Training visit to Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and attendance in the international conference

In September 16-20, 2019 professors PhD Algirdas Jasinskas (Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering) and Kęstutis Romaneckas (Vytautas Magnus University, Agriculture Academy, Faculty of Agronomy) visited Czech University of Life Sciences Prague according to the programme ERASMUS+ training.

The main objectives of visit were the increase of professional skills in scientific analytical and study spheres through technological-technical and environmental evaluation of technologies and analysis of new methods of soil remediation and mitigation of erosion. Besides, principles of Precision agriculture and methods of fields censoring will take part in this training visit. Also to attend international scientific conference with presentations: TAE 2019 – 7th International Conference On Trends In Agricultural Engineering; to grow up the relations with scientists and teachers in Czech Republic for future collective scientific and study projects development; to increase skills in English during training visit.

In scientific conference professors presented two oral presentations. Two articles were published in materials of conference (CA WOS Conference Proceedings). In free time, professors made sightseeing in wonderful places of Prague.

The following are a few photos of a visit to Czech University of Life Sciences and Technologies in Prague.

ERASMUS+ teaching visit in Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Hassan II

Lecturer Otilija Miseckaite (Institute of the Water Resources Engineering, Faculty of Water and Land Management) with the support by Erasmus+ teaching programme visited Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco. She presented the lectures and the possibilities for exchanges studies at Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy. During the stay at the Institute the possible cooperation in research, the inter-university cooperation within the framework of the Erasmus + program establish and strengthen the scientific cooperation were discussed with Director Ali Hammani and Deputy Director of Partnership and Development Cooperation Sanaa Zebakb. .

The Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary (IAV) is a multidisciplinary polytechnic center for biological and earth sciences and technologies. It uses an integrated approach to higher education, training, and scientific research to serve agricultural and rural development. IAV comprises six schools located on two campuses in Rabat and Agadir: agronomy, veterinary, agro-food industry, horticulture, topography, and rural engineering. It has more than 320 professors and researchers, 180 technical staff, several research laboratories, and a veterinary teaching hospital. IAV offers masters and doctoral training in engineering, veterinary, water resources management, ecosystem management, and horticulture, among other subject areas.

Otilija Miseckaite also attended the 5th Interregional CIGR conference on “Challenges of Water Mobilization and Soil Conservation on Better Adapting to Climate Change” held on 10-13th September 2019, and joined session at 2nd conference of the Pan Afarican Society of Agricultural Engineering on the topic “Role of Agricultural Engineering in Meeting the Challenge of Global Food Security”.

dav

Events

Visit to the General ICOM Conference “ICOM Kyoto 2019: Museums as Cultural Hubs: the Future of Tradition“

The Head of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy Museum and Bioeconomy Development Faculty of Business and Rural Development Research Institute Lecturer Dr. Rasa Pranskūnienė was awarded the Lithuanian Council for Culture Education Grant and has visited the General ICOM Conference “ICOM Kyoto 2019: Museums as Cultural Hubs: the Future of Tradition“ and has made the oral presentation „Back to the future of museum education“.

The ICOM (International Council of Museums) General Conference, held every three years, provides an important opportunity for ICOM members to share experiences, future prospects, and advance expertise and leadership in the field of cultural heritage and museums. In 2019, this event was hosted in a city famous for its cultural traditions: Kyoto, Japan. The theme of ICOM Kyoto 2019 General Conference was “Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition.” In recent years, museums around the world have begun to think more seriously about how better to contribute to society. Amidst the many global political, economic, and social changes taking place around the world, and with the underlying issues of climate change, poverty, conflict, natural disasters, human rights, and the environment, it is becoming more and more urgent for museums to consider how they might contribute to building a peaceful and sustainable future. More than 4500 participants from 120 countries and regions gathered in Kyoto to discuss and exchange ideas and experiences.

Training visit to Wageningen University & Reasearch

On 26-30 August 2019, lect. Asta Bendoraitytė from Research Institute for Bioeconomy (Faculty of Bioeconomy Development) visited Wageningen University & Reasearch as Erasmus+ training visit.

