In the period June 29th, 2021 – July 1st, 2021 Project UniverCity team organized Training of Trainers (a product of the Intellectual Output 1), conducted online. The event was led by the lecturers from Plymouth University, UK – Allice Hocking and Melanie Brooks. Lyubov Kostova, Director of the British Council – Bulgaria, moderated the sessions.
The Community Research Awards were held annually at the University of Plymouth and were part of an approach to address real-life community problems and strengthen the link between the University and its local communities. Community groups were invited to suggest research topics that would benefit their community and matched with academic expertise. Many of the research areas raised by the community and tackled locally went on to become key research areas at the university with global impact.
The training provided the participants from Romania, Italy and Bulgaria with the opportunity to find out about the CRA approach, how it was delivered at The University of Plymouth, and what the benefits and the long-term impact were for their institutions. Trainees discussed how to adapt the model to deliver the maximum benefit for the UniverCity project building cooperation with the local communities in Bulgaria, Italy, and Romania.
The First Training Session focused on the introduction to the CRA at The University of Plymouth and some case studies of projects funded. The Second Training Session emphasized questions regarding setting up the awards from beginning to the end (decision making, promotion, organizing workshops, matching process, defining criteria, selection of successful candidates, monitoring, etc.). The Third Training Session provided the platform for deeper discussions discussion after the lecturers showcased their CRA toolkit.
The trainees will receive an electronic certificate of attendance. They also provided valuable feedback for the work of the Internal Quality Assurance Committee.
The training materials are available in the Trainee's Place
and in the Project Library
