BSUN priorities discussed in Kishinev

The BSUN Executive Board Meeting and the Workshop entitled "Interuniversity Cooperative Activities on Satellite Data Procession and Space Technologies” took place at the Technical University of Moldavia in Kishinev on October 19-20. Representatives of universities of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, the Republic of Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania and Moldavia participated in the meeting.

Prof. Dr. Sergei Sidorenko, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, represented the Igor Sikorsky Kiev Polytechnic Institute (KPI) at the meeting. In particular, he made the report on projects within the framework of KPI space program.

In an interview with the newspaper Kiev Polytechnic, Dr. Sidorenko told about BSUN, participation of KPI in its activities and the workshop at the Technical University of Moldavia.

"BSUN - the Black Sea Universities Network - comprises 110 universities from 12 countries. It was established in 1997 for the purpose of developing cooperation and mutual exchange in educational, scientific and cultural fields between universities and other institutions of member countries of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). Igor Sikorsky KPI has been the member of BSUN since 2007. In addition, KPI Rector Mikhail Zgurovsky was the BSUN President in 2008-2010 and then member of the BSUN governing body Presidential Troika in 2010-2012. In 2010 Igor Sikorsky KPI hosted the congress of rectors of BSUN higher education institutions, which identified its actions for the future.

"In recent years KPI has been remaining one of the key players within BSUN, as our University is implementing many pilot projects that are of high importance not only for Ukraine but for the whole region. For instance, we took the initiative in making universities based in the Black Sea region play a much more important role in the formation of sustainable development policy in their countries. Today Igor Sikorsky KPI can share the experience concerning such subjects as the innovative platform of a research university, quality assurance in higher technical education, international accreditation of specialties, enhanced internationalization of a university, establishment of university's management system based on new principles in the international sphere.

"Incidentally, it is worth noting that among higher education institutions within BSUN, Ukrainian universities boast the highest representation. In fact, 23 higher education institutions of Ukraine have joined this network."

Could you give more details of the workshop in Kishinev?

The BSUN governing body established the priorities of work in the following areas: cooperation in joint educational programs; internationalization of BSUN member universities; development and management of large educational and research infrastructures; joint actions designed to explore frontier zones; models of cooperation between universities and industry; and the best practices of universities management.

And this time organizers of the event asked us to showcase projects of the KPI space program, which was done. I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to thank the Department of Science and Innovation for the materials that helped us prepare the presentation. Frankly, we really had enough information to give and participants in the gathering took a keen interest in it.

However, scientists of the Technical University of Moldavia (TUM) are not merely engaged in space technologies but also the establishment of the separate specialized National Center of Space Technologies for which the area spanning 800 square meters has been allocated. Academician Ion Bostan, who, by the way, cooperated fruitfully with KPI when he was TUM Rector, directs the Center. A satellite in the micro class under the name of the "Republic of Moldavia" was developed at the Center, though it has not been launched yet.

I would like to note that we strive to revitalize our interaction with BSUN in consideration of the fact that the countries, whose universities were granted membership in this network, are members of the European Union or they joined the EU-Eastern Partnership Program. Therefore, the intensification of our bilateral cooperation with scientists of universities from these countries will give us more opportunities to receive grants within the framework of EU programs. That is why one of the urgent tasks, which faces the International Collaboration Department, provides for the intensification of work with BSUN.

Maybe you have established new useful contacts with colleagues of the Technical University of Moldavia.

We have established new contacts with the COST Association (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) that, under its European program, helps scientists of COST member countries, including those based in the Black Sea region, receive grants and promote research carried out by young scientists in particular. We agreed that notwithstanding Igor Sikorsky KPI is not the national representative of Ukraine to COST yet, COST leaders would give advice and some assistance so that our scientists could submit individually applications for grants through this European program.

I would like to say a few words about the interesting things that I got to see at the Technical University of Moldavia. The operating radar, which receives data from satellites and radio telescopes of other countries 24 hours a day, is on display outdoors at the Technical Museum. This radar transmits data to the TUM Space Exploration Center. The data are processed and returned to customers in a comprehensible and generalized form. The University has the observatory that enables physics students and astronomers to conduct astronomical research directly on the university campus.

I cannot avoid recalling horses made from automobile parts, as this composition demonstrates creative engineering thought.

TUM has the interesting experience to receive a great number of grants from the European Union. For instance, one of the biological facilities - a five-story building - was erected at the expense of the EU grant of $3 million and outfitted with the latest equipment. We will figure out how to make use of this experience at our University. I think Igor Sikorsky KPI can propose large-scale projects under solid grant support provided by the EU.