3rd Online Steering Committee Meeting
Date: 23th February 2021.
Venue: Zoom Video Communications.
The project coordinator greeted the participants, Irma Servaitė (Kaunas University of Applied Sciences), presented the agenda of the meeting.
Project activities and Work plan for next 6 month (by Olga Getya, HPHE, Ukraine):
Olga Getya from HPHE presented the project activities for the period from March to August 2021 to the project partners. The project activity plan for the next 6 months includes activities of 1–5 work packages.
Two topics were discussed during the discussion.
First, Klaus Wagner from BAB believes that study tours in Austria is impossible now and in the spring due to the constraints of the pandemic. Irma Servaitė fully agrees that student mobility will be difficult to implement this spring, but we can use this time for preparation. She suggest that each partner who will host and organize study tours should prepare a template for the activities they will carry out during the study tour.
Second, István Komlosi from UD asked what Azerbaijan has decided on the Center of Expertise. Matanat Pashayeva from AZ Technical University plans to discuss the development of these centers with colleagues in the near future and prepare an initial plan. No specific topics on pilot projects have been decided so far, but discussions are ongoing. All partners will inform once “roadmaps” will be prepared in each partner country HEI for development of expertise centers.
Matanat Pashayeva also believes that the views of EU partners will be sought during the preparation of the pilot project of Expertise Centers. Irma reminded that the final date for the preparation of “Road Maps“of the Expertise centersis March. Therefore, it would be good for UA, AZ and MD partners to discuss issues / topics with enterprises partners by mid-March. In two weeks, the partners should report and discuss what issues we want to address with the pilot project.
Explanation of the Road map for Expertise centers creation; Presentation and explanation of the model-documents constituting the legal base for the Expertise centers (by Ludmyla Stepura, HPHE, Ukraine)
Ludmyla Stepura from HPHE present some explanations about the Road maps for Expertise centers creations. She recalls that at the end of last year she presented Road Map - a document that will help to set up Expertise centers. The document indicates what activities should be done and when.
Strategy of R&D Center development (presentation by Natalya Mayevska, Food Valley, Ukraine):
Natalya Mayevska from Food Valley present Strategy of R&D Center development. During the presentation she talked about four main things: Uniclad‘s project mission indentification, Cluster identification, assignment and steps, and R&D Center template.
The mission of Uniclad’s projects to create a cluster in cooperation between Academia, Busness and Government.
Regarding the identification of clusters, Natalya presented the structure of clusters, participants and what structures are not classified as clusters.
Also, Natalya presented 3 assignments that could be used by partners: Formulate the R&D‘scenter value proposition for present stakeholders and future clusters initiatives; Develop the strategic idea of your R&D center; Business model development and the 7 steps which could help to implement these assignments.
Finally, she present R&D centre strategy template which include initiation team, external context, internal context, smart specialization of region, strategic idea, client identification and value offer, strategic goals, business model.
Discussion:
Isabela Lipinskafor PULS offered assistance to partners in case of problems with preparation and understanding of documents in setting up Expertise centers. Ludmyla Stepura also confirmed that each partner can choose what documents and contracts he will provide, depending on the institution and the country legal regulation.
Project communication, general discussion moderated by Irma Servaite, KUAS, project coordinator:
Irma Servaitė talked about communication problems in the project and between partners. First of all, she wanted partners who have difficulty understanding what is being spoken in English at meetings to have someone from their university to help with translation. Also, she suggested that if some of the partners needed translation, she or Ludmyla Stepuraand Olga Getya would help with smaller meetings in Russian.
Second, she suggested that each partner submit an activity report of each WP every 3 months. The report should answer three questions:
- What you have done?/What activities you cared on? (in all WP)
- What problem you have faced? How do you think you can solve it?
- What activities you are planning to do?
Irma would prepare a full joint report and share it with everyone. This way, each partner will know what has been done, who to contact if the planned activity has not been implemented. Noureddin Driouech will be able to prepare newsletters more easily. Noureddin Driouech also asked partners to share information they would like to make public and fill out a dissemination plan if they will have any ideas.
Irma also informed that, when the project report of 18 months will be submitted to Brussels, an extension of project will be requested for a one year too. Reminded to the partners that for the external reporting for EACEA it will be needed to prepare a large number of documents, so the partners should plan their time to be able to submit it on time.