During the visit, A. Bendoraitytė participated in the summer school “Risk Analysis and Risk Management in Agriculture: Updates on Modelling and Applications” (3 ECTS) organized by Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS). During the training, the theories concerning risk analysis and risk coping strategies were analysed and proficiency with software tools was developed. Course covered both conceptual and methodological issues of the risk management. Multiple trends in agricultural risks were discussed and included topics related with the need to cope with risk in agriculture and uncertainty&risks; price and production risk, including price dynamics and price volatility; asymmetric information and moral hazard; risk coping strategies (including both – in-farm and off-farm strategies). Courses were presented by prof. Miranda Meuwissen (WUR), assist prof. Yann de Mey and assist prof. Fabio Santeramo. During the practical sessions, econometric models and stochastic simulations were used to measure risk and evaluate the possibility to use various risk coping tools.

Students, teachers and representatives from agriculture sector from more than 10 different countries participated in the training course. They all shared their experience dealing with risk in agriculture, outgoing research and agreed to meet in future conferences and showed interest for future collaboration.

Training visit to RHIZO-MIC UG in Germany by Erasmus+ program

Nijolė Maršalkienė researcher of the Institute of Ecology and Environment, had been to RHIZO-MIC UG enterprise in Germany for training visit by Erasmus program. A training visit was organised from 01 to 07 July 2018.

The aim of training visit at RHIZO-MIC UG was focused on learning about the practical aspects of production, formulation and application of microbial products containing beneficial microorganisms in agriculture and using as soil improvers, bio-fertilizers, biostimulants, plant protection agents, having positive effects on plant production and helping plants to with-stand biotic and abiotic stress situations.

During the training session, the Institute of Biosciences in Bernburg (Anhalt University of Applied Science) visited also, with aim to get the experience and knowledge in the field of antagonistic activities of endophytic bacteria on pathogenic fungi, evaluating bioactive secondary metabolites from endophytic microorganisms for cosmetic, pharmacological and agricultural applications.

The visit in laboratories and training on fungal DNA isolation, PCR, gel electrophoresis and sequencing was done.

Nijolė Maršalkienė had an opportunity to present the research of the Institute of Ecology and Environment done in the field of beneficial microorganisms for agriculture application and discussed about the future cooperation.

Secondment to Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies

In May 1-3, associate professor of the Department of Agriculture and Food Sciences Jurgita Kulaitienė, lecturer Nijole Vaitkevičienė and Dovilė Levickienė, pHd students Dalė Televičiūtė and Aloyzas Velička from Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) Agriculture Academy, Faculty of Agronomy, visited Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies.

During the visit the International Baltic Conference “FoodBalt 2019 and NEEFood 2019” was attended. The aim of the Conference: to bring together scientists interested in food, quality and innovation in this area. It was possible to meet with scientists from different countries (Turkey, Portugal, Russia, Estonia, etc.) and to discuss various issues about food science opportunities, visions, and carried out studies. It was also a unique event in which leading food scientists and young scientists such as doctoral students or MSc students was able to exchange the latest research results in their areas of the research, and acquire additional knowledge in other research areas.

In the conference we presented 2 posters (The changes of bioactive compounds in different genotypes of rosehips flesh; Total phenols, phenolic acids and flavonoids content of different mint species) and one oral presentation (The effect of plant extracts on the synthesis of biologically active compounds in germinated leguminous). An award for the best oral presentation was given to PhD student – Dalė Televičiūtė.

ERASMUS Studies

Dear students
Please not forget about possibilities of ERASMUS studies in other European countries !
That is the possibility to study in other European university and get the ERASMUS grant.

Required information and application for ERASMUS studies abroad.

Final meeting on information and distribution of places will take place on 02 April 2019 (Tuesday) at 14:30– Central building of VMU-AA Room 506.

