Bergen to Bratislava: Knowledge and Human Capital Exchange
About the project:
Project BGO_BA provides mobility activities in order to improve the quality of educational activities, academic outputs, and administrative organization. Project activities are provided in four clusters:
- long-term mobilities of students,
- short-term mobilities of academic and administrative staff,
- workshop activities for academic and administrative staff,
- other learning activities for students and young researchers.
Project goal:
The activities aim to strengthen the international connections of both universities, to exchange knowledge and know-how, improve educational and academic skills in both Parties, as well as develop research-organizational capacities in the Applicant. Mobilities will result in developing guidelines for the creation of new courses and study program, as well as in two new courses developed for students at IPP and potential for the continuation of both partners’ mutual cooperation. Project will increase the research and educational potential of both Parties.
The Bergen to Bratislava: Knowledge and Human Capital Exchange benefits from a 149 934 € grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants. The project has been co-financed from the State Budget of the Slovak Republic in the amount of 26 459 €. The aim of the project is to increase the research and educational capacities of both Parties – as well as the administrative capabilities of the Applicant – through various long-term and short-term mobilities, workshops and other learning activities with the participation of Department of Government, University of Bergen and Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava.
If you want to know more about programmes and projects financed by the EEA Grants in Slovakia, visit www.eeagrants.sk
The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. There are two overall objectives: reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe, and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics.
The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA Grants amount to €1.55 billion. The priorities for this period are:
#1 Innovation, Research, Education and Competitiveness
#2 Social Inclusion, Youth Employment and Poverty Reduction
#3 Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy
#4 Culture, Civil Society, Good Governance and Fundamental Rights
#5 Justice and Home Affairs
The EEA Grants are jointly financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, whose contributions are based on their GDP. Eligibility for the Grants mirror the criteria set for the EU Cohesion Fund aimed at member countries where the Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90% of the EU average.
All projects are co-financed by the State Budget of the Slovak Republic in the amount of 15%.
We have launched the project!
On February 28th, we initiated a new phase for our institute - we launched the Bergen to Bratislava: Knowledge and Human Capital Exchange project. Within the project, we will strive for the greatest exchange of knowledge and mutual learning with the Department of Government - University of Bergen.
We launched the project with an introductory conference on the topic "From Good to Excellent: Improving the Quality of Our Universities." We talked about what quality higher education means to us and how we can improve in science, research, and education. The panelists of this discussion, moderated by Professor Emilia Sičáková-Beblavá, were:
- Erik Láštic, Director of the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Philosophy, Comenius University in Bratislava
- Katarína Staroňová, Associate Professor at the Institute of Public Policy of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava
- Marcel Vysocký, expert on higher education
- Zuzana Reptová, CVTI SR
We thank our partners from the Department of Government UiB - Professor Zuzana Murdoch and Professor Regine Paul, who presented the processes by which they improve the quality of their institutions. We also thank the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava, Lucia Mokrá, representatives of the Research Agency Iveta Kompišová and Katarína Kubaláková Development of Trade, Innovation, and SMEs, and Martina Kurillová from the Norwegian Embassy in Slovakia for their welcoming speeches.
We thank all the guests, observers, and our students who participated. We believe that similar projects can be a turning point that brings our programs closer to the standards of quality universities.
Mobilities and workshops are running !
The Bergen to Bratislava project is currently running at full steam. In addition to the joint workshop on student-centered education organized for us by the Center for Pedagogical Support at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University, we are already in the midst of our fifth academic mobility and have two student mobilities underway. These involve both our master's and doctoral students, who actively participate in activities at the University of Bergen and also attend local courses.
Such an exchange of experiences is highly valuable, as it allows us to enhance the teaching of our courses by drawing on the experiences gained at our partner university. It also enables us to create new activities for our students, such as joint seminars on paper writing. In October, three academics from Bergen will visit us, and among other things, they will lead parts of the methodological courses for our students.
Our PhD. candidates on a PhD. seminar in Soslstrand
Earlier this week our PhD students participated in another exceptionally inspiring and enriching research seminar organized by UiB. In Solstrand, near Bergen, they presented their research projects and exchanged feedback with their Norwegian counterparts. Thank you to UiB for the invitation and warm welcome!
The PhD students of our faculty had the opportunity to participate in our pilot project PhD Fiesta.
PhD Fiesta is a research seminar, where doctoral students from various institutes have the opportunity to get to know each other and discuss their current research projects. We thank everyone who joined us, either by presenting their research or participating in the discussion. Special thanks goes to our senior researchers for their participation and feedback.
Administrative workshop has been a success!
We are thrilled to share great news with you! The workshop focused on sharing "best practices" of the UiB administration has been successfully conducted. This workshop covered the general structure of administration, support for research and innovation, as well as project management and international student administration. Participants from the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University, were carefully selected based on their potential to disseminate these best practices within our institution. The goal of this workshop was to identify those parts of best practice at UiB that can be incorporated within other organizations.
Our student Lucia Španková completed a four-month study stay at the University of Bergen in Norway as part of the project "Bergen To Bratislava: Knowledge And Human Capital Exchange," and here's how she evaluates it:
"My study stay in Bergen was incredibly enriching. I am very grateful for what I experienced during my four months at the University of Bergen, both academically and personally. In terms of studying, I had the opportunity to experience a different educational system from what we have in Slovakia, as Norwegians operate on a block teaching principle. Classes also had a different dynamic, as we worked, debated, and shared experiences with classmates from various corners of the world on topics such as global challenges in different areas. Additionally, university life in Bergen is very vibrant; various events, lectures, and debates are organized for students, and everyone finds something for themselves. The environment is conducive for students to learn at their own pace, as evidenced by libraries open until midnight, the university accessible on weekends, and reading rooms for master's students. However, the study stay also enriched my personal life. I met wonderful people, whether classmates or residents of the dormitory. I formed beautiful friendships and made memorable experiences with them. Finally, I would just add that I am very grateful for the opportunity to experience this Norwegian adventure, which I will never forget and will always cherish."
Inspirational November: FSEV UK Doctoral Students at PhD Seminar in Solstrand with University of Bergen
In November, we experienced a truly inspiring activity. For the second time, we opened a PhD seminar for our doctoral students from the Institute of Public Policy at FSEV UK, which they spent in Solstrand together with colleagues from the Department of Government, University of Bergen. This collaboration is not just about receiving feedback on our work, but primarily about building new relationships and sharing experiences. We discussed what PhD studies look like at other universities abroad, how researchers cope with challenges and pressures, and even shared insights into setting publication strategies. We look forward to more opportunities like this and to the growth of our research community!
The conference "Work in Academia: Meeting Expectations and Addressing Challenges" took place
We conducted an online panel on November 8th with a discussion titled "Work in Academia: Meeting Expectations and Addressing Challenges." The event, held in English from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, saw active participation and the presence of respected experts in the field.
Our panelists included:
Zuzana Murdoch, Professor at the University of Bergen,
Benny Geys, Professor at BI Norwegian Business School,
Janka Kottulová, representative of EURAXESS and the Faculty of Arts at Comenius University,
Lucia Hlavatá, from the Center for Scholarship and Teaching, Faculty of Arts at Comenius University.
The discussion was moderated by Róbert Martin Hudec from the Institute of Public Policy.
The focus of the conversation was on specific challenges and expectations associated with working in academia, with an emphasis on finding solutions to these issues.The aim of the event was to provide an opportunity for the exchange of opinions, experiences, and ideas among experts and participants, contributing to a better understanding and resolution of the challenges posed by the academic sphere. We sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the success of this event and look forward to future collaborations and similar initiatives.
