What happened in 2008?
The main activities of TPF in the last year

• The interest in the Lifelong Learning Programme keeps growing: the take-up rate of 3 sub-programmes (Comenius, Erasmus, Study Visits) was extremely high, 100% or even more. The number of students involved in Erasmus mobility projects (3800) turned out to be much higher than it had been expected.
  
  
• A transnational Leonardo contact seminar was organized in Budapest on enhancing the attractiveness of VET for institution inexperienced in LLP. 71 participants from 13 countries arrived to get information on Leonardo mobility and partnership projects, exchange ideas and find partners of similar profile and establish future co-operation. The seminar turned to be really successful: 40% of the Hungarian participants submitted a Leonardo application in February 2009, and several further institutions as host organisation will participate in international projects.
  
  
• An on-line application system was developed for the entire LLP for the 2008 selection round and on-line reporting tools were applied for most of the LLP actions.
  
  
• A thematic microsite and a large conference were dedicated to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, and also a publication presenting LLP projects as examples of good practice was compiled.
  
  
• 61 projects were granted by the mobility programme of the EGT/Norwegian Fund. Some 600 placements were implemented due to the fund of HUF 267 M.
  
  
• Hungary was one of the five most active countries in the Europe for Citizens Programme. The Europe for Citizens Contact Point works under the umbrella of TPF since 2008, with the task of providing information to potential candidates on the different actions of the programme, and promoting the programme to ensure equal opportunities of all potential beneficiaries.
  
  
• The 2008 edition of the Researchers’ Night was organized by TPF together with 13 prestigious institutions of the Hungarian higher education and research community. This year, the Night was meant to become an event which would mobilise mass audiences all over the country in 18 towns and in the capital. At the different venues, 522 programmes were offered for more than 30.000 visitors.
  
  
• A distance-learning programme was implemented for young mothers on maternity leave, interested in entrepreneurship career, in order to make easier their return to the labour market. At the end of the training programme 66 participants passed the final exam.
  
  
• The new Knowledge Management Unit was set up in July 2008. It assists dissemination and valorisation of the LLP results and achievements, implements LLL-related national and international projects (mainly linked to the Education and Training 2010 Work Programme), carried out training programmes, and is responsible also for the equal opportunity issues and the customer service.
  
  
• A new portal was launched in order to link the EU knowledge pool to national policy-making, or in other terms, to ensure the information flow between the EU clusters and stakeholders at national level. The portal as a dissemination tool is focusing on 5 topics: key competences, higher education reform, teachers and trainers, recognition of learning outcomes and access to LLL.
  
  
• In order to improve regional LLL networks, series of cafés were organised in the 3 eastern regions of Hungary on lifelong learning for all involved actors, including teachers, students, employers, chambers, journalists, etc. These informal talks gave the opportunity to get the representatives of official structures and informal networks together, in order to stimulate communication and co-operation. This initiative, appreciated by the participants, will continue this year: a network-building training programme and debates on the region-specific, current LLL topics will be organised in 2009.