Regards
Assoc. prof. dr. Raimundas Rukuiza
VMU-AA ERASMUS coordinator

Started implementation of Erasmus+ capacity building project

CONCORTIUM COORDINATED BY VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY TOGEATHER WITH ESTONIAN PARTNERS AND THREE ALGERIAN UNIVERSITIES IS STARTING IMPLEMENTATION OF ERASMUS + CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT FOR DEVELOPING QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The European Union grant of EUR 834.590 is awarded to the ERASMUS + Higher Education – International Capacity Building project “Internal quality assurance system for agriculture and biosystem engineering related HEI of Algeria” submitted by the consortium of six universities including Aleksandras Stulginskis university as project coordinator and Vytautas Magnus University from Lithuania (both universities after the merger make one university as from the 1^st of January 2019 and actually Vytautas Magnus University will coordinate the project) , Estonian Life Science University and three Algerian universities, namely the National Higher Education School of Agronomy (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie d’Alger (ENSA)), the National Higher Education School of Hydraulic (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Hydraulique, Blida (ENSH)) and the National Higher Education School of Biotechnology (and Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Biotechnologie Taoufik Khaznadar (ENSB)). The project shall run for 36 months as of 15-11-2018 and shall end on 14-11-2021.

The project reflects the priority of Algerian Government to implement the quality assurance system in higher education. This system was not in place till now. The HEI’s are having as a target to set up their institutional quality assurance systems and to put in place all necessary measures.

The main objective of this project is to enhance the management, governance and innovation capacities, as well as the internationalization of HEIs. Project is national joint project. Three Algerian HEI’s in the field of agriculture and biosystem engineering, as beneficiary partners, in collaboration with partners from Lithuania and Estonia will work on:

– offering new institutional capacity in internal quality assurance system (IQAS) within recipient HEI. This system will be developed by local Algerian experts previously trained in European partner institutions;

– transfer of European experience for local staff during training sessions in European universities and following update of skills in real case situations in implementing and testing the IQAS at home institutions;

– Algerian partner institutions will get the guidance and piloting in preparing self-evaluation reports and will go through external pilot evaluation by an European evaluation institution with the following sharing of experiences and lessons among partners and other stakeholders;

– exploitation of project results will include transferring of project recommendations to national policy makers in higher education contributing to the national policy and methodology of quality assurance in HEI in Algeria.

Specific objectives of the project:

To develop internal quality assurance system (IQAS) within recipient HEI based on European and international standards;
To build adequate capacity of recipient HEI to implementing IQAS;
To prepare recipient HEI for external evaluation by the Algerian Ministry of Education;
To contribute to the national policy of quality assurance in higher education.

Project activities are structured in 5 Work Packages. Their cover activities, with methodologies and main outcomes as follows:

WP1.Preparation. This WP will cover the tasks and activities which have to identify the state of art of the Algerian HEI IQAS and specifically identify the situation in participating Algerian HEI. The analysis will be done for all three Algerian HEI using joint template elaborated by project experts. The plan for the preparation of IQAS will be drafted and adequate equipment resources related to project would be delivered. Main outcome -Problematic in target country regarding quality assurance identified.

WP2.Development. This WP deals with the complex activities related to capacity building of local experts which will be engaged in IQAS preparation process. The experts will then be developing IQAS being guided by Programme countries experts. It includes training of right staff members for implementing IQAS at each institution. Main outcome -IQAS implemented in recipient HEI.
WP3. Quality plan. Pilot evaluation of ENSA study and research quality assurance system and preparation for external evaluation of Ministry Education of Algeria. That includes the institutional self-assessment and external services of pilot external evaluation of study and research of selected pilot HEI by European University Association. Main outcome -recipient HEI prepared for evaluation by the Ministry of Education.

WP4. Dissemination & Exploitation. The overall objective of this WP is to promote, disseminate and exploit project and its results widely and effectively to relevant stakeholder groups. To effectively disseminate results, an appropriate process at the beginning of the project will be designed. This will cover why, what, how, when, to whom and where disseminating results will take place, both during and after the project period. Exploitation is transferring successful results to appropriate decision-makers at local and national systems, and convincing individual end-users to adopt and/or apply the results. Results should be sustained after the project has finished. Main outcome-Project outcomes available to policy makers
WP5. Management.The objectives of this work package are to ensure that the project objectives are reached and milestones are achieved within the given project life time, to coordinate beneficiaries activities and monitor the work plan with regard to time, results, risks and costs. to ensure the quality control and manage a communication flow between beneficiaries and with the European Commission by setting up communication infrastructure and defining a clear and efficient communication flow between its bodies and relations between them. Main outcome-Project results, outcomes and impact achieved.