September was an intensive month for the partners and students of the project “Enhancing Capacity Of Universities To Initiate And To Participate In Clusters Development On Innovation And Sustainability Principles”, UniClaD (No. 609944-EPP-1-2019-1-LT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP). The project is implemented by the action measures for capacity building KA2 of the Erasmus+ programme.
From 26 August to 22 September, Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) was visited by 13 bachelor, master and doctoral students from Ukraine and Moldova studying food technology and agribusiness. During the internships, which lasted almost a month, the students improved their theses – they conducted research in microbiology, chemistry, and food laboratories, consulted with lecturers, and delved into the latest scientific literature using the opportunities provided by the library. Foreign students, together with the lecturers-mentors of Kauno kolegija HEI, also visited the social partners of Kauno kolegija HEI: farms, and food industry companies, thus being able to practically get acquainted with the peculiarities of work, and applied quality standards.
According to Olesia Iver, a student from Poltava State Agrarian University (Ukraine), the opportunity to spend part of her studies at a European higher education institution allowed her to gain a professional advantage, improve her English language skills, and establish relationships with company representatives and other students.
On 16–20 September, project partners from Ukraine, Moldova and Azerbaijan participated in one of the project’s activities – the “Study Tour” at Kauno kolegija HEI. During this activity, partners visited business companies and research centres located in Lithuania and met with companies’ representatives who shared best practices applied in the agricultural and food processing sectors.
At the beginning of the meeting, after listening to the Head of the Department of Food and Agricultural Technologies Dr Ingrida Kraujutienė’s presentation on ongoing research and projects, and after getting acquainted with Kaunas kolegija HEI’s innovative laboratories and modern spaces, scientific activities in the field of agribusiness and food technology, on the second day, the partners of the UniClaD project went to the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Open Access Centre for Modeling of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Technologies.
In the latter, the participants got acquainted with the activities of the research and prototype product development centre and also took part in a discussion specially organised for the project. Foreign partners were invited to participate in the product tasting, which provided an opportunity to learn more about the products being developed, such as healthy and nutritious snacks and drinks.
On the third day, the project participants got acquainted with the activities of the PienasLT Agricultural Cooperative and its history. The representative of the Cooperative shared best practices, emphasising the importance of cooperation. On Thursday, the UniClaD team went to the experimental station and educational farm of the VMU Agriculture Academy. On the last day, special attention was paid to the development of food and agribusiness clusters, and AgriFood Lithuania cluster manager Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė shared her insights on the development of clusters and emerging challenges in Lithuania. The partners also participated in practical workshops and together with the Vice Dean for Science of the Faculty of Technologies, Dr Lina Skinulienė delved into the concepts of sustainable farming and created practical models.
‘Visits to EU countries are always useful because it is an opportunity not only to hear but also to visit, see, and understand; new connections, new meetings, and new ideas that can be implemented in new projects. While visiting the Kauno kolegija HEI, we were able to better understand the functioning of the institutions, and their relations with the scientific and industrial environment, and the visit to the national food cluster impressed us with a large range of innovative products. Interactive workshops are a great opportunity for the birth of new ideas,’ shares the project manager from the Scientific and Methodological Centre for the Organization of Educational Activity (Ukraine) Ludmila Stepura.
According to the project executors, a strong international partnership is a solid foundation for further initiatives such as joint research publications, research projects, etc.
It is important to recall that the goal of the UniClaD project is to strengthen the realisation of the potential of higher education institutions by creating and successfully developing agro-industry clusters based on innovations and the principles of sustainable development. UniClaD is the first project of its kind, implemented at Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution and uniting more than 20 partners from European and Asian countries to achieve common goals.
