7th International Staff Week at TSU

Description

The Department of Foreign Relations at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (Tbilisi, Georgia) is pleased to announce its 7th International Staff Week, which will be held face-to-face from the 15th to 19th of April, 2024.

The overarching theme of the event will be the sustainability of international partnerships in higher education. The sustainability of international partnerships in higher education is an increasingly crucial topic in today's interconnected world. These partnerships often formed between universities and academic institutions across borders, foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and cultural diversity among students and faculty. Ensuring their sustainability entails addressing various aspects, such as financial viability, program relevance, and cultural integration.

Since the issue of sustainability of international partnerships in higher education is a multifaceted endeavor, encompassing various key topics, we would like to explore some of them in detail during our International Staff Week, in particular, the discussions and presentations are expected to touch upon topics like:

• Faculty and Student Exchange Programs: Assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of exchange programs, including faculty collaborations and student mobility initiatives.
• Curricular Alignment: Investigating how to align academic programs and curricula to meet the evolving needs of the global job market and foster student mobility.
• Cultural Integration: Analyzing the importance of fostering cross-cultural competence, creating an inclusive environment, and addressing the cultural aspects of international partnerships.
• Governance and Administration: Exploring the administrative and governance structures necessary to support international partnerships and ensure their sustainability.
• Challenges and Obstacles: Identifying common challenges and obstacles faced by institutions in establishing and maintaining international partnerships and proposing solutions.

Participants are expected to bring into the discussion examples from their institutions and present the best practices or innovative approaches to the topics addressed above.

In addition, the program will give the attendees an introduction to the Georgian Higher Education system, compatibility with the European education standards under the Bologna process, and provide further cooperation perspectives.

Who is it for?

The 7th ISW is designed mainly for administrative staff from our partner/non-partner universities around the globe working both at central and faculty/departmental levels, governance offices and officers, or representatives of units who are in charge of internationalization.

The event is also open to academic staff. The program will be divided into separate tracks and teaching activities will be arranged for those benefiting from the staff mobility for teaching option of the mobility funding scheme. Participants are expected to actively engage in discussions, share experiences, and possibly be open to new collaboration bonds. They are expected to be attending the program offered by the hosts in full.

Programme

A packed schedule of the 5-day activities will offer participants a wide variety of presentations, discussions, and insights on the topic of the gathering. Furthermore, this program will include opportunities to discover Georgian culture and taste extraordinary Georgian cuisine as part of the full-day (Friday, April 19th) social program. The draft agenda of the event can be found in the attachment below. Please note that the given document is subject to changes. 

Funding

As a non-EU university, we do not receive any financial support through ERASMUS+ ICM or any other source to provide funding for the participants. Therefore, those interested and eligible should cover the cost of travel, accommodation, and some of the meals themselves. There may be some funding available through the home university’s Erasmus Office (Georgia is eligible for K171 or K131 schemes) and such grants are distributed by the home university. We invite candidates to check the availability of such funding with their home institution.

In a case when a participant is planning on making use of ERASMUS funding, please note that the Erasmus+ programme requires the home and host universities to have signed an Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) before the grant can be utilized. Please consult with your International Relations and/or ERASMUS office to check the availability of IIA between your home institution and TSU.

Registration

Registration for this event will finish on March 15th, 2024

Participation fee

150 euros. It covers a welcome package, as well as several meals and costs of social activities as listed in the program.

Working language

English. We highly recommend a minimum of B2 (according to CEFR) level in communication.

Certificates

All participants who attend the program fully will be awarded Certificates of Attendance.  

Group size

A maximum of 60 participants will be selected for participation in the 7th ISW. There is a limit of a maximum of 4 people from one institution.