About the project
RETHINKe Project
Reform of Education THrough INternational Knowledge exchange (RETHINKe)
Reform of Education THrough INternational Knowledge exchange has existed since 2013 and is funded by the EU under the TEMPUS programme.
The RETHINKe project is based on the idea of creating new curricula, a plan for integrating universities and the business environment, as well as a desire to improve the environment.
The project aims to establish contacts, strengthen academic/cultural/business ties, and develop a common language in the field of higher education and society, with environmental protection as the main priority.
RETHINK intends to rethink the curricula of the partner HEIs -in the priority area of ENVIRONMENT- for the development of Joint Degrees in the fields of 1 - Architecture/Urban planning, and 2-Climate Engineering/Environmental Sciences with the CO2THINK approach. In order to overcome some of the needs of Partner Countries.
- The need to understand the impact of Green House Gases on the Biosphere;
- The need to develop Curricula on sustainability;
- The need to apply ecologic solutions to environmental problems.
These two degrees will include the “CO2THINK” and “Innovation/Entrepreneurship” components within an interdisciplinary framework. By revising CO2 emission planning and CO2 emission management, the new RETHINK curriculum aims to mitigate the negative effects of global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Education plays an important role in spreading social behaviors that will contribute to sustainable development; thus, the project aims to revise educational programs and actively participate in fostering in future generations the ability to find a compromise in the apparent contradiction between environmental sustainability and business.
Participating countries: Belarus, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine.
Project implementation Period: 13.08.2015-12.08.2018
Project number: 544178-TEMPUS-1-PT-TEMPUS-JPCR
Project coordinator: Technical University of Lisbon (Portugal)
Main project language: English
Project partners
The EU side
- Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Lisbon (Portugal)
- Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development (Portugal)
- Business Association of Entrepreneurs (Portugal)
- University of A Coruña (Spain)
- Technical University of Delft (Netherlands)
- University of Paderborn (Germany)
- Kaufmann Unternehmensberatung (Germany)
Eastern Partnership Region
- Gavar State University (Armenia)
- State Engineering University of Armenia (Armenia)
- Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction (Azerbaijan)
- Baku Sate University (Azerbaijan)
- Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan)
- Brest State Technical University (Belarus)
- Polotsk State University (Belarus)
- Ministry of Education of Republic Belarus (Belarus)
- Georgian Technical University (Georgia)
- Tbilisi State University (Georgia)
- Aleco Balti Russo State University (Moldova)
- Technical University of Moldova (Moldova)
- Donbass National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Ukraine)
- Donetsk National Technical University (Ukraine)
- Ministry Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine (Ukraine)
Project content
RETHINK Objectives
- 1 – to contribute to Reform of Higher Education in the PCs, the three Ministries of Education (Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Ukraine) are invited to assist this process and deliver the Bologna tools to their national regulations;
- 2 – to modernise the Curricula of the PC HEIs and to overcome the outdated knowledge base of the PC HEIs, the EU HEIs are chosen to develop new Joint (Master and PhD) Degrees with “CO2THINK+transdisciplinarity” approach on the areas of Architecture/Urban Planning and Environmental Sciences/Climate Engineering.
- 3 – to have double effect on the modernisation of Curricula, every partner country is participating simultaneously within 2 areas: 1 - Architecture/Urban planning and 2 - Environmental Sciences/Climate Engineering.
- 4 – to connect Higher Education and Society and to address knowledge triangle “Education/research/innovation”, the Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development and Business Association of Entrepreneurs are invited to provide special trainings and students’ placement for Innovation/Business network creation.
- 5 – to contribute to Global warming mitigation with multiple effect, all the partner countries of ENPI East (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) are included to the RETHINK partnership in order to respond to the regional priority “Environment”.
- 6 – to extend the TEMPUS programme embrace/network, partners without (including the Applicant) / or with very limited TEMPUS experience , and from the peripheral cities are included to the RETHINK partnership.
- 7 – to contribute to the perfecting of the management/administrative skills, all the PC HEIs are involved in the strategic workpackages and its implementation.
- 8 – to enhance the international collaboration, the PC HEI (Donbass National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (Ukraine)) is chosen to be Joint-Coordinator and to accomplish, bridge-building” function.
Project objectives
- Improving university curricula in the European Union and partner countries in the priority area of "environment".
- Developing innovative specializations at the second cycle (master's) and post-graduate levels of higher education: "Architecture and Urban Planning", "Climate Engineering and Ecology".
- Applying modern teaching methods and learning materials in universities from partner countries.
- Mobility of students from partner countries to the European Union for training within the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" component.
- Establishing strong business relationships between partner universities in the field of environmental