This application for establishing a Jean Monnet Module at the Department of Political Science and Philosophy at Khazar University has a number of objectives. The course served the following objectives:Simulations enabled the students to understand better the set of EU institutions, the supranational and intergovernmental nature of the EU, and its decision-making system. The course also improved the quality of teaching in EU-related courses and raised the interest among the students to register for these courses. In addition, this course contributed to the student-centered learning process. The project also simulated the students writing their paper assignments and dissertations on EU-related topics. Also, Jean Monnet Program Coordinator conducted research on the EU and prepared didactic material on the EU. Moreover, 55 journalists and students majoring in Journalism, as well as civil society and NGO representatives took part in the workshops, and following the workshop improved their knowledge of the EU. 50 students and fresh graduates of different Azerbaijani HEIs took part in the EU Model and improved their knowledge of the EU’s decision-making process.

The main PICASP objectives are connected to the enforcment of University-Enterprise Cooperation trough the involvment of the Business Community and particularly SMEs Entrepreneurs and Managers in the development and diffusion of new teaching methodologies including Practice Enterprise and MOOCs; Developing courses in Entrepreneurship and SME Management; Enhancing the exchanging of best practices with EU partners through mobility of academic and technical staff; Enforcing stakeholders’ involvement in curriculum development and graduates placement; Establishing Standards and Providing Quality assurance in didactics and sustainability.The network of universities in this project will support the implementation of Pilot Courses in HEI Project Partners verifying the sustainability and the possibilities for implementation in other partner countries. This will be positive not only in the field of Economic Activities but more generally among the partners how to design higher education, according to UE Standards. Furthermore, it will have a positive impact in the perspectives, for the Caspian Area, trigged by policies to implement Sustainable Development related to the Silky Road.

Over the course of three years, the “Developing Research Capacity through Institutional Repositories Network in Azerbaijan” project (hereafter DIRNA) aims at building capacity in the context of research output management, focusing on seven leading AZ HEIs, via establishing Open Access Institutional Repositories Network. The process of intense as well as comprehensive training, which is required to establish and then interlink the aforementioned repositories at each site, arrange the framework’s implementation, data entry and smooth management will represent the core of the DINRA.Learning outcomes from the project-bound activities will be shared and disseminated in a variety of ways, including the initiation and then establishment of facilities and mechanisms to proactively assist other institutions in the country in setting up and managing their own repositories. In a significant addition, the DINRA’s lenses will be on improving not only the visibility and the management of quality scholarly research, but also on supporting open access to research outputs, advocating, and fostering scholarly communication and coordination between the AZ HEIs across the country.

The project envisages enabling Universities to be one of the key players in facilitation of the processes of mediation in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine to enhance democracy and objective problem resolution by acquiring best European practices. To do this, the project teams will learn the best EU practices, select and train the staff, select students, develop and implement Master Degree Program in Mediation. The quality of training and competencies of the students will be carefully evaluated by national and EU experts, the practical activities will be organized in partner countries and in the EU to ensure qualitative preparation of mediators. The Mediation Federations will be established in each partner country, that will act as sustainable mechanisms, through which HEI staff will have opportunities to promote the mediation values, introduce legislative changes, develop cooperation with various stakeholders and make impact on the local, national and international level.