The project consortium is composed of 3 universities, the National Mapping Agency and the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, 3 universities, the Cadastre State Committee and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Armenia, and 4 European universities with departments specialized in complementary fields of GIT.The specific objectives of the project are:• To identify research and development needs of Kyrgyzstan and Armenia in the field of Geoinformation Technologies.• To create a Research Node in GIT per partner country to promote and harmonise collaborative innovation projects and joint research lines.• To improve and/or update research laboratories of GIT.• To train trainers from partner countries in relevant topics of GIT that have special interest for regional development of innovation and environmental protection.• To provide teachers and managers from HEI’s in partner countries knowledge and skills in transversal topics of higher education, such as quality assurance practices, innovation and entrepreneurship, curricula development by competences and learning outcomes, and others following Bologna process standards.• To create interdisciplinary postgraduate programmes (at master and PhD levels) that enhance the potential of GIT in different areas and degrees and focus research outputs on contemporary problems at regional and global scales.• To foster and strength the cooperation between university and industry in those topics identified as critical for the sustainable development of the partner countries.• To exchange and share experiences and perspectives between two countries, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, with lacks and potential in technical research development and similar recent historical background, that are facing socio-economic challenges and need to stimulate new strategies in research and development.
This Project aimed to create capacities by retraining teachers and developing postgraduate Higher Education programs in GIT well adapted to Bologna standards and principles, and to create cooperation networks in order to strength the links in research and innovation between Higher Education institutions, industry and administration in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, so this cooperation can foster future developments adapted to the socio-economic and environmental needs of the two countries.
Innovation and research in Geoinformation Technologies (GIT) are key for the strategic and modern development of a country. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan provide basic education in these topics but lack proper infrastructure and capacity to research and innovate in this field. On one side, there were not PhD programs, aligned with Bologna values and standards, offering these capacity. On the other side, there were no connection between academy, administration and industry working in GIT.
<< Background >> Innovation and research in Geoinformation Technologies (GIT) are key for the strategic and modern development of a country. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan provide basic education in these topics but lack proper infrastructure and capacity to research and innovate in this field. On one side, there were not PhD programs, aligned with Bologna values and standards, offering these capacity. On the other side, there were no connection between academy, administration and industry working in GIT. << Objectives >> This Project aimed to create capacities by retraining teachers and developing postgraduate Higher Education programs in GIT well adapted to Bologna standards and principles, and to create cooperation networks in order to strength the links in research and innovation between Higher Education institutions, industry and administration in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, so this cooperation can foster future developments adapted to the socio-economic and environmental needs of the two countries. << Implementation >> In this Project, the needs in research and innovation were first identified in both countries, two National Research Nodes in GIT were created to foster cooperation between academy, industry and administration, 6 research labs in GIT were created and equiped, 5 new PhD curricula were developed, approved and started in PC universities, and several meetings and workshops were organized to promote the cooperation and new programs and to improve the sustainability and impact of the Project. << Results >> The first new joint PhD in Armenia was created, and 4 new PhD programs in GIT in Kyrgyzstan. National Mapping Agencies and companies related to GIT are now working together trhough the new NRN-GIT and the industrial PhD concept created by first time in the countries. Several agreements between Administration and universities were completed to collaborate in research and innovation programs focused on training posgraduate students to solve problems of society.