On October 22, Deputy Rector for International Academic Cooperation and Studies of Riga Technical University (RTU), Prof. Igors Tipāns presented “RTU Internationalisation Strategy for 2021-2025” for further debates in a meeting with the management and staff representatives of the university.

The Internationalisation Strategy is created upon a broad concept of internationalisation that goes further than simply promoting student mobility and signing international agreements. It also takes into account aspects such as the internationalisation of university curricula, the internationalisation of research, international joint study programs, quality assurance, competition to attract the best students and university rankings.

In order to create the internationalisation strategy, the current challenges and the main factors of internationalisation have been analysed, and a system was proposed with objectives and initiatives related to five main points:

1) Improvement of RTU international image and recognition;

2) Selection, classification of international partners and determination of directions for cooperation;

3) Improvement of attraction foreign students and study process;

4) Implementation of the European University of Technology (EUt+) initiative;

5) More active involvement of RTU staff in international scientific and academic cooperation (including promotion of international mobility).

On 15 October, His Excellency Ambassador of Mongolia to Latvia Mr Barkhas Dorj paid a working visit to Riga Technical University’s (RTU) Ķīpsala Campus to acquire a deeper insight into the development of its infrastructure, technical supply, as well as to discuss the current cooperation with higher education institutions in Mongolia and outline future development of this cooperation.

During the meeting, the Head of Foreign Students Foundation and Short-Term Courses Unit of the International Cooperation and Foreign Students Department Ms Nataļja Muračova briefed the Ambassador on RTU’s implemented activities in studies, science and innovation, as well as provided an insight into existing cooperation with higher education institutions in Mongolia. She emphasized the successful cooperation with National University of Mongolia and Mongolian University of Science and Technology in the implementation of the international project «Innovative Approach Towards a Master Program on Smart Cities Technologies».

Consul of the Embassy of Mongolia Mr Arslan Tuvshin, Second Secretary of the Asia-Oceania Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Ms Evija Rimšāne and Researcher of RTU Communication Technologies Research Center Mr Toms Salgals also participated in these talks.

On October 5-8, a hybrid combined Annual Steering Group Meeting and Training for the project “Support for Innovative Methodology, Approaches and Tools for Teaching through the Medium of English in order to improve Educational Yield, Sustainability and Internationalization” (SMARTI) project took place in Goris State University, Armenia.

The event was attended in a face-to-face mode by project representatives from the Dresden University of Technology, Riga Technical University, Ogarev Mordovia State University, Petrozavodsk State University, Certification Association Russian Register, Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia, Vanadzor State University after H. Toumanyan, Armenian National Agrarian University, Nalbandyan State University of Shirak, Goris State University (Armenia), National Centre for Professional Education Quality Assurance, and other program members from Catholic University of Portugal, Liverpool John Moores University, Irkutsk National Research Technical University and Kazan Federal University were present in a distant way.

The week started with a meeting of members of the SMARTI Internal evaluation working group under WP3 of the Project, for which RTU is particulary responsible. The meeting took place at the National center for professional education quality assurance in Yerevan, Armenia and the purpose of the meeting was to present the quality assurance (QA) strategy for the whole duration of the project and to discuss and agree on a joint approach for evaluation of the first milestones in the project. The QA Strategy will ensure the monitoring of the project progress, the evaluation of implemented activities and outcomes as well increase the overall impact of the project. After the QA meeting, project partners traveled to Goris State University, where the trest of the meetings were held.

During the week partner institutions presented the activities carried out within the framework of the program, shared their experience in setting up EMI centers so far, got acquainted with the EU partner experience of teaching in English and planned the next steps for implementing ESP/ECTS training and other upcoming activities. The last day of the combined meeting and training was dedicated to Dissemination WP with a special emphasis on the training of SMARTI dissemination officers.

The participating organizations and universities emphasized once again, that rather than just teaching English, teaching professional subjects in English language, thus developing new skills and achieving better results towards internationalisation through it, is the main goal of the program.

The SMARTI project is implemented with the support of the European Union under the Erasmus+ Higher Education Capacity Building Program. The aim of the program is to promote the innovative methodology of teaching educational programs in English at the national and international levels through the development of the capacity of consortium members.