Seminar for on-going Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Projects (14.11.16, Kyiv, Ukraine)
During two days, representatives of Ukrainian HEIs were trying to find the answer to this question together with the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine (NEO) and Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (ЕАСЕА).
On November 14-15, 2016 within the framework of the National Erasmus+ Week, two sessions on Jean Monnet Actions with participation of Joanna-Maria Pesch-Konopka, a project officer from EACEA Jean Monnet Unit, Brussels were delivered to interested parties.
Jean Monnet Help Desk on November 14 was addressed to those Ukrainian academics who already implement a Jean Monnet project and face with challenges linked to implementation, namely: financial management, co-funding, reporting, harmonization and alignment of national and institutional (HEI) requirements to implementation of international technical assistance programmes with EACEA rules and requirements.
It is worth mentioning that the majority of Jean Monnet projects participants face similar challenges: reluctance of university accountant’s office to cooperate with Jean Monnet project management teams, impediments preventing cooperation with European experts and guest lecturers, as well as loose and flexible – and therefore, unfamiliar and fearsome for Ukrainian participants – approaches to spending the money provided Jean Monnet grant.
It is noteworthy that Ukrainian Jean Monnet project participants confirmed their interest in cooperation and networking; that complexities and bottlenecks that project teams face in the first months of project implementation did not avert them later from participation in Jean Monnet Activities.
The second session took place on November 15 and had an informational focus. Ms. Pesch-Konopka informed on opportunities that Jean Monnet Actions open for Ukrainian HEIs and university teachers and referred to best practices employed by universities from different countries. She provided detailed answers to questions and responded to concerns expressed by potential Ukrainian participants and in this way encouraged them to take part in Jean Monnet projects.
The presentations of the first and second sessions can be found at the web site of the National Erasmus+ Office at: http://erasmusplus.org.ua/novyny/1414-sesiia-dlia-vykonavtsiv-proektiv-zhan-mone.html
Jean Monnet is a component of the EU Erasmus+ Programme; it is named after one of the founding fathers of the European Union and is addressed to teachers and researchers of the EU and European integration. The Call for Jean Monnet Actions is announced annually; the deadline for this year Call is February 23, 2017. Annually, Ukrainian HEIs submit over 100 applications, seven to ten are selected for funding. Currently, 28 Jean Monnet projects are implemented by Ukrainian HEIs. Starting from 2002, over fifty Jean Monnet projects has been funded by the EU in Ukraine.