Project Description

Project summary. The relevance of the project is caused by a full process of integration of Ukraine into the European educational and scientific space, which is a strategic goal of national reforms in education and science. One of the major issues hindering the implementation of this goal is lack of staff’s experience of participation in European research projects and hence that lack of specialized skills to implement the project activities, which greatly reduces the efficiency of use of the existing European cooperation.

The solution of the designated problem could be provided via the implementation of training programs for graduate and postgraduate specialization course "Basics of European Project Activities".

The objective of the project is the development of skills and competencies required for the joint implementation of educational and scientific projects with partner organizations of the EU.

Project tasks, in accordance with the intended objectives are: theoretical generalization and transfer of practical experience gained by young scientists - members of the European programs of academic mobility and scientific cooperation; dissemination of European experience in the implementation of project activities; teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students the concept of the European Research Area, the principles of scientific work in the EU; popularization of the European model of managing research and scientific activities; forming new generations of scientists with regard to European requirements.

Results of the project would comprise: development and testing of a training course "Basics of European Project Activities" and didactic materials to it, placing them freely available on the project web-site; its inclusion in the accredited curricula of training programs for graduate and postgraduate students of all disciplines on a regular basis; generalization of experience and its extensive discussions with assistance of external experts (national and European) during the webinars, round-table discussions, conference; systematization of the results through their website spreading, CDs, through the publication of scientific papers, a teaching tool and materials of the final conference; development of recommendations for the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The objectives and target of the project. The proposed project is the first attempt to conceptualize and systematize experience gained by young Ukrainian specialists in the cooperation with international organizations, grant makers - taking into account national specifics and peculiarities of Ukrainian educational system. The project provides the basis not only for horizontal transfer of specific expertise, but also for a comparative analysis of national and European models of training highly qualified experts in existing framework for qualifications, the legal framework to ensure the scientific activity, organizational and financial mechanisms to support research. The research conducted within the frames of the project allows to identify performance gaps in reforming Ukrainian system of higher education in accordance with European standards, in particular by implementing a new course "Basics of European Project Activities" that, in turn, will enable higher education institutions to integrate more effectively into the European educational and scientific space and increase the quality of professional training and their intellectual competitiveness in the labor market. The results of the studies will be discussed during the webinar with foreign experts from European universities round-table discussions, final conference with the participation of other universities, government, business, etc; published in scientific journals and covered in the media; will include the recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine on implementation experience of Zaporizhzhya National University on the formation and distribution of European project culture in higher education in Ukraine and society as a whole.

Publication and dissemination of research results, as well as implementation of the mentioned course together with the controversial events will enable both students and postgraduates and the general public to get an idea about the essence of European strategies of Ukraine, ways and areas of convergence of research and innovation space of Ukraine and the EU; familiarise with EU grant programs and opportunities for participation of Ukrainian students and scholars; develop skills for the preparation of project proposals and their implementation; master the principles of European project culture. This, in turn, will increase interest in the European Union, its values, traditions and culture of the young students, teachers, researchers, managers, entrepreneurs, other professional groups not traditionally associated with the European Union that will warrant to create in the future on the basis of Zaporizhzhya National University European Project Culture Regional Centre, which provide educational and consulting services for all comers wishing to participate in international projects.

In terms of professional training of university graduates, implementing educational course "Basics of European Project Activities" in the teaching process of graduates (masters) and postgraduates do not only acquaint them with the concept of European Research Area but also will provide the necessary tools to participate in European programs of academic mobility, outline the opportunities of cooperation in within the basic framework of EU programs and show prospects for further application of acquired knowledge and skills in project activity in the professional field, but because of its specificity and practical orientation will facilitate training of innovative type, which is the main task of research and innovation activities of higher education institutions in accordance with the new Law of Ukraine "On Higher education" and a key condition for Ukraine's integration into the European research and innovation area.

Through stusying this course students acquire general competencies desperately needed for modern specialist (critical thinking, approximation theory to practice, the ability to plan, make decisions and take responsibility, the ability to adapt to changing conditions, to navigate in uncertain situations, the acquisition of advanced communication skills, ability to work in different groups, the presence of own thoughts and the ability to defend it, creativity, etc). As a result these skills will increase the competitiveness of university graduates not only at regional or national, but also at the international labour market.

Thus, another advantage of this course is its interdisciplinarity because it provides versatile knowledge and skills regardless of specialty, which is prepared by the specialist. But it should be noted that the assimilation of European scientific discourse is especially important for students and postgraduate students from natural and technical fields (biology, physics, mathematics) because their curricula, as opposed to the humanities disciplines, today hardly provide courses in European Studies.

Overall, the implementation of European project culture in Zaporizhzhya National University and its dissemination to other universities of Ukraine among students, postgraduate students, teaching staff and administrative and management personnel will demonstrate the possibilities of European approaches to the formation of competencies of the XXI century and promote the reform of the national higher education system and bringing it closer to European standards.