BRIDGE - Horizon Europe Project

Join us at an upcoming Workshop on the Economics of Education - Leuven, 14 November 2025 👉 The workshop is organised by the LEER research center of the Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven and supported by the Horizon Europe projects BRIDGE - Horizon Europe Project, EDU-LAB, and VETprep. 👉 We have a promising and packed program! Next to the two keynote presentations by Nuno Crato (ULisboa) and Sylke V. Schnepf (European Commission, JRC), we feature 28 exciting contributed papers discussing timely topics such as: 📚 The economics of teacher turnover and teacher shortages; 🌍 Spatial patterns of inequality; 👩🏫 Gender representation in school boards; 🎓 Higher education and degree classifications ... 📅 Date: 14 November 2025 📍 Venue: Joris Helleputte Building, KU Leuven, Belgium 👉 Registration and more information at: https://lnkd.in/eWRjuRBK

On Tuesday, 30 September, as part of an event organised by the POLIMI Graduate School of Management community titled "The elephant in the room of diversity management: social class” , Tommaso Agasisti initiated a discussion on a topic that is all too often overlooked in diversity management debates: social class.   In his speech, entitled "Education and social inequalities: Ideas for Dialogue", he used national and international evidence (INVALSI and OECD - OCDE-#PISA data) to discuss the connection between academic performance and socio-economic background. He reflected on whether education can break the link between social origin and opportunities in the world of work.    He discussed the role of ‘resilient’ students, schools and policies capable of reducing gaps and promoting equal opportunities, including quality teaching, investment in early education, socio-emotional skills, school climate, and tools to promote freedom of educational choice and predict students at risk of school dropout.

🎓 Promoting Efficient and Equitable Investment in Education On October 15, two BRIDGE - Horizon Europe Project researchers, Tommaso Agasisti (Politecnico di Milano; POLIMI Graduate School of Management) and Kaire Põder (Estonian Business School), contributed to a high-level European Commission webinar on efficient and effective education investment across Europe. The event marked the presentation of the Investing in Education 2025 report (https://lnkd.in/gGM-z2f5) and explored how education systems can optimise spending while ensuring quality, equity, and impact. 🧠 Drawing on BRIDGE’s mission to strengthen educational participation, completion, and transitions, our researchers presented evidence-based insights for improving policy design. 📚 Learn more about our work: https://lnkd.in/dPJcTbKS KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Brunel University of London, Maastricht University, Schoolmakers, Research Centrum voor Onderwijs en Arbeidsmarkt (ROA), European Research Executive Agency (REA), Kristof De Witte, Enzo Peeters, Panagiotis (Takis) Iliopoulos, Dieter Verhaest, Silvia Palmaccio, Hannelore Nelissen, Lynn van Vugt, Carla Haelermans, Trudie Schils, Jeanne Olla, Chayenne Smeets, Tommaso Agasisti, Melisa Diaz Lema, Irene Pozzi, Lidia Rossi, Oleg Badunenko, Triin Lauri, Kaire Põder, Andre Veski, Niveditha Prabakaran, Laurens Meeus, Lydwin Bulckens.

🌍 Yesterday, our partner Tommaso Agasisti (Politecnico di Milano, POLIMI Graduate School of Management) took part in the event “Navigating Complexity: the skills needed for the school of the future”, reflecting on how skills can shape education in the years ahead. 👏 Congratulations to Tommaso Agasisti and his team for sharing these insights and contributing to the debate on the future of schools! KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Brunel University of London, Maastricht University, Schoolmakers, Estonian Business School, POLIMI Graduate School of Management, Research Centrum voor Onderwijs en Arbeidsmarkt (ROA), European Research Executive Agency (REA), Kristof De Witte, Enzo Peeters, Panagiotis (Takis) Iliopoulos, Dieter Verhaest, Silvia Palmaccio, Hannelore Nelissen, Lynn van Vugt, Carla Haelermans, Trudie Schils, Jeanne Olla, Chayenne Smeets, Tommaso Agasisti, Melisa Diaz Lema, Irene Pozzi, Lidia Rossi, Oleg Badunenko, Triin Lauri, Kaire Põder, Kaire Põder, Andre Veski, Niveditha Prabakaran, Laurens Meeus, Lydwin Bulckens.

🎙️ New BRIDGE - Horizon Europe Project #Podcast Episode (Ep. 3) & 🚨Policy Brief Alert "Road to the Future: The Impact of Road Infrastructure on Education in Colombia" by Jaime Polanco-Jimenez How can infrastructure shape education and social mobility? This new study shows that Colombia’s large-scale road investments had powerful educational effects: 📉 3% decrease in child labour 🎓 4.8% increase in higher education participation 📈 Even partial road completion (from 10%) already improved students’ academic performance The findings highlight that well-targeted infrastructure fosters not only economic growth but also human capital development, equity, and social mobility—with important lessons for EU development and cohesion strategies. 👉 Read the Brief here: https://lnkd.in/eAJ5ysM7 👉 Listen our podcast here: https://lnkd.in/e8PMJZ4e KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Brunel University of London, Maastricht University, Schoolmakers, Estonian Business School, POLIMI Graduate School of Management Research Centrum voor Onderwijs en Arbeidsmarkt (ROA), European Research Executive Agency (REA)

🔦 #BRIDGE Researchers in the Spotlight 🎓 This week, we feature important comparative research by Mira Kalalahti, Kaire Põder, Triin Lauri, Pepita Hemilä, and Daiva Skucieneė, tackling a critical but often overlooked issue in higher education: student dropout due to financial pressure and work intensity. 🎓 "The Student Support System in Mediating Work-Related Dropout: A Comparative Analysis of Four Worlds of Student Funding" 🔗https://lnkd.in/eaMzQfTH European Research Executive Agency (REA), KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven Maastricht University POLIMI Graduate School of Management Brunel University of London Estonian Business School Schoolmakers Research Centrum voor Onderwijs en Arbeidsmarkt (ROA).

🔦 #BRIDGE Researchers in the Spotlight 🎓 This time, we spotlight a novel and timely contribution to higher education research by Arianna Burzacchi, Lidia Rossi, Tommaso Agasisti, Anna Maria Paganoni, and Simone Vantini, exploring how urban mobility shapes academic performance. 🚍 "Urban Mobility and Learning: Analyzing the Influence of Commuting Time on Students' GPA at Politecnico di Milano" 📄 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eBPXaUzp European Research Executive Agency (REA), KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven Maastricht University POLIMI Graduate School of Management Brunel University of London Estonian Business School Schoolmakers Research Centrum voor Onderwijs en Arbeidsmarkt (ROA).