Cluster webinar “Strengthening the Capacity of Ukrainian Education for the European Integration” (8.12.22, online)
On 8 December 2022, the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine in cooperation with co-organisers held Cluster webinar “Strengthening the Capacity of Ukrainian Education for the European Integration”. The webinar was organised in cooperation with the Directorates General of European Commission, European Education and Culture Executive Agency, EU Delegation to Ukraine, Office of the President of Ukraine, Ministry of the Education and Science of Ukraine, ESN-Ukraine. Webinar as cluster event was joined by over 125 representatives of Ukrainian authorities, EU institutions, European and Ukrainian education institutions, Youth organisations and coordinators and partners’ projects team 2022 calls winners (International Credit Mobility (ICM), Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE), Capacity Building in Vocational Education and training (CBVET), Erasmus Mundus Actions (EMA), Virtual Exchanges (EVE) and Jean Monnet (JMA) projects beneficiaries).
SPEAKERS’ presentations and other materials.
The co-organizers of the conference addressed the participants with a welcome speech. Serhiy ZAKHARIN, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine , emphasized the importance of the implementation of Erasmus+ projects and the results achieved in correspondence of project priorities to national policy in the light of higher education reforms. Antoaneta ANGELOVA-KRASTEVA, Director for Innovation, Digital Education and International Cooperation at European Commission, presented the key priorities of cooperation in the field of education, youth and sports with Ukraine as a candidate country for joining the EU. Svitlana KRETOVYCH, Head of Unit of Education and Science, Directorate of Internal and Humanitarian Policy, Office of the President of Ukraine, highlighted the issue of humanitarian policy priorities regarding Ukraine’s cooperation with the EU. Sophie BEERNAERTS, Head of Department A: Erasmus+, EU Solidarity Corps, EACEA, expressed support for Ukrainian partners in the implementation of Erasmus+ projects, taking into account the full-scale war and related challenges.
During the first plenary session , Anila TROSHANI, Head of Sector, Projects Monitoring, EACEA, presented results of the last Erasmus 2021-2022 calls and opportunities for the next 2023 call, and also emphasized the importance of the achieved results and their quality as a powerful tools on the path of Ukraine’s integration to the EU.
During the second plenary session, the participants met representatives of some projects, in particular on mobility, capacity building in higher education, Jean Monet, who continued their activities during the war: Mykola TROFIMENKO, Rector, Mariupol State University; Ksenia SMIRNOVA, Vice-Rector, Taras ShevchenkoKyiv National University; Oleksandr BEREZKO, Erasmus+ OPTIMA CBHE project, Lviv Polytechnic National University; Oksana HOLOVKO-HAVRYSHEVA, President, Ukrainian Association of European Studies. In addition, the President of Erasmus Students Network (ESN Ukraine) Artem TSELIKOV joined the series of interviews, presenting the “Report of Survey 2022: Ukrainian Students Abroad” , which aims to facilitate communication between European universities and Ukrainian students and open up more opportunities for them to continue their studies in a safe place. At the end of the session, Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine, highlighted the connection of the Programme with the national context and the impact of the achieved results for higher education reforms in Ukraine, as well as appealed to join the implementation of Erasmus+ projects and promote Ukraine as a potential active partner during the war and post-war recovery of the country.
In the third part of the event, the project teams had the opportunity to participate in working groups dedicated to different Programe Key Actions and discuss current challenges and ways to solve them, inter-project cooperation and synergy.
The Erasmus+ international credit mobility working group , moderated by Ivanna ATAMANCHUK, NEO – Ukraine, discussed the features of the Erasmus+ mobility implementation during the war in Ukraine, challenges and ways to overcome them. Participants of the working group shared their experience of implementing mobility projects after 24 February 2022, in particular Olga DEMYDENKO, the National Technical University of Ukraine “Ihor Sikorskyi Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, introduced the experience of university regarding the adaptation of institutional documents and the flexibility of procedures in accordance with the opportunities of Erasmus+ and martial law in Ukraine, as well as the importance of constant communication between partner universities on new peculiarities of functioning of Ukrainian higher education institutions. Oksana KRAYEVSKA and Sofia PEDOS, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, presented institutional process of preparation for mobility: aspects of nomination, processing documents for mobility, communication with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and other state authorities regarding the crossing of the state border of Ukraine by male participants of Erasmus mobility+. Olena KRAVCHENKO, Taras ShevchenkoKyiv National University, shared experience on period after mobility: mobility results recognition, focusing special attention on the process and results during the war in Ukraine.
During the Erasmus Mundus working group , moderated by Zhanna TALANOVA, NEO – Ukraine , and Belen ENCISO, EACEA, participants discussed the key features of the EM projects, requirements for the quality of the obtained results, and implementation according to the rules of the Programme and Ukrainian legislation.
The working group on capacity building in higher education , moderated by Svitlana Shytikova, NEO – Ukraine, and Lucia GIANNINI, EACEA, discussed the implementation of projects in accordance with Ukrainian realities and ProgramME rules: package of documents preparation for state registration, reporting and submission of monitoring cards to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, academic integrity and quality of achieved results, etc. During the working group, the winners of previous calls shared their experience and successful cases of implementing projects during the war.
The working group of Jean Monet Edith GENSER, EACEA, devoted presentation to Actions’ opportunities within call 2023 and the analysis of the results of the previous years. At the end of the session, speaker provided clear recommendations to projects winners on successful implementation of Jean Monet projects, in particular, on realism and relevance of tasks, wide promotion and availability of the obtained results.
In the working group on capacity building in VET, coordinated by Veronika TKACHENKO, NEO – Ukraine, and Pavol KREMPASKY, EACEA, speakers presented the new CB VET call for 2023, providing advices on its implementation and preparation of a successful project proposals. Olena SHELIMANOVA, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, presented objectives, tasks and expected results of the “VET partnership For Green and Smart Electricity in Buildings” project. Veronika TKACHENKO and Tatyana BILETSKA, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, provided recommendations on national requirements for project implementation, dissemination of results, as well as cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
In the working group on virtual exchanges in the field of education and youth, moderated by Kateryna ZHDANOVA, NEO – Ukraine, and Roland FARKAS, EACEA, the features of this action, technical requirements and opportunities for cooperation were presented with European partners virtually. Speaker provided detailed description of the implementation of projects and their key integration aspects for formal and non-formal education.
At the end of the event, participants summed up their work in groups and shared advices on projects implementation during wartime, presenting their own cases and experiences.
Recommendations based on the outcomes of the Webinar (UA).