The project activity continues to bring positive results and regular victories of the team of Uzhhorod National University. The Educational, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission recently announced the results of the 2020 Jean Monnet competition.
The Jean Monnet Program is an educational program of the European Union, which aims to raise the level of knowledge and awareness of society in the EU and abroad on issues of European integration, by stimulating teaching, research on European integration, including EU relations with other countries and interpersonal and intercultural dialogue. Among the main tasks of the program: dissemination of knowledge about European integration processes, raising public awareness through encouraging universities, departments, teachers to teach disciplines of European integration and research; intensification of scientific-theoretical discussions and public discussions of current topics and problems, understanding of modern phenomena of European integration, interpretation of its past and search for the future by organizing scientific-practical conferences, public discussions and debates; support for educational and research institutions, associations, networks specializing in European studies.
One of the main directions of formation of the modern UzhNU strategy is the internationalization strategy. Our joint efforts are aimed at democratic traditions, the spread of tolerance, intercultural communication and the success of university scientists. Their success in European projects are additional opportunities to modernize the educational and scientific process, improve modern teaching methods, teaching and training future specialists.
The project application «Jean Monnet Transcarpathian Center for Studying European Development Strategies» brought the first victory of Uzhhorod National University in this direction, says the Head of the Department of International Relations, Assoc. Prof. Oksana Sviezhentseva.. The project won a strong competition with high competitive rates, gaining 85 points out of 100. By the way, out of one and a half thousand submitted applications for EU co-financing, only 360 were selected, 38 particularly in Ukraine.
The JMTC activities will be aimed at studying the best practice of the EU neighbor countries by analyzing competitive EU strategies and creating specific scientific products for implementation at the state level, regional level, the educational activities of higher education institutions, and public awareness. The operation of the Center of Excellence will cover research activities, development of educational and methodological support, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge and documentary resources on issues of European integration and its Ukrainian dimension through cross-border cooperation with neighboring Eastern European countries.
The idea of creating the «Jean Monnet Transcarpathian Center for Studying European Development Strategies» was prepared by the team of the Educational and Research Institute of European Integration Studies under the leadership of Director Prof. Ivan Artyomov.
The main tasks of the Educational and Research Institute of European Integration Studies:
1. Implementation of research projects (funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the European Union Funds).
2. System research of basic geostrategic priorities of Ukraine.
3. Development, publication and implementation in the educational process of manuals and training manuals of the new generation on the issues of European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
4. Management of scientific works of students and their preparation for participation in all-Ukrainian and international competitions of scientific works.
5. Conducting sociological monitoring on issues European and Euro-Atlantic integration in the Transcarpathian region.
Scientific research work
І. 5 research projects were implemented by the Institute for the period 2007-2020:
«Development of scientific and methodological and organizational support for the inclusion of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine in the content of training students majoring in «International Relations» in higher educational institutions and its pilot implementation at the regional level» (2007-2009);
«Conceptual and institutional principles of Euroregional cooperation of Ukraine in the context of integration and globalization processes of today» (2011-2013);
«Borders in people`s perspective» under the European Union ENPI Program «Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine» (2013-2014);
«Innovative University – a tool for integration into the European educational and scientific space» (extended standard grant of the Visegrad Fund) (2015 - 2016).
«Jean Monnet Transcarpathian Center for Studying European Development Strategies» (2020-2023).
ІІ. Based on the results of research work: 7 monographs, 18 collections of scientific works, more than 100 scientific articles, 35 reports and speeches at international and home scientific-practical conferences. A series «European Integration: Ukrainian Dimension» of publications has been launched, which currently has 44 publications; 4 modern educational and methodical complexes were created.
ІІІ. Issue of periodicals.. The Institute has founded and publishes two periodicals – collections of scientific works «Geopolitics of Ukraine: History and Modernity» since 2005 and «International Scientific Bulletin» since 2003, which have an international standard serial number ISSN, as well as sites on a specialized platform «Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine»; the scientific article contained in them is assigned a digital DOI, they are also indexed in the Index Copernicus. The scientific collection «Geopolitics of Ukraine: History and Present» is a professional publication in the areas of «International Relations» and «International Economic Relations» since 2019. Collections are published 2 times a year.
