The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP)
As part of the new ERASMUS+ program period (2021–2027), BC and its European partners are offering Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP).
BIPs are short and intensive training programmes that combine physical mobility with virtual learning and online cooperation, while promoting innovative methods of teaching and learning, including research-based and challenge-based learning approaches. The virtual component enables experts from all partner institutions to participate in teaching and training activities, while the short-term physical mobility component creates opportunities for face-to-face collaboration among participants and lecturers.
BC offers BIPs to support greater flexibility and expansion of ERASMUS+ mobility opportunities. The programme broadens participation by allowing students and staff to remain connected to their home institutions while also benefiting from short-term international mobility experiences.
The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) hosted at the Bragança Campus represents a dynamic international initiative dedicated to exploring the transformative role of generative artificial intelligence within higher education institutions. Bringing together academic staff, researchers, administrators, and innovation specialists from several European universities, the programme aims to create a collaborative environment for critical reflection, practical learning, and intercultural exchange regarding the future of higher education in the age of AI.
The project is coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Bragança in partnership with the University of Salamanca, Hochschule Bremen, University West, Kolegji Biznesi, and Université Marie et Louis Pasteur. Through this broad European partnership, the programme promotes interdisciplinary dialogue and strengthens cooperation among institutions actively shaping innovative and responsible approaches to digital transformation in education.
The BIP combines a virtual component running from May 5, 2026, until June 12, 2026, with an intensive physical mobility week taking place from July 13, 2026, until July 17, 2026, at the Bragança Campus in Portugal. The virtual phase includes online lectures, collaborative workshops, reading groups, and digital discussions focused on the fundamentals of generative AI and its growing impact on higher education systems.
The physical mobility week in Bragança will provide an immersive international learning experience where participants will engage in interactive seminars, practical demonstrations, case-study analyses, and collaborative project activities. The programme encourages active participation and peer learning by enabling educators and researchers to exchange experiences, methodologies, and institutional practices related to the integration of AI technologies in teaching, research, governance, and academic management.
A central objective of the programme is to rethink the future of teaching and learning in higher education in light of the opportunities and challenges created by generative artificial intelligence. Participants will explore how AI tools can support personalized learning, curriculum design, student engagement, research productivity, and institutional decision-making, while also critically addressing concerns related to ethics, transparency, data protection, misinformation, academic honesty, bias, and the evolving role of educators.
Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the responsible and ethical use of generative AI in academic environments. The programme encourages participants to critically evaluate both the potential benefits and limitations of AI technologies, promoting balanced approaches that preserve academic values, human creativity, and critical thinking.
In addition to academic development, the BIP seeks to strengthen international cooperation and foster long-term networks among participating institutions and individuals. By bringing together participants from Portugal, Spain, Germany, Sweden, France, and Kosovo, the programme creates an intercultural platform for dialogue and collaboration across diverse educational and social contexts.
Through collaborative learning and international exchange, the BIP contributes to the modernization of higher education and supports universities in adapting to the rapidly evolving digital landscape shaped by generative artificial intelligence.
