Leveraging International Platforms and Projects for Industry x.0 Skills in Higher Education

Merging internationalization with digitalization in higher education is almost a natural process. The international exposure brought on by the university's digital life is, apart from a marketing tool for the institution, an essential tool to provide international, intercultural, and specific technical skills. Transnational projects, such as Erasmus+-funded strategic partnerships, leverage the potential of this exposure by allowing for blended mobilities and the creation of transdisciplinary collaboration communities. This article highlights the transformational role of Industry x.0 in higher education focusing on the unification of digital technologies such as AI, IoT, and big data in production and education. It is a brief on the transition from Industry 1.0 to Industry 4.0 and to x.0 and, therefore, why educational institutions need to transform into fourth-generation universities offering digital literacy and data analysis competencies. The article covers the role of Erasmus+Strategic Partnerships and European University Alliances in promoting international integration and innovation in education. Using a comparative case study of the BLOCKS and FOReSiGHT projects, it argues that digital platforms are central in addressing the dictionary gap and transdisciplinary collaboration and resilience, essential in navigating the challenges of Industry x.0.