Addressing National Priorities in TEMPUS Projects TEMPUS Project for Establishing a Center of Excellence for Research & Training at Damascus University.

Addressing National Priorities in TEMPUS Projects

TEMPUS Project for Establishing a Center of Excellence for Research & Training at Damascus

University

Dr. Talal Al-Shihabi, Damascus University

TEMPUS 6th Info Day, Aleppo University 12/12/2010

Governance Reform University management and student services Introduction of quality assurance Equal and transparent access to higher

education

Higher Education and Society Knowledge triangle: education-innovation-

research Training courses for public services (ministries,

regional/local authorities)

Establishment of a Center of Excellence for Research and Training in Construction and Environment at Damascus University (RTCCE)

Syrian Academic Members▪ Damascus University▪ Aleppo University▪ Tishreen University

EU Acacdemic Members▪ University of Salford, UK▪ Northumbria University, UK▪ University of Kassel, DE▪ University of Lyon I, FR▪ Institute for Development of New Technologies,

PT

Non-Academic Members▪ Ministry of Local Administration, SY▪ Syndicate of Syrian Engineers, Damascus

Branch▪ Technical Office for Engineering and

Consultancy, SY

Duration▪ 3 years

Official start date▪ Oct 15th, 2010

Expected date for Kickoff meeting▪ Jan or Feb 2011

Budget▪ 598.866,32 € + 10% co-finance

Universities are the central pillars in societies for the creation (through research) and dissemination (through teaching) of knowledge.

Damascus University, and other Syrian public universities, have many of what it takes to be major research institutions Attract the best and brightest among SY students Offer a wide range of degrees and programs of study Enroll sizeable number of students Have their own financial resources in addition to the

government fund

YET, Scientific output of Syrian universities through

research is far below the expectation

WHY, Among many reasons

Poor research infrastructure: libraries, ICT, research labs, ..

Outdated curricula in many programs of study weakness in research supervision skills Weakness in developing research plans Misunderstanding of research outputs and research

conduction ethics among research students …

Implications of ignoring research University ranking University reputation Devaluing the profession of science in the eyes

of the public Isolation from the world-wide network of

universities No motivation for developing advanced

curricula or adopting modern teaching methods Severing the links between the university on

one side and industry and society on the other hand

provide a research infrastructure in the fields of construction and environment including research facilities supporting research materials access to electronic libraries.

provide training for researchers on the skills needed for conducting research

outlining important research topics to be pursued within the center beyond this project

Providing training courses for public services (ministries, regional/local authorities) and to the general public in areas related to research themes within the center

Information and Communication Technologies in Construction: visualization of construction objects and processes, building

information modeling, and artificial intelligence applications in construction

Investment and Infrastructure Management construction economics and financing, contracting and

procurement strategies, risk management, and real-estate economics and finance

Strategic Management, decision support systems, and management information systems

Environment and Sustainable Development

to elaborate on the research sub-themes within the center

to provide the center with required research facilities

to provide access to electronic and physical libraries relevant to research themes

to develop modules in line with matrix approach to course development. These include course modules; training modules/continuous professional development (CPD)

to provide the center with required training facilities

to enhance the links with the industry through research and training

to facilitate sustained participation in international research activities and collaboration with research active institutions

to build competence: consolidation of current competence and capacity building of new competencies

to enhance reputation at national, international, and industry levels

The Inception Stage The first nine months of the project

The Realization Stage Starts in the 10th month of the 1st year and

ends in the 9th month of the 3rd year

The Evaluation Stage Starts in the 9th month of the 1st year and

continues to the end of the project

Review and examination of the suggested list of research themes and training areas

visits to the research and training centers in the EU institutions

Exploration of the technical requirements for research studies in the suggested research themes as well as the technical requirements for training in the suggested training areas.

round-table discussions with representatives from the related sectors including professionals and government representatives for prioritization and refinement of research themes and sub-themes as well as training areas

a set of modules will be suggested to help in providing future researchers in the center with the required background for conducting research studies in the center themes

a dedicated space will be provided and furnished by Damascus University which will be later equipped by the project

Dissemination and sustainability activities will start during this stage by launching a website for the project and the center.

developing the background materials defined during the inception stage

detailed contents for training courses within the selected training areas will also be provided

develop training courses for research skills including

▪ research methodology▪ Formulation of research problems▪ technical writing▪ quantitative and qualitative methods▪ presentation skills▪ ethical codes of research conduction.

highlight sets of research topics within each research theme to be pursued by the center staff.

In parallel with these, activities will be undertaken to enhance competence of Syrian staff for conducting research as well as supervisory capabilities

acquiring the needed research and training facilities of hardware and software.

A list of needed books will be compiled and a list of electronic resources will be identified.

A research conference is planned to be convened at Damascus University around the middle of the third year of the project. This activity will be mainly financed by Damascus University

Outcomes and deliverables of the project will be evaluated starting with the list of adopted research themes and training areas.

Other materials developed through the realization stage will also be evaluated.

This will be done along with evaluating the project implementation as planned and as scheduled.

thanks