Description
The general aim of the planned project is to assist students studying at our University in undertaking additional education in a complementary field of study at a donor partner university. The strong and practical aims of the Szechenyi Istvan University (SZE) are to increase the university's educational standard, and the deepening of practice-oriented education with international experience. To realize this SZE established contact with Reykjavik University. The two universities have quite a high number of common fields of study, including B&A, Law, Computer Sciences, and Electronic, Mechanical and Civil Engineering. This could be a base of mutual successful mobility cooperation. Furthermore, both universities could provide for the students and lecturers an additional opportunity to extend their knowledge in a field complementary to their study programme: for example in Sustainable Energy or Financial Engineering in Reykjavik, or Health Management or Vehicle Engineering in Hungary. Both university plan to est6ablish strong and regular contact during the implementation of the project.
Summary of project results
Due to a successful application, the Széchenyi István University took part in the EEA Grant mobility programme in the period of 01.09.2014 – 30.04.2017, which supported students and staff mobilities with the donor states: Norway, Island, Lichtenstein. The University has not had any contacts with any university from these countries, it was quite obvious to apply in the project. The main goal was to find partners in the donor states with the help of the support, furthermore our students and staff have the possibilities to visit the partner universities in, and to accept guests from the donor states. We have calculated a students mobility of cca. 3-3 students/year and 2-2 staff/year. At the Szechenyi Istvan University in the above mentioned period, 12 students (2 in Iceland, 10 in Lichtenstein) and 9 colleagues (5 in Iceland, 5 in Norway) participated successfully in the exchange activity. All the participants are absolutely satisfied with the mobilities, they could utilized their experiences in their studies, and career. One of our colleagues established a new research cooperation, which was leaded to a successful H2020 project. The University utilized more than 70 % of the available grant (94.813 EUR).
Summary of bilateral results
"Our University has not had any contacts with any university from the donor countries, it was the main goal of our application, to gain partners from the related countries. During the first project semester of 2014/2015 our International Office examined the possibble partners,and sent initiation to more than 30 institution in the donor states, expressing our interests in a cooperation. Meanwhile, the project was disseminated among the students and colleagues, encouraging them to contact the partners as well. Most of the involved partners refused a general cooperation, their term was a pre-evaluation of the individual mobility. According to this request, we asked our students and colleagues to initiate their mobilities individually at the requested partners. Our university took part on partners seeking seminars as well, (the other was cancelled due to lack of interest by the donor state institutions), but the presented donor partners acted like the addressed ones before. At the end of the project we have had 2 long termed agreements for students (Music (NO) and Business and Administration(LI)) and 5 agreements (1 long termed (IS), 4 short termed (NO)) for staff mobilities. It was really hard to make new contacts with the donor partners. More visited partners were open also for a further cooperation in the frame of Erasmus, but till now, there is no signed agreement. Although we could not institutionalised our cooperation in the form of an agreement, I think, - according to the experiences of our colleagues - we can count with our EEA partners also in the future, in case of a specific, mutual useful project."