Lektüretipps – Seite 2 – BAYHOST Kompetenzatlas

Wie das Online-Magazin Science|Business berichtet, arbeitet die ukrainische Regierung an Reformen, um die Integration in den neu gestalteten Europäischen Forschungsraum (EFR) zu beschleunigen. Zudem hofft das Land, noch in diesem Jahr dem COST-Programm für wissenschaftliche und technologische Zusammenarbeit beitreten zu können.

Bereits seit Oktober 2021 ist die Ukraine voll assoziiertes Mitglied des europäischen Rahmenprogramms für Forschung und Entwicklung Horizont Europa und des EURATOM-Programms für Forschung und Ausbildung. Für 2022 plant die ukrainische Regierung sich weiter an die europäische Forschungs- und Innovationsgemeinschaft anzunähern und die Ausweitung der Teilnahme an internationalen Wissenschaftsprogrammen der EU.

Dazu wurde im vergangenen Jahr die nationale Roadmap für die Integration in den Europäischen Forschungsraum aktualisiert und eine Expertengruppe ins Leben gerufen, die sich an den Arbeitsgruppen des Ausschusses für den Europäischen Raum für Forschung und Innovation (ERAC) beteiligen soll. Geplant ist zudem die weitere Reform des Forschungs- und Entwicklungssystems, um dieses stärker an den Prioritäten und Zielsetzung der EU auszurichten. Angedacht ist unter anderem die Einführung von Open Science-Ansätzen sowie die Schaffung eines Rechtsrahmens, der es den Forschungsinfrastrukturen des Landes ermöglicht, sich europäischen Konsortien anzuschließen. Zudem habe das Land bereits ein wettbewerbsorientiertes System für die Vergabe von Fördermitteln eingeführt und plane jährliche Erhöhungen des Budgets des Nationalen Forschungsfonds, so ein Vertreter des ukrainischen Ministeriums für Bildung und Wissenschaft.

Bis Ende des Jahres soll nach Wunsch der Regierung auch die Teilnahme am COST-Programm ausgehandelt werden, um ukrainischen Forschenden die Zusammenarbeit mit Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern in der EU zu erleichtern.

Quelle: Kooperation International

Report: Large-scale study of IT industry in Lviv & Ivano-Frankivsk

IT Research is a research network with a unique methodology, thanks to which a large-scale study of the Lviv IT market has been conducted in the city since 2015 on the initiative of the Lviv IT Cluster. In 2021, Ivano-Frankivsk IT Cluster joined IT Research to conduct a deeper and broader study of the IT industry in these two western Ukrainian cities.

Key fundings:

LVIV: ROBUST GROWTH OF THE NUMBERS OF IT COMPANIES AND IT SPECIALISTS. Despite the pandemic, the number of IT companies’ growth dynamics is 6% (511 in 2021, compared to 492 in 2020) and the number of IT specialists has grown to 30-31 ooo, compared to 26-26.5 000 in 2020.
IVANO-FRANKIVSK: 70 IT companies employ 2,600 people, with 50% of them working for companies that have an office in Lviv.
PROFILE OF AN IT SPECIALIST: The median age of IT specialists in Lviv in 2021 is 29±1. Although the majority of IT specialists are male (62%), the share of females in tech is 38%.
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: The total economic effect of the IT sector in Lviv in 2020 amounted to $1,412 billion (an increase from $1,295 billion in 2019), out of which the direct economic effect reached $865 million, with additional indirect effect (the effect of IT on related sectors of the economy) equaling $557 million.

Background: The first analysis was carried out in 2015 and aimed to provide an overview of the IT industry and characterize the Lviv IT market. The following annual surveys (2017 – 2019), focussed in addition on measuring the economic effect of the IT industry in Lviv. The 5th report (2020) evaluated the impact of the pandemic on the activity and development of the tech industry in Lviv. In 2021, the research was performed in cooperation with Ivano-Frankivsk IT Cluster thus expanding the geography of the study of the IT industry both in Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk. Apart from analyzing the economic effect of the IT industry, IT Research 6.0 studies human capital, the impact of higher education, COVID-19 effect on the IT industry and more.

