agency for Education and companies in the field of science and technology like IBM.

The StarT programme is implemented on three levels:|
 

1. Local level: kindergartens, primary schools, high schools, and extracurricular activity groups participating in StarT
    
2. Regional level: StarT festivals organized all around Finland by the LUMA centers together with local partners (does not apply to non-Finnish participants)
    
3. National / International level: the LUMA Centre Finland organizes the StarT Gala, where teams chosen by the StarT jury – also non-Finnish teams – are awarded
    

In these levels, the StarT programme supports project-based learning in the local learning communities, StarT festivals and a national/international StarT gala.

STEM Teacher Academy is a programme of the Dutch national STEM platform aimed at improving the content of STEM courses (and the way it is taught) in secondary education through cooperation with industry. The programme was launched in 2014 for a three year period and contributes to objectives set in the Dutch national Technology Pact and several government programmes aimed at reducing teacher shortages. 

The programme's main ambition is to provide the most up-to-date teaching tools to STEM teachers in secondary education, now and in the future. This ambition is implemented through various activities, including guest-lectures by industry professionals and short-term 'internships' for teachers in technology companies. The programme is structured to build lasting links between technology companies and classroom and builds on existing regionalised networks and programmes, including the VO-HO netwerken (pre-university secondary education) and Toptechniek in Bedrijf (VET).