About Us

Project Overview

PreMed Bullying fosters a safe primary school culture where bullying and cyberbullying have no place. The project engages teachers, psychologists, social workers, pupils, and parents to co-create inclusive policies and strategies, and to strengthen life skills that build resilience. With a distinct Mediterranean focus, the initiative delivers culturally relevant solutions to shared regional challenges across Southern Europe.

Consortium Partners

The PreMed Bullying consortium brings together six partner organisations from five countries, combining academic excellence, educational innovation, and grassroots community engagement to address bullying prevention in primary schools across the Mediterranean and South-East European region.

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) — Coordinator

Greece

Founded in 1837, NKUA is the oldest university in Greece and the broader Eastern Mediterranean region. It comprises nine Schools and manages over 3,200 active EU-funded projects, engaging 5,000–8,000 researchers annually. The Department of Pedagogy and Primary Education, within the School of Education, brings forty years of experience and eleven specialised research laboratories. NKUA holds strong international rankings for Gender Equality (75th globally) and Quality Education (101–200). The university maintains dedicated gender equality committees at institutional and departmental levels and participates in the Greek Universities Network of Gender Equality Committees. Of particular relevance is the iTACKLE project (2023–2026), which cultivates intercultural awareness and life skills grounded in common European values.

University of Salamanca (USAL)

Spain

Founded in 1218, USAL is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious universities. It serves approximately 26,000 undergraduate and 2,600 postgraduate students through 57 departments, 26 faculties, 12 research institutes, and 10 research centres. Awarded Campus of International Excellence status in 2011 and the “HR Excellence in Research” logo in 2019, USAL combines tradition with modern research excellence. The university has coordinated and participated in over 100 European projects across successive EU Framework Programmes, Erasmus, and other European actions, contributing deep experience in research management and international collaboration.

Smart Bananas soc. coop. a r.l.

Italy

Established in 2016, Smart Bananas is a training and consulting cooperative organised around two pillars: a Technology Area focused on digital development and transformation, and a Research Area specialising in educational, social, and organisational research. In education, Smart Bananas investigates innovative teaching and learning approaches across VET, school education, continuing education, adult education, and corporate training. In the organisational domain, the cooperative delivers integrated training in leadership, collaboration, interpersonal skills, and ‘Happiness at Work’ programmes. Smart Bananas has participated in numerous European research projects addressing school education, vocational training, digital inclusion, skills development, and media literacy.

Creative Thinking Development – CreThiDev

Greece

CreThiDev is a non-profit company dedicated to research and the development of studies and action plans in lifelong learning, culture, environmental protection, innovation, employment, health, and local development. Through collaborative networking with authorities, organisations, and business associations at local, regional, national, and European levels, CreThiDev facilitates the exchange of knowledge and good practices. Its work encompasses developing innovative educational methods to prevent discrimination and exclusion, promoting digital skills for employability, and raising awareness on human rights, environmental, and social issues.

Arcola Research PT

Portugal

Arcola Research PT is the Portuguese branch of Arcola Research UK, located in Miranda do Corvo, Central Portugal. The organisation maintains training centres and residential facilities for researchers and educational participants in both Portugal and Galicia, Spain. Arcola possesses particular expertise in research and evaluation methodologies and a proven track record of working with marginalised and excluded groups, including NEET youth, older people, females, immigrants, and BAME communities. The organisation specialises in collaborative and participatory action research methods, including design thinking, and has extensive experience designing, implementing, and evaluating education and training projects across all sectors.

Croatian Education Development Institute (HIRO)

Croatia

The Croatian Education Development Institute (Hrvatski institut za razvoj obrazovanja – HIRO) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation based in Zagreb, Croatia. Established in 2019, HIRO was founded to contribute to positive change in the Croatian education system, with a focus on enhancing educational opportunities for children, youth, and professionals. HIRO maintains formal cooperation with three elementary schools in Croatia and active collaboration with secondary schools and adult education providers, bringing valuable frontline experience in school-based educational innovation to the consortium.

Consortium at a Glance