Source: The UKRAINE Network

Duma backs measures to attract international students

The Russian State Duma or parliament has backed additional measures aimed at attracting foreign students to study in domestic universities.

The bill simplifying the stay of foreign students in Russia and cutting a Russian language requirement was approved by the State Duma in the first reading on 18 November.

The bill is expected to go through on further readings as a formality and could be adopted as early as the middle of December.

Currently, foreign students receive a temporary residence permit (TRP) on a general basis within the quota established by the government and for a period of three years.

But the bill, which was developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will allow the issuance of a TRP at the request of a foreign student for the entire period of their study and the next 180 days.

In addition, foreign applicants will be exempted from the need to confirm proficiency in the Russian language, knowledge of the history of Russia and the basics of Russian legislation, as well as the requirement to submit annual notifications of residence.

They will also receive the right to obtain a residence permit in the Russian Federation in a simplified manner within three years of graduation. In case of expulsion from the university, the TRP will be cancelled if the student does not transfer to another university within 30 days.

Originally the proposal had been to allow students to stay on for three years after graduation, as reported by University World News, but this was revised down to 180 days.

According to data of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, at present about 300,000 students from abroad study in Russia. Most foreigners come to study in Russia from the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (particularly those located in Central Asia) and China.

The explanatory note to the bill said that 265,056 foreign students were registered as being in Russia in 2020.

This did not include any who had left the country temporarily, for example, to return home to visit family, since all foreign students leaving Russia during their studies must be removed from the register at the place of residence and register once again when returning to the country.

However, representatives of universities are often untimely in submitting information about the arrival of their foreign students, which has often led to the students facing difficulties.

The new bill abolishes this norm and migration procedures will only need to be followed if foreigners leave Russia during their studies for a period of more than six months.

A spokesman for the Russian State Duma said: “The amendments made to the law will relieve the burden both on the state bodies dealing with foreign students in Russia and universities themselves.”

In the meantime, representatives of leading Russian higher education institutions have already welcomed the new state initiative.

Ivan Prostakov, vice-rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told University World News: “Our university, together with other Russian universities, has promoted this legislative initiative and we welcome it, because the simplification of bureaucratic procedures makes our country more attractive for foreign students.”

He said the introduction of the new rules will correspond to the existing visa and migration practices of many countries that are trying to secure qualified labour resources and fully fit into the logic of the initiative recently adopted by the Russian government, ‘Russia is an attractive country for study and work’.

He said fears that applicants will not take the Russian language exam and that their level of training will be lower “seem to be groundless”.

“First, Russian universities are offering more and more programmes in English. Second, the quality of applicants does not depend on the current legislative norms, but on the requirements that universities have and will present to applicants from abroad,” he said.

“Leading Russian universities, where the majority of foreign students study, are already actively involved in their adaptation to academic and extracurricular life.”

Anna Mezit, head of the department of international cooperation at the Siberian Federal University, told University World News that the effort to reduce the administrative burden for universities was important and timely.

But in light of Russia’s plans to make its higher education competitive and bring it to the global level, further work is needed, she said.

“There is still work to do to make the process of attracting foreigners to Russian universities more successful. One such option may involve creating a specialised online platform – a service that will link university international departments, the police and border control.

“While we agree that it is not necessary to pass the history of Russia and the Russian language [tests] for foreigners, it might be too early to issue a residence permit in a simplified format after their graduation. A residence permit is the penultimate step before obtaining citizenship. And this should be a conscious choice of a person,” she said.

“It is much more important to try to integrate foreign graduates. So, in many countries undergraduates are given another year after graduation, when they can safely stay in the country in order to find a job.”

Source: University World News

Government to launch new university accreditation system

The Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education is preparing a regulatory framework to introduce a new indicator-based accreditation system for universities. Currently, institutions are forced to obtain state accreditation every six years and they regularly complain about the laboriousness and complexity of the process.

