Description
The aim of the project is to establish sustainable collaboration in the execution of PhD study programmes focussing on engineering, materials and mechatronics between the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) and the University of Stavanger (UIS). To establish sustainable collaboration between TUL and UIS the project will make use of several activities, which are as follows: 1. Individual visits of academic and administrative staff at the partner university. 2. Workshops for PhD students and their lectures. 3. Summer School. 4. A manual written in English at both universities, providing constructive guidance on how to begin doctoral studies in the given country. 5. Documentation of selected doctoral programmes will be reviewed and where necessary updated in English and the national language. This will form a basis for analyzing the possibilities for harmonization of related programmes in order to prepare agreements on “double degree diplomas”.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to establish sustainable collaboration in the execution of PhD study programmes focussing on engineering, materials and mechatronics between the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) and the University of Stavanger (UIS) in Norway. To establish sustainable collaboration between TUL and UIS the project made use of several activities, which were as follows: 1. Individual visits of academic staff and PhD students at the partner university. 2. Seminars for PhD students and their lectures. 3. Summer School. 4. A manual written in English at both universities, providing constructive guidance on how to begin doctoral studies in the given country. 5. Documentation of selected doctoral programmes was reviewed and where necessary updated in English and the national language. This formed a basis for analyzing the possibilities for harmonization of related programmes in order to prepare agreements on “double degree diplomas”.
Summary of bilateral results
The primary target group of the project were PhD students, who thanks to the activities of the project showed a serious interest in further PhD studies in technical fields and a further scientific research career. They participated in individual visit in Norway, seminars and a summer school in the Czech Republic with the aim of exchanging learning, teaching and research experiences. Thanks to this project PhD students acquired new study and research experience, new study and research themes and new contacts for collaboration with industrial enterprises in the Czech Republic and Norway. The secondary target group of the project were academic/scientific staff. Academic staff and scientists acquired new skills and tools through the project that will enable them to attract and retain talented people interested in scientific and research work and PhD studies in technical fields. Thanks to the activities of the project they received new teaching and research experience, themes and contacts. The mutual information obtained by PhD students and their lecturers during the project will help provide both project partners with more attractive and better quality PhD programmes in selected technological fields. Students presented their solutions to issues and learnt about the themes of PhD work undertaken at the partner universities. PhD lecturers from both sides presented their traditional and preferred directions of basic and applied research, which created a new space for future interdisciplinary PhD work with high potential synergistic effects. Other staff became mutually acquainted with the organization of doctoral studies on both sides of the collaboration. SWOT analysis leaded to proposals for measures to improve the doctoral level of education. A very useful and for students attractive objective is the introduction of a system for obtaining “double degree diplomas”. The project included a survey of the possibility of achieving this objective in the near future.