Category: UNICAC News

It is difficult to recruit talented school leavers to continue their studies at home country. However, I have tried to raise this issue together with the school leavers of Goethe Lyceum and Paymoni Azizon. Sadly from the first school from 20-22 students only 2 of them have a desire to pursue a degree in Tajikistan, in the second school numbers were a bit more positive. Today within the UNICAC project I was speaking about the issues of Higher Education in Tajikistan, particularly about the challenges and problems of Internationalisation of teaching, learning and research. It was quite a long presentation, I was happy to share it with my colleagues. But I want to touch here about one little word – “TRUST”! Unfortunately for many of our people, our Higher education institutions aren’t credible. We as a university still tackle with thoughts or maybe stereotypes about doubt in receiving qualitative education at home. Things are changing, what we are trying and focusing on at the Institute of Economy and Trade of TSUC – IET TSUC is to change these thoughts or stereotypes by offering qualitative education close enough to international standards, assure relevant education, apply interactive ways of teaching and learning and provide a modern infrastructure. We care about the future of our youth, we want them to be great contributors to regional development, but we don’t want to let our talented youth leave a country. Our hard work on making better and qualitative education is continuing and every put effort for a single word – to earn your TRUST! So you can make the right decision in selecting your alma-mater!

In the following days of the UNICAC training organized by a University of Torino (UNITO) in Italy, under a WP2.5 all the Universities of the UNICAC consortia presented their topic of concern in different aspects of the Higher Education and Cross-Regional Cooperation, particularly:
1. UNITO: “Fostering international mobility according to ECHE principles”.
2. US: Rosario López Ruiz “Technical and financial management of European projects”. KSU: Tojigul Mardonova “The impact of international projects on HEI in case of KHOGU using EU experience”.
3. UNITO: Lucia Salto “Doctoral careers outside higher education. International good practices”.
4. XIU: Qing TAO “Strengthening international cooperation and exchanges, expanding the school’s international vision”.
5. UNITO: Virginia Mariano “International Relations between China and Mediterranean countries (ChinaMed); Student and teachers’ mobility programmes”.
6. IET TSUC: Saidqosim Mukhtorov “Socio-Economic Challenges in Internationalization of Tajikistan Higher Education”.
7. NPU: Li Ziwei “Embrace the Global Higher Education Cooperation in the VUCA times”
8. NWAFU: Mrs. Jile Kang “Mission and strategic plan of the Silkroad Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance (2021- 2025)”
9. LAUREA: Ms. Tuija Hirvikoski “Universities contributing to and benefiting from the socio-economic, cultural and ecological development across regions”.
10. UNITO: Cristian Collina “Paths of Rule of Law in Post-Socialist Europe and Asia: Renewing the Capacity Building Strategies”.
11. NUUz: Yana Arustamyan “The role of IRO in international cooperation”

At last, the trainer from INCOMA: Ana Tavares (Expert in EU programmes and Grant Proposals) conducted a workshop, where she presented a New Funding Programmes of Europe in the field of Higher Education for the period of 2021-2027. Moreover, she navigated through a European Commission page to illustrate how to find funding and tender opportunities. Also, Ana shared the crucial tips and tricks of how to write a winning Capacity Building project in Higher Education proposal.

IRO staff of the IET TSUC has benefited a lot from this 4-day training. They got the valuable insight and new perspectives for the globalization of higher education. After the completion, they were awarded a certificate.

We are continuing to actively engage in the UNICAC project activities.
On February 23, 2021, commenced a 4-day series of the 4th Training Module: EU-Central Asia-China cooperation with a special focus on Higher Education organized virtually by the University of Torino (UNITO), Italy. The objectives of this training module are to improve the mutual expertise and network, exchange good practices in cross-regional cooperation and identify the challenges and future perspectives of the partners.
Firstly, at the welcoming and opening session video presentation of the UNITO and Torino city was made with the following short overview of the international relations of UNITO.

In the main part – Cross-regional cooperation with focus on the partner countries, prof. Inmaculada Vivas from the University of Seville presented a short overview of the UNICAC project, followed by Juan Guerrero (IMCOMA director) and Beatriz Gonzàlez (INCOMA/UNICAC project manager) identified the goals and expected results of the WP2.5.
At the wrap-up part of the seminar, there was a panel discussion and sharing of ideas regarding the upcoming training themes and activities.

The coordinator of UNICAC in IET TSUC Mukhtorov Saidqosim pointed out that UNICAC was the first Capacity Building project the IET TSUC got involved in. The impact of the project has been enormous for the IET TSUC, particularly to its international relations and expanding of foreign networks The University has built ties with several partner universities of the project. In particular, IET TSUC had arranged the academic mobility with the University of Laurea (Finland) in the framework of the Erasmus program, also involved Laurea in its internal capacity building project financed by MOES RT. In the nearest future, IET TSUC is intended to cooperate closely with Uzbekistan’s universities of the UNICAC consortia to enhance its capacity to accept Uzbek incoming students and to sign bilateral contracts regarding the research, students’ and teaching staffs’ academic process.

On January 29th all UNICAC partners have met in a general online meeting organized by the Tashkent University of Information Technologies (TUIT). This meeting brought together UNICAC consortia to share ideas about WP5: The creation of a Cross-Regional Network for Internationalisation and Cooperation of HEIs. TUIT presented their initiative to create an International Scientific Advisory Board in the framework of this WP5.
“The Board’s key mission is to give its scientific opinions, strategic feedback on the major outlines of HEI’s science and education policy, such as the strategic plan, the development, and accreditation of educational programs as well the improvement of the education and research infrastructures including teaching lab and research centers.”
In turn, IET TSUC offered to build a platform that could serve as a medium for cooperation in various aspects of the teaching, learning, and research activity between all partners of the UNICAC, thereby facilitating further collaboration and supporting the sustainability of the project.

Last Tuesday, on January 26th, 2021 a virtual meeting was held in the framework of the UNICAC project involving the universities from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Involved universities were the Institute of Economy and Trade of TSUC (IET TSUC), Khorog State University (KSU), Tashkent University of Information Technologies (TUIT) and National University of Uzbekistan (NUUz).
This meeting was conducted with the objective to discuss further steps within the UNICAC’s WP 3: Development of Potentials for Internationalisation in Teaching/Learning/Research (T/L/R) and WP5: Cross-Regional Network for Internationalisation and Cooperation of HEIs.
Partners have discussed the upcoming milestones and events of the project regarding the possibility of arranging mobility between universities, holding conferences, implementation of the dissemination plan and building a platform to support the sustainability of the project.
Furthermore, experts from IET TSUC and TUIT talked over the prospects for tightening the relationship between them within the teaching, learning and research by making bilateral agreements for student/staff mobility and dual diploma programes, fostering joint research activity and knowledge transfer.

We have finished a series of workshops in the framework of the UNICAC project for our PhD students. These virtual meetings had a discussion format and were dedicated to “How to Manage it All – Student Wellbeing, Time Management and Finalizing Your Studies Effectively” and “Promoting Academic Writing Skills in English”. These workshops were held twice a month in November and December and were delivered by PhD Tiina Wikström (Philosophy, Arts and Society Research Program, University of Helsinki; University of Laurea, Finland).

PhD students from IET TSUC received valuable notions and techniques of time management, how to manage their academic activity efficiently and maintain wellbeing, they also got practical tips on how to structure, write and publish their academic work. Furthermore, students had input to share and discuss their tips and tricks on how they handle their studies. Upon successful completion of the seminar participants were provided with certificates.