The new system will be based on the assessment of universities against indicators, rather than on their programmes as under the current system. The ministry has already published the draft indicators that will be key to the new model of state accreditation, which should be operational from 1 March 2022.

State accreditation in Russia aims to measure and recognise higher education quality against Federal State Educational Standards, under a federal law that has been in effect since 2012. State accreditation is conducted by the Federal Service for the Supervision of Education and Science or Rosobrnadzor, a statutory body that oversees the sector.

According to Russia’s National Centre for Public Accreditation, state accreditation is mandatory for all higher education institutions. If successful, a university is awarded accreditation for six years. In the case of non-compliance with the standards, Rosobrnadzor can, among other actions, order an unscheduled inspection, or suspension or withdrawal of accreditation.

The system of accreditation allows universities to issue a state diploma, as well as to guarantee students respite from the army and other benefits.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education commented: “To maintain and develop the quality of education, we plan to conduct regular monitoring of universities for compliance with the specified indicators.”

Under the new system, the ministry plans to assess the average Unified State Exam (USE) score of incoming students, as well as the level of employment of graduates. The USE is a series of examinations that every student must pass after graduating from school in order to enter a university or a professional college.

Indicators will include: the “dynamics of competitive selection” over the past three years; the number of Olympiad winners and 100-point applicants (as a USE result) among students; the number of publications in leading domestic or foreign scientific publications; the amount of funds received from scientific activities; the rate of renewal of material and the technical base (at least once every three years); and “the provision of educational process with teaching staff”.

Backdrop

In 2018, as reported by University World News, 50 of Russia’s largest universities called on President Vladimir Putin to scrap the state accreditation system, calling it outdated, overly bureaucratic and failing to meet its initial objectives.

In an official letter to Putin, the universities said that the current system was implemented in 2012 and over the subsequent five years cleared the market of unscrupulous institutions.

However, their petition said, as reported by University World News: “In the absence of an established system of independent assessment of the quality of higher education in Russia, state accreditation is often limited by only checking the conditions necessary for the implementation of educational activities, repeating the licensing procedures, being purely documentary.

“Experts conducting inspections often do not have sufficient qualification and reputation for making independent decisions regarding the scientific potential of a particular university and the quality of its educational programmes.”

Happy noises from universities

Representatives from two leading universities welcomed the new accreditation approach.

Denis Guts, deputy head of academic affairs at the Siberian Federal University (SibFU), commented to University World News: “We have never lived in the concept of ‘once every six years’ before.

“SibFU implements about 500 basic educational programmes, which are constantly ‘tuned’ in accordance with existing realities and the requirements of potential employers. We are not just ready for ‘accreditation in a new way’, but already achieved a similar system – but with more stringent conditions.

“At the Siberian Federal University, the project ‘Hybrid-adaptive management system of educational programmes’ is being implemented. The essence of the approach is precisely that education cannot be linear and frozen, but instead of this, hybrid and flexible and able to adapt to current realities.”

Anyway, said Guts, the accreditation system being introduced by the ministry “is assessed positively and, moreover, looks like a trend and a timely response to changes in society”.

An expert at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), one of Russia’s leading universities, is also optimistic about the state initiative.

Nadezhda Knyaginina, a research fellow of the Education Law Laboratory in the Institute of Education at HSE, told University World News in an interview: “It should be understood that the current specific indicators, which were prepared by the state, are already a big step forward compared to how it was implemented in the previous accreditation model.

“Previously, the university had to guess which line of dozens, if not hundreds, of federal, extremely abstract state educational standards could lead to the loss of its accreditation. The current link to monitoring changes the situation: the indicators are fixed, they are defined specifically, and they are the same for everyone.

“This means that a situation is not allowed where one university loses its accreditation for something that, in other universities, is not seriously considered as a violation by our regulators. We are moving away from subjective assessments.”

