EPICES (European Platform for Innovation and Collaboration between Engineer Students) will allow developing a European collaborative at a distance project-based learning framework and method, based on already existing and still developing technical platforms, i.e. collaborative and engineering tools. A special focus will be made on teachers' role and students' coaching, from the analysis of what a coach should be in project based learning to training packages for teachers and development of assessment methods. There are two backgrounds for EPICES: 1. The French PLACIS project (September 2012 – August 2016), funded by the French National Agency for Research under the "Investments for the future" program with the reference ANR-11-IDFI-0029. • PLACIS is managed by SUPMECA, in the framework of the Collegium Ile-de-France (gathering 3 engineering schools : SUPMECA, ENSEA and EISTI), • PLACIS is a pedagogical research project, • In every sub-project, on a multidisciplinary subject submitted by a company, a team of students (from 2 institutions from different countries) is formed. Students work in their home university and use the latest collaborative and engineering tools. 2. The progressive change of the structure of engineering studies, switching from the trilogy "courses – supervised practical work – lab work” to a more complex and open teaching & learning way, including MOOCs and different types of projects, with a changing role for teachers and the need of new assessment methods and tools, especially in project based learning environment. The main objectives of EPICES will be the development of PLACIS like sub-projects and the use of these sub-projects as study materials in order to: • Analyse the coaching/facilitation in project based learning in European engineering education and, based on hypothesis, write the first model of what a coach should be, • Enhance teachers' role as facilitators, teachers' competencies in project mode, with the development of methods and training packages for teachers, creation of a platform for the implementation of best practices in coaching, and test on sub-projects with teachers and students. • Perfect assessment methods in project based elarning, with the development of toolboxes/toolkits. All the results of EPICES will be published online and presented during events. EPICES project and the goals we aim to reach make us able to address 5 target groups: Two main target groups: 1. Teachers participating in the project 2. Students participating in the project Two secondary target groups: 3. Industrial partners, especially industrial tutors 4. Academic institutions partners of the project A third general target group: 5. Non-EPICES European engineering academic institutions and teachers Among many expected impacts, we can quote: 1. On teachers participating in the project : • Enable them to change their traditional roles from teachers to coaches, • Make them fully integrate project based learning approach and guide them to successfully facilitate authentic and engaged learning outcomes for students in project based learning. 2. On students participating in the project: • Make them fully integrate project based learning approach and enable them to enhance their roles as learners in a project based learning approach, • Demonstrate how they can use distance collaboration to work transnationally with peers during their studies and in their future jobs. More widely, EPICES aims to provide data, results, guidelines on project based learning in engineering to the whole community, making easier, for institutions and teachers especially, the implementation of project based learning. In order to carry out EPICES and make it efficient, EPICES partners were selected as following: 1. Non-PLACIS members adding their value, experience, points of view on pedagogical issues, project and problem-based learning issues, teachers’ involvement and role, dissemination..., 2. PLACIS members, 3. SUPMECA, both PLACIS coordinator and EPICES coordinator. SUPMECA, Aalto University, Riga Technical University, KU Leuven, Politecnico di Torino, Universita di Napoli Federico II, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia and SEFI (the only non-academic partner) will carry out this project, with the ambition to achieve the goals established, and, then, to go further and launch in September 2016 a Knowledge Alliance project to explore deeper some issues resulting from EPICES.