4th Online Steering Committee Meeting

Date: 31st May 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 progress and Work plan (for next 3 month), Irma Servaite, KUAS, Lithuania:

The project coordinator I. Servaite presented a project progress report. Activities already performed were identified, as well as activities that were delayed. Future activities were also discussed. Technical report for EACEA, Irma Servaite, KUAS, Lithuania.

I. Servaitė presented Technical report on progress.

WP leaders: I. Servaitė asked each WP leader to check their business card on Google Drive to make it understandable and leave the results achieved. All drafts must be separated or removed.

2.1. Annual workshops devoted to the further study of clusters for all partners together, Izabela Lipinska, PULS, Poland

I. Lipinska explained that they were preparing to organize an annual meeting with the Agro logistics Forum. It was a three-day concept, but they received information from organizers that it should not be organized remotely. They couldn’t even host the forum in a hybrid way. For this reason, the formality is for dissemination only, and have no idea how the situation will develop later. It is important to know the possible date so that partners could prepare in advance. I. Lipinska also assured that the situation in Covid is still very unstable, making it difficult to predict anything.

2.2. Study tours aimed to learning of EU experience in the development of clusters and the participation of HEIs in this activity, Lamberto Lamberti, CIHEAM-IAMB, Italy

L. Lamberti explained that organizing study tours was hard work during a pandemic. They have received two suggestions, but there are still some challenges. One of challenge is how to organize study tours with different conferences or external centres. The topics of the proposal are similar, but it is still unclear whether external centres will be interested in being invited on study tours. This issue needs to be considered. If vaccination takes place a smoothly, study tours could take place in September. A meeting on the organization of study tours is to be held in the next ten days.

2.3. Development of the legal framework for clusters functioning, Izabela Lipinska, PULS, Poland

I. Lipinska presented what the creation of a legal framework for the operation of clusters should look like and what documents are needed and what steps should be taken. The partners' progress in preparing the legal framework was also discussed. The creation of centers was discussed as well.

2.4. Creation of expertise centres at universities / future clusters, Dr. Istvan Komlosi, UD, Hungary

I.Komlosi assured that all but one of the partners provided information about the first pilot project of the expertise centres. In this week he would like to EU partners find an experts for the each expertise centre. L. Chico-Santamarta suggestion that experts from different EU partners could join the difference expertise centre. In this way partners would be able collaborate witch each other. EU partners and beneficiary partners going to start their work in the first pilot project. From each EU

2.5 activity “Elaboration and launching of new courses for master and PhD students”, Ludmila Stepura, HPHE, Ukraine

L. Stepura presented the titles of the Courses and the target audiences. L. Stepura suggests to create a team for each module that would be responsible for developing that module. Partners will be able to adapt the modules themselves. In the beginning of July, she will share a draft with partners and wait for suggestions on what needs to change.

I.Servaite and I. Kolosi suggests that first, each partner should choose which degree program and which courses they want to update but the content should be similar in all universities. How long the update process will go through and what scope of the course should be.

2.6. Launching of pilot projects, Letica Chico-Santamarta, UV, Spain

L. Chico-Santamarta explained that her team is currently working on launching pilot projects. They will send a road map of what has been done. They have created a document that includes how the quality of this activity will be ensured. It was also mentioned that lack of time needs to be assessed and that students may not be able to prepare by November. The decisions taken will be announced shortly.

Project dissemination activities, Noureddin Driouech, CIHEAM-IAMB, Italy

N. Driouech presented project dissemination activities. He reminded that all partners should be involved in dissemination activities. There was also talk of audience reach and external visibility of the project. Beneficiary countries were asked to share a list of stakeholders. ictures