At the core of the proposed project is the development of a Hybrid Warfare Reference Curriculum (HWRC), which will form the basis for either the partial or entire re-design and update of courses within the curriculum of military, police and civilian students of higher education institutions. HWRC as a document will reflect the combined knowledge of a multinational team of academics and policy experts drawn from European universities and think tanks. HWRC will come as the result of close cooperation between the partners and motivate others interested to participate. The intention behind the project is to draw experts from nations across the EU, as well as from other partner institutions providing teaching and research activities in Hybrid Warfare, who can successfully contribute to the writing, drafting, and editing of the HWRC. HWRC will serve as a reference, an initial document for individuals or organisations looking to develop a curriculum dedicated to combating HW, or to amend their existing curricula accordingly. Thus, the content of HWRC is not intended to be adopted lockstep, but rather to fit particular needs and aspirations. Its function is to increase intellectual interoperability and foster in-depth and specific academic knowledge and professionalism. HWRC can also support interested partners in enhancing their capacities to develop their national skills and improve suitable strategies to counter or wage this sort of warfare. HWRC will also serve as a fundamental document to address educational institution distance learning or residential courses. HWRC will contribute to a student-centric environment too, as it will help train students to requirements and provide helpful guidelines for relevant courses on security and defence. HWRC, among others, will provide an overview of underlying ideologies, motivations and methods, as well as contemporary practices and projections of future potential. HWRC will contribute to European and Transatlantic cooperation in security-related issues through education by offering students, professors, researchers, policy experts and the interested public a new international and interdisciplinary platform of study, and also a foundation for cutting-edge, practice-oriented knowledge. HWRC will also serve as a basis for those who intend to implement tailored versions of the curriculum for their distance learning or residential courses. HWRC will contribute to a student-centric environment too, as it will help train students to better understand the complex challenges posed by HW and to respond better to it. HWRC will promote critical thinking and a thorough understanding of European core values and interests. This important pedagogical objective will be fostered through participatory structures and transformative education.

To reach the goals set above and to exploit the synergies created by the participating institutions, the intention is to create the different but interrelated chapters of the HWRC incrementally. This approach will help to further develop these chapters into a book format, thus forming the basis of a modular system resulting in various single or joint degree courses at a later stage. HWRC will contribute to a series of online and blended modules with a focus on selected security and defence issues, involving a participative and extensive simulation exercise / wargame moderated by a trained staff. All recipients of HWRC, irrespective of their previous background and knowledge, will benefit from a range of delivery methods including:

• a combination of presentations, tutorials, case study analysis and simulation exercise / Tabletop exercise and Simulation Suite,
• cross-fertilisation of international lecturing staff within the consortium footprint and access to respected professional guest speakers,
• the development of thematic research groups within the consortium community through virtual learning and communication platforms
• a massive open online course (HWMOOC) to reach a much wider audience.