Quarantine is not a reason to stop looking for new contacts and expand international activity.

Thus, the Vice-Rector of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, professor Maksym Karpash, whose competence includes international activity, as part of a delegation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and heads of the leading higher education institutions, headed by the Minister of Education and Science Serhii Shkarlet, visited the capital of the Republic of Tajikistan, the city of Dushanbe. A large-scale Education Forum "Study in Ukraine" was held here. The Forum was organized by the Ukrainian State Center for International Education of MES under the Decree of the President of Ukraine № 210/2020 "On Improving Higher Education in Ukraine". The main objective of the educational event is to popularize the opportunities of receiving higher education in Ukraine for international students. The Ministers of Education and Science of both countries, the Ambassador of Ukraine in the Republic of Tajikistan, representatives of the leading HEI of Ukraine attended the Forum.

During the exhibition "Study in Ukraine" that took place within the forum at the Tajik Agrarian University named Shirinsho Shotemur, the representatives of HEI of Ukraine spoke about the benefits of studying at each university. IFNTUOG also presented its educational opportunities for Tajik students. Note that our university has appropriate facilities to provide quality specialists’ training by taking into account current requirements of job market and carrying out researches. Thus, IFNTUOG has modern material and technical facilities for training specialists of international recognition. We have the following high technology laboratories:  hardware and software "SIEMENS"; cementing slurries; automation control systems and industrial telecommunications "Phoenix-Contact"; Smart technologies; "Internet of Things", works also "IT-Academy", etc. The university tries to make students’ life easy and comfortable, cares about good hostel conditions. Besides, IFNTUOG has facilities for internship, training and laboratory buildings and leisure center. IFNTUOG also has all the opportunities for creative development. Our international students always participate in amateur activities, all-Ukrainian competitions, flash mobs, research and cultural work not only of the university, but also of the city and the region.

Information about the educational opportunities of IFNTUOG took considerable interest among students and educators of Tajik universities. As a result, four new cooperation agreements are signed with the leading higher education institutions of Tajikistan. Thus, IFNTUOG will cooperate with the largest university in this country, that is Tajik National University, which has 118 departments and more than 35 thousand students, Service and Entrepreneurship Institute, Technological University of Tajikistan and Dangara State University. The universities will cooperate in the educational and scientific spheres in order to develop academic cooperation, organize scientific internships, scientific and practical conferences, workshops, etc. Joint researches within research programs and grants are also planned.

According to Vice-rector Maskym Karpash, this large-scale educational event opened additional opportunities for the development of bilateral projects in the field of education and science with HEI of Tajikistan, which will promote to the international recognition of our university: “The Forum allowed to present our educational opportunities more wide, became a good tool for attracting international students to study at the Ukrainian universities. And it makes you feel joyful. On the one hand, the increase of international students is additional funds and on the other - the recognition of our university abroad!”.

As part of the project “Cross-Border Network of Energy Sustainable Universities” (NET4ENERGY), mutual online visits are held for two months (March-May) between the project partner universities (IFNTUOG; Technical University in Kosice, Slovakia; University of Miskolc, Hungary; Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, North University Center of Baia Mare, Romania) and workshops for students, teachers, experts and anyone interested in improving the energy efficiency of public buildings.  

The first international online-workshop, organized by the University in Kosice united more than 60 participants from Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. Thus, students and teachers of IFNTUOG, Uzhhorod National University, Technical University in Kosice, Suceava University, University of Miskolc, North University Center of Baia Mare joined the discussion; representatives of the Regional Innovation Agency (Slovakia), the Center for European Initiatives, etc.

The topic of the workshop was devoted to the conceptual development of plus-energy house for public buildings. The representatives of the Technical University in Kosice told about the features of buildings energy certification and energy audit (František Vranay); types of renewable energy sources, possibilities of their use for public buildings and energy classification of buildings (Zsolt Čonka); working principle, types, energy efficiency, methods of designing heat pumps (Marek Kušnír); energy management system (Rikin Tailor).

The representatives of the project groups of partner universities also discussed the possibility of co-working to improve the results between the two projects of the Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine ENPI Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020 (HUSKROUA): NET4ENERGY (goal is to make institutions of higher education as more energy efficient buildings and share this experience with other European countries) and NESICA: new energy solutions in the Carpathian region (goal is to promote energy efficiency through education and practical activities in communities to support sustainable use of natural resources).

Read more about the project NET4ENERGY: https://nung.edu.ua/en/project/net4senergy

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