Kick-off meeting of the project "Accessibility and Harmonisation of Higher Education in Central Asia through Modernisation and Curriculum Development (АСADEMICA)”

The kick-off meeting (first meeting) of the project "Accessibility and Harmonisation of Higher Education in Central Asia through Modernisation and Curriculum Development (ACADEMICA)" took place at the Burgas Free University (Bulgaria) from 23 to 24 February 2016. More than 40 representatives of higher education institutions and organisations from Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Italy, Austria and Spain participated in this meeting. On the first day, representatives of the Free University of Bourgas made welcoming remarks at the official opening. Ms. Maria Jeleva, main coordinator, introduced Free University Burgas and gave the floor to Prof. Milen Baltov, Vice-rector for Scientific and International Cooperation, to elaborate on the international activities of the university. All representative partners present at the meeting spoke about their institution and their role in the ACADÉMICA project. From Sh. Ualikhanov KSU the Project Manager, First Vice-rector Temirkhan Zarkinbekov on 5 WP: Project Management. All work package leaders made presentations of their work packages. Each of them paid special attention to the purpose of the package, expected actions and final result, deadlines. Maria Zheleva, Project Coordinator, started the session by presenting the 5 WP: Project Management. The Country Coordinator from Kazakhstan, Anuarbek Kakabayev, presented the ACADEMICA Valorisation Plan - dissemination and operational strategy (WP 4). The session ended with a discussion on the mechanism for issuing questionnaires designed for lecturers, students and employers. On the second day the financial manager of the ACADEMICA project Janislav-Zhelev spoke. He explained in detail all financial guidelines and reporting in English and Russian (for CA Partners) in order to clarify the financial rules of the programme. The availability of financial support for representatives of associated partners was discussed. The institutional summary reports of all participating institutions were also reviewed.

All representatives from each institution provided information in the form of a presentation on the current state of higher education in the field of technical and technical trade studies as well as in the area of the National Strategy for Development of Higher Education. The presentation on this topic from KSU named after Sh. Ualikhanov was made by Dr. Aisulu Shayakhmetova, Training Coordinator of the Project on 5 WP: Project Management. All participants of the kick-off meeting were given certificates.