The implementation of the project “Improvement of the academic staff of Liepaja University in the fields of strategic specialization – natural sciences, mathematics and information technologies, art, social sciences, business and law” has been started.
On December 19, 2018, an agreement was signed between the Central Finance and Contracts Agency and the University of Liepaja on the European Social Fund project “Improvement of Liepaja University academic staff in strategic specialization – natural sciences, mathematics and information technology, art, social sciences, business and law” No. 8.2.2.0/18/A/021 implementation.
The aim of the project is to improve and strengthen the competence of the academic staff of Liepaja University, to promote the renewal of academic staff, involvement of doctoral students and foreign lecturers in academic work and research in strategic specialization – natural sciences, mathematics and information technology, art, social sciences, business high-quality, internationally competitive and research-based higher education and improving cooperation with industry entrepreneurs, promoting the commercialization of knowledge.
The following tasks have been set within the project to achieve the goal:
- To ensure the involvement and employment of senior doctoral students as teaching staff at the University of Liepaja.
- To provide doctoral students who have received support with the opportunity to be elected to academic positions and continue their employment relationship with the University of Liepaja after obtaining a doctoral degree.
- To provide foreign lecturers with work as academic staff or foreign staff for 12 months, as well as to provide support to foreign lecturers who have received support to continue their academic work at the University of Liepaja within 6 months after the end of the support.
- To improve the professional qualification of the academic staff of Liepaja University in cooperation with businesses in Latvia.
- To improve the English language skills of the academic staff.
- To ensure cooperation competence with industry in specialized training that develops the leadership of the academic staff.
- To ensure that cooperation partners and the public are informed about the activities performed at the University of Liepaja during the project implementation.
The tasks planned in the project and the corresponding activities are implemented in four study directions:
- in the study direction “Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunications, Computer Control and Computer Science” (implemented at the Faculty of Natural and Engineering Sciences);
- in the study direction “Arts” (implemented at the Faculty of Humanities and Arts);
- in the study direction “Management, Administration and Real Estate Management” (implemented at the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences);
- in the study direction “Environmental Protection” (implemented at the Faculty of Natural and Engineering Sciences).
The implementation of the project and the sustainability of the activities and results of the project after the end of the project will have institutional sustainability and impact on the quality of study content, ensuring the attraction of new specialists (doctoral students, elected doctors of new sciences) for academic work and research-based studies; raising the level of competence of the academic staff (ensuring the study content corresponding to the labor market, society needs and development tendencies, as well as strengthening international cooperation, raising the level of professional English of the academic staff, intensifying international academic cooperation at Liepaja University in general and study fields “Information technology, computers, electronics , Telecommunications, Computer Control and Computer Science”, “Art”, “Management, Administration and Real Estate Management”, “Environment Protection”.
European Social Fund project no. 8.2.2.0/18/A/021 “Improvement of the academic staff of the University of Liepaja in the fields of strategic specialization – natural sciences, mathematics and information technologies, art, social sciences, business and law” the total expenditure is 591 642.96 EUR, of which the European Social Fund funding is 85% – 502 896.52 EUR and the state budget funding is 15% – 88746.44 EUR, of which
- in the study direction “Information technology, computer technology, electronics, telecommunications, computer control and computer science” – 91 232.40 EUR;
- in the study direction “Art” – 126 206.96 EUR;
- in the study direction “Management, administration and real estate management” – 76 341.60 EUR;
- in the study direction “Environmental protection” – 135 370.80 EUR.
- The project implementation period is 48 months – from November 1, 2018 to October 31, 2022.