On-line practical workshop devoted to the implementation of the EU Erasmus+ project UniClaD

10th of November 2020 (Bila Tserkva national agrarian university)

The participants of the workshop were greeted by Mr. Anatoliy Danylenko, rector of Bila Tserkva national agrarian university who highlighted the importance of the project and the international cooperation for the university. He remarked that this project could be a first step in the development of clusters initiated by the universities and shared a perspective plan of the creation of another the horse breeding and leisure cluster based at the university.

Ms. Tatiana Ishchenko, director of the Science and methodology canter of higher and vocational education of Ukraine stressed on the importance of EU projects for universities and gave some examples of their contribution to the development of higher educational institutions such as improvement of teachers’ professional level, improvement of training content, equipment of laboratories for students training, development of professional contacts. She confirmed that HPHE, as a national coordinating institution, provided and was going to provide in future the methodological support to the partners of UniClaD project.

Ms. Ludmila Stepura and Ms. Olga Getya, HPHE, presented main activities and milestones of the project. They stressed on the main deliverables of the project that will be achieved with the support of EU partners and based on their shared experience: Creation of 8 expertise centers; Launching and carrying out pilot projects by the created expertise centers; Development of master works and PhD thesis in line with the pilot projects; Development of special modules for master and PhD students as added value.

This project should give more practical character to the training of students and future researchers. It should change the society attitude to universities, the universities should not be considered only as educational institutions, they should become partners in the implementation of new technologies into production, they should participate in the development of their regions and territories. The project should provide a close and sustainable relation between universities, research institution, industry and state authorities.

Mr. Yuriy Sharylo, director of the Methodological and technological center of aquaculture, State fish agency of Ukraine indicated that the concession is supposed as an efficient for the use of water resources for aquaculture but actually there is no researches confirming this hypothesis. The Ukrainian law on concession consider it as an alternative to the exploitation of water resources. The development of the concession agreement and future ecological and economic researches could become a subject for the future pilot research project for the expertise center created at BTNAU.

Ms. Olga Varchenko, deputy rector of research activities at BTNAU indicated that the participation of the university on clusters will contribute to the commercialization of researches results. She presented the elements of the innovation infrastructure at the university: management of research activities, center of common use of research equipment, centers of technologies transfer, business development centers, technical and research parks.

She indicated that the main task of UniClaD project is the creation of conditions for better integration of innovations to the agro-industrial production based on sustainability principles, improvement of the potential of business, researches, education due to special trainings and special modules developed within the project, implementation of university structural measures as a base for clusters’ activities.

Ms. Natalia Grynevych, professor of the ecology faculty at BTNAU presented the subject for the possible future pilot project devoted to the use of close water supply systems in the industrial aquaculture. She proposed to study the use of different filters, different fillers for biofilters, their efficiency and toxicity level for fishes. The technology of mechanical and biological filtrations for closed cycle of water supply may be studied as well.

Mr. Igor Paska, dean of the economic faculty at BTNAU presented the priorities and perspectives opportunities in the training of master and PhD students in economics with the UniClaD project. He explained the model of quality management at the university and its application to the future activities within the project. The team designated at the faculty will provide its support to the creation and functioning of the expertise center and will participate in the development of the training modules foreseen by the project.

Mr. Oleksans Melnychenko, dean of the ecological faculty at BTNAU, presented the faculty and confirmed that the faculties has enough human resources capable to contribute to the creation of the expertise center and to the development of pilot project. The faculty teachers are ready to study themselves in the framework of the project to learn the experience of their European colleagues and to apply it in practice. The faculty students will be actively involved into the project.

Mr. Oleksandr Geyko, manager of the fishing enterprise “Skvyra fish breeding” as one of main stakeholders spoke about the opportunities for the enlargement of the cooperation with higher educational institutions in the framework of the implementation of the EU Erasmus+ project. The enterprise already cooperates with some universities, organizes practical trainings for their students. In fact the enterprise is a regional center of aquaculture applying close cycle of water supply and studying different species of fish. The enterprise is ready to implement the pilot research project together with the university.