CLUESTER MEETING “Impact of Structural Capacity Building in Higher Education projects”

In the light of promoting the results of the Erasmus+ Program and on the occasion of the celebration of Europe Days, the National Erasmus+ Office in Moldova, in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of Education and Research, organized the Cluster Meeting dedicated to the impact at national level of the structural Capacity Building projects, implemented in the Republic of Moldova. The purpose of the event was to highlight the impact at the systemic level in the reform of higher education as a result of the implementation of eight CBHE structural projects, with a total budget of over 7.2 million euros. The event took place on May 17, 2023, at the State University of Moldova.

The event was attended by the Minister of Education and Research in the Republic of Moldova, Anatolie Topală; the deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and member of the Culture, Education, Research, Youth, Sport and Mass Media Committee, Virgiliu Pâslariuc; the rector of the State University of Moldova, Igor Sharov, and the general secretary of state within the Ministry of Education and Research in the Republic of Moldova, Nadejda Velișco. Minister Topală highly appreciated the support offered to the educational system in our country by the European structures: “I encourage academics and universities to develop structural projects necessary for the large-scale reforms that have started. The Ministry of Education and Research will support and appreciate the contribution of academics who implement projects through the new changes to the “Methodology of financing higher education institutions”.

The event brought together over 50 academic and administrative staff, coordinators of Erasmus+ projects to strengthen capacities in higher education, but also beneficiaries of the Erasmus+ Program from universities throughout the country.

The international consortia of seven of the eight CBHE structural projects implemented in the Republic of Moldova are coordinated by the higher education institutions of the Republic of Moldova. These consortia involved 39 universities from 16 European countries, along with 15 higher education institutions, the Council of Rectors of the Republic of Moldova, but also ANACEC, businesses and local NGOs. All these projects include the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova as a partner and pursue the objective of promoting reform in very diverse areas of higher education.

Dr. hab, conf. Univ., Lilia COVAS, COOPERA project manager, has presented the project general and specific objectives, main results and project achievement, also impact on national institutional and individual levels.

It has been highlighted during the event, that Erasmus+ CBHE structural projects, including COOPERA, that at the moment is ongoing the piloting of the dual study programmes, have already managed to produce an impact in the sphere of higher education, to train staff from Moldovan universities within the institutions of the European Union, but also to technically equip higher education institutions in the Republic of Moldova.