ІV. Educational and methodical work.. Preparation and teaching of special courses and disciplines: «Topical problems of foreign policy of Ukraine», «Foreign policy of Ukraine», and the management of scientific work of students and their preparation for participation in national competitions of scientific works on issues of European integration.
The results of students participation in all-Ukrainian competitions of scientific works on issues of European and Euro-Atlantic integration are a confirmation of the appropriate level of scientific and methodological support of the educational process and scientific support of students works by Assoc. Prof. Ivan Artyomov.
The results of scientific activity of the Institute staff are significant. Thus, the lecturer Assoc. Prof. Ivan Artyomov annually is included in the top ten lecturers of the university according to the results of the rating of scientific and pedagogical workers according to a number of criteria (scientific and methodical work, professional competence, scientific and innovative activity, etc.) in the section “Humanities».
Leading specialist A.Gus successfully defended her PhD thesis in 2016. Natalia Dius and Svitlana Zub, who graduated graduate PhD. school are also working on their PhD thesis. In 2017, Svitlana Zub won (2nd place among 80 participants) the 2nd round of the youth essay contest in English on topical issues of Ukraine’s implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union, conducted by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels and was awarded a price of 500 euros.
V. Assessment of the quality of the Institute’s work. Educational and Research Institute of European Integration Studies took first place in the university competitions for the best edition of monographs and manuals/textbooks in 2014-2019. Educational and Research Institute of European Integration Studies conducts testing of scientific developments by participating in the annual international scientific exhibitions «Education and Career» in Kyiv with the participation of more than 100 universities, almost half of which are from EU countries. Institute always receives high awards: 2016, 2018, 2020 – gold medals and Grand Prix. As well, the Institute received the «Educational Oscar» award for the development of the Concept of innovative development of Uzhhorod National University for 2015-2025 in 2015. The high quality of the Institute’s developments and their relevance is evidenced by 12 stamps of the Ministry of Education and Science («Recommended for higher education institutions of Ukraine»), as well as gratitutes of the Administration of the President of Ukraine (№ 42-02 / 13), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (№ 412 / 17-185 / 15 -151), Chairman of the National Center for Euro-Atlantic Integration V. Gorbulin (№1 / 4-43).
VІ. More than 400 publications of the authors of collections of scientific works published by the Educational and Research Institute of European Integration Studies, and 142 personal publications of the director of the Institute Assoc. Prof. I. Artyomov uploaded to the electronic repository of the university. The institute annually transfers to the scientific library of the university a significant number of publications (monographs, collections of scientific works, textbooks, etc.).
VІІ. Index of scientific citations. Publications of Assoc.Prof. I. Artyomov available in Google Scholar – a search engine that indexes metadata of scientific publications from all fields of knowledge, published in various formats. Citation statistics Assoc. Prof. I. Artyomov for the reporting period has more than 150 citations of scientific articles and publications; h-index – 15; publications that have been cited more than 10 times (the so-called 10-index) – 6.
VІІІ. Scientific internship of Assoc. Prof. I. Artyomov. Assoc. Prof. I. Artyomov constantly collaborated with the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine (project expert Prof. V. Lugovyi – First Vice President of the Academy) and passed a research internship in the structural units of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the research project “Innovative University - a tool for integration into European space” (2014-2016) with the financial support of the International Visegrad Fund.
Conclusion. Taking into account everything mentioned before, the intensification of work on Ukraine’s European integration progress, (in particular the introduction of the posts of Prime Minister and Deputy Ministers for European Integration), we consider it possible to state that the Educational and Research Institute of European Integration Studies has every reason to continue functioning in Uzhhorod National University and to ensure the appropriate level of current research on the issues of European integration of Ukraine and cooperation with universities of neighboring countries of the European Union, which has a positive impact on the growth of the image of Uzhhorod National University.