Source: University World News

Cooperation Highlight: DAAD-funded German-Ukrainian research and development project VRscan3D

On 23. November 2021

The objective of this project (2019-2023) is to develop a software tool for creating simulated mass data of objects that are recorded by a terrestrial laser scanner. These instruments create 3D point clouds from different stations which further have to be registered (geo-referenced) and processed to higher level information such as 3D models, architectural drawings, orthophotos or maps.

This project is led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Dr. h.c. Thomas Luhmann, member of the German-Ukrainian Academic Society.

Project is financed under DAAD program Support for the internationalisation of Ukrainian higher education institutions – shaping the digital future together. The project is funded with approx. EUR 100,000 per year. The project has recently been extended until 2023. Here you can also see other projects funded within this funding line by the DAAD.

Ukrainian universities teaching courses related to digitization in engineering practice (e.g. geoinformation sciences, cadastral mapping, geodesy) should educate their students according to modern needs and demands from the professional market. However, there is a lack of knowledge among many teachers, out of-date equipment (hardware and software), insufficient IT infrastructure and insufficient finances for necessary investments. University curricula in Ukraine need to be updated to accommodate these new technologies. For this purpose, appropriate tools and data have to be provided, otherwise neither teachers nor students have realistic chances to adapt to new methods in due time, and they will not be able to contribute to further developments by themselves.

The main goals of this project is to cover engineering digitization by two major project parts:

Development of a virtual environment for creation and processing of digital 3D scan data
Digital teaching and e-learning material with interactive tools and practical experiences

Digital teaching and e-learning material with interactive tools and practical experiences

Project partners:

Jade University of Applied Sciences, The Institute for Applied Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics (IAPG), Oldenburg, Germany
Kyiv National University for Construction and Architecture (KNUCA), Faculty for Geodesy and Land Management, Ukraine
Dnipro University of Technology, Ukraine
University of Bamberg, Institute of Archaeology, Heritage Sciences and Art History, Germany.

This collaborative project further advances the existing fruitful cooperation between the Jade University of Applied Sciences and the KNUCA. Since 2015 Jade University of Applied Sciences supports the annual student-exchange Oldenburg-Kyiv on topic “Photogrammetry and laser scanning for the acquisition and 3D modelling of complex objects”.

Source: The UKRAINE Network

Ukraine joins Horizon Europe and Euratom Research and Training Programme

On 23. November 2021

At the EU-Ukraine Summit, the leaders of the European Union and its Member States, finalised the association of Ukraine to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027), and the Euratom Research and Training Programme (2021-2025). Ukrainian researchers and innovators can participate under the same conditions as entities from EU Member States. This cooperation in science, research and innovation further strengthens the alliance between the EU and Ukraine to deliver on common priorities, such as the twin green and digital transition.

Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel said:

“I welcome Ukraine to Horizon Europe and Euratom. Openness and cooperation with the rest of the world are key in our strategy to create critical mass for research and innovation and to accelerate and find solutions to pressing global challenges. Under Horizon 2020, Ukrainian participants received more than €45 million in EU support and showed innovation leadership and excellence across fields such as researchers’ mobility, transport and energy. I am confident Ukraine will build on these past successes”.

Multiple success stories resulted from past cooperation, covering a variety of scientific areas such as:

DIABOLO, developing harmonised information for forest ecosystems management,
SENSKIN offering new maintenance techniques in transport infrastructure,
RESPONSE to find eco-solutions to power the cities of the future,
EURAD, to handle radioactive waste management,
ALISE – focusing on the possibility of boosting the anticancer activity only in tumors,
SolarGaps – energy generating solar smart window blinds

Source: The UKRAINE Network

Die Präsidentenstiftung für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Sport hat ihre Arbeit aufgenommen

In Kiew fand die Gründungssitzung des Rates der Stiftung des Präsidenten der Ukraine für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Sport statt. Dies teilte der Pressedienst des Präsidialamtes am Freitag, 1. Oktober, mit.

Die Stiftung selbst wurde 2019 gegründet, und im Juni 2021 genehmigte Präsident Wladimir Zelenski das Reglement für den Stiftungsrat, mit dem die Aktivitäten der Stiftung neu festgelegt wurden.

