Ms Jeni Brown, Head of the Digital Skills Lab and Deputy Director for Student Learning and Personal Development at London School of Economics (LSE)

23-25 February 2026
Ms Jeni Brown (LSE), Head of the Digital Skills Lab and Deputy Director for Student Learning and Personal Development, arranged a short study visit to Smart-EDU Hub @ SNSPA in Bucharest for 23–25 February 2026 in order to learn directly from the Urban Camp #IN NOVA experience. After an initial attempt to secure external funding was unsuccessful, she confirmed that the trip would be supported through her department’s budget and proceeded to book travel and accommodation (Pullman World Trade Centre), aiming to spend one intensive working day on campus. The main meeting was agreed for Tuesday, 24 February, starting around 10:00 (EET), with arrangements for quick coordination via WhatsApp. To strengthen the exchange, the host side planned the discussions not only with Associate Professor Cătălin Vrabie, but also with the Dean of the Faculty, Diana Iancu, and other colleagues, with the option of continuing informally over lunch to cover additional questions.
   
The visit’s focus was highly practical and analytical: Ms Brown wanted to understand how #IN NOVA was conceived and launched (its origins, the drivers behind it, and lessons learned), and then to “walk through” the first bootcamp in detail—from needs analysis and programme design to delivery and evaluation. She was particularly interested in speaking with staff involved in implementation and, if possible, students from either cohort, to capture perspectives from both organisers and participants. Beyond the first edition, she aimed to explore how and why the 2025 cohort shifted focus, how the programme’s practical placements were established and assessed, what forms the graduation projects took, and whether any follow-up evidence exists regarding outcomes for the 2024 participants. She also framed her questions in a broader strategic and contextual way: how the programme fits SNSPA’s institutional mission, what Romania-specific factors have helped or hindered success, and which partnerships were most instrumental—insights intended to inform LSE’s own exploration of a similar initiative.