Die Stiftung hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, talentierte Ukrainer und ihre Ideen in den oben genannten Bereichen zu fördern und zu unterstützen, um die Führungsposition des Landes in der Welt zu stärken.

Iryna Tulyakova, die Vorsitzende des Stiftungsrats, gratulierte den Anwesenden und erklärte, dass die Stiftung des Präsidenten die Möglichkeit biete, in der Ukraine Veränderungen herbeizuführen und talentierte junge Menschen zu fördern.

Zu den wichtigsten Programmen der Stiftung gehören Stipendien für Studienaufenthalte im Ausland, Praktika für junge Menschen in führenden ausländischen Hochschul- und Forschungseinrichtungen, die Gewinnung von Dozenten aus den weltweit führenden Universitäten und Forschungseinrichtungen, die Teilnahme junger Menschen an internationalen wissenschaftlichen und praktischen Seminaren und Konferenzen, die Auszeichnung junger Menschen für ihre Leistungen und die Unterstützung der Durchführung von Projekten in Bildung, Wissenschaft und Sport.

Irina Tulyakova sagte auch, dass die Arbeit an der Online-Plattform der Stiftung in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Ministerium für digitale Wirtschaft fortgesetzt wird.

Die wichtigsten Programme des Fonds werden voraussichtlich im Februar 2022 anlaufen.

Der Fonds wird 100.000 Griwna an die Gewinner internationaler Olympiaden auszahlen. Präsidentschaftsstipendien in Höhe von 10.000 UAH werden auch an die Teilnehmer der UPE gezahlt, die die besten Ergebnisse erzielt haben. Diese Stipendien werden im Laufe des Jahres monatlich ausgezahlt.

Geplant ist auch die Finanzierung von Preisen, um die Leistungen ukrainischer Sportler zu fördern, junge Menschen für den Sport zu begeistern und das Training zu unterstützen.

Darüber hinaus bietet die Stiftung die Möglichkeit, Stipendien für Master- und Promotionsstudien an ausländischen Bildungseinrichtungen zu erhalten. Dies wird begabten jungen Menschen und Akademikern eine wettbewerbsfähige Ausbildung ermöglichen.

Der Fonds kann auch genutzt werden, um hochqualifizierte ausländische Lehrkräfte und Ausbilder anzuwerben, die ukrainische Studenten in vorrangigen Bereichen ausbilden, in denen das Ausbildungsniveau erhöht werden muss.

Zuvor wurde berichtet, dass Präsident Wolodymyr Zelenski ein Dekret zur Vergabe von Stipendien und Preisen für die besten Teilnehmer an UPE und Olympiaden unterzeichnet hat.

Quelle: Ukraine-Nachrichten

Geimpfte Studierende und Gastwissenschaftler aus Russland und China gelten in Deutschland nicht als geimpft

Der Allgemeine Fakultätentag e.V. veröffentlicht am 01.11.2021 seine Pressemitteilung „Geimpfte Studierende und Gastwissenschaftler aus Russland und China gelten in Deutschland nicht als geimpft“. In dieser macht der AFT darauf aufmerksam, dass der Impfstatus einiger ausländischer Studierenden und Wissenschaftlern in Deutschland nicht anerkannt wird. Laut Verordnung gilt nur als geimpft, wer mit einem vom Paul-Ehrlich-Institut zugelassenen Impfstoff geimpft wurde.

Mit dem Wintersemester kommen erneut Studierende auch aus dem Ausland nach Deutschland. Wenn sie aus China oder Russland kommen, so treffen sie auf folgendes Problem. Auch wenn sie in ihrem Heimatland bereits gegen das Coronavirus geimpft wur-den, so gelten sie zur Zeit in Deutschland nicht als geimpft. Damit haben sie an mehreren Hochschulen keinen Zutritt zur Mensa, wo 2G als Zutrittsregel gilt, und auch der Zutritt zu Vorlesungen in Präsenz ist stark eingeschränkt, wenn die Hochschule für die Studierenden keine kostenlosen und regelmäßigen Testmöglichkeiten anbieten kann.

Hervorgerufen wird diese Situation durch die Definition der Impfung in der COVID-19-Schutzmaßnahmen-Ausnahmenverordnung der Bundesregierung, die wiederum in den Verordnungen der Landesregierungen einfach übernommen wird. Laut Verordnung gilt nur als geimpft, wer mit einem vom Paul-Ehrlich-Institut zugelassenen Impfstoff geimpft wurde. In vielen Ländern außerhalb der EU, insbesondere Russland und China, werden dagegen nur Impfstoffe eingesetzt, die in der EU nicht zugelassen sind.

Die derzeitige Definition des Impfstatus behindert die Internationalisierung der Hochschulen. Daher fordert der Allgemeine Fakultätentag die Bundesregierung auf, die COVID-19-Schutzmaßnahmen-Ausnahmenverordnung dahingehend zu ändern, dass Impfungen mit einem im Ausland zugelassenen Impfstoff gegen Covid auch in Deutschland als Impfungen gelten, sofern es keine klaren Hinweise gibt, dass der verwendete Impfstoff tatsächlich nur wenig wirksam ist.

Quelle: idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Wettbewerb „Herausragende deutsch-russische Leistungen und Kooperationen im Bereich Wirtschaft und nachhaltige Entwicklung“

Im Rahmen des Themenjahres findet der Wettbewerb „Herausragende deutsch-russische Leistungen und Kooperationen im Bereich Wirtschaft und nachhaltige Entwicklung“ statt, der bilaterale Projekte auszeichnet, die Meilensteine in der Zusammenarbeit beider Länder in den Bereichen Innovation, Digitalisierung, Energie, Umwelt, Landwirtschaft, Verkehr, Tourismus, Bildung und Wissenschaft darstellen.

Am 11. Dezember 2020 wurde das Deutsch-Russische Themenjahr „Wirtschaft und nachhaltige Entwicklung“ 2020-2022 eröffnet. Es setzt sich zum Ziel, die bereits bestehenden bilateralen Projekte und Partnerschaften in zukunftsorientierten Sektoren zu bündeln und ihnen größere Sichtbarkeit zu verschaffen. Zugleich sollen neue Impulse für das Engagement und für Kooperationen zu Nachhaltigkeitsthemen gesetzt werden und neue Netzwerke aufgebaut und verstetigt werden. Im Rahmen dieses Themenjahres findet nun ein Wettbewerb unter dem Titel „Herausragende deutsch-russische Leistungen und Kooperationen im Bereich Wirtschaft und nachhaltige Entwicklung“ statt. Mithilfe des Wettbewerbs sollen neue erfolgreiche bilaterale Projekte identifiziert werden, die Meilensteine in der Zusammenarbeit beider Länder in den Bereichen Innovation, Digitalisierung, Energie, Umwelt, Landwirtschaft, Verkehr, Tourismus, Bildung und Wissenschaft darstellen.

Nominiert werden:

Das beste Energieprojekt
Das beste Projekt in der Mobilität
Das beste Projekt in der digitalen Transformation und IT-Technologien
Das beste Unterstützungsprojekt für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen
Das beste Projekt in der Landwirtschaft
Das beste Projekt in Bildung und Wissenschaft
Das beste Projekt im Tourismus.

Deutsche und russische Wettbewerbsteilnehmende bekommen außerdem die Möglichkeit, ihre Projekte auf dem Deutsch-Russischen Themenjahr-Forum Ende 2021 in Moskau zu präsentieren.

Ausgewählte deutsch-russische Projekte werden im Rahmen der im Herbst 2022 geplanten Abschlussveranstaltung des Deutsch-Russischen Jahres ausgezeichnet.

Bewerbungsschluss ist der 1. Juli 2022.

Quelle: Kooperation International

Russland fördert sechs Forschungszentren für Künstliche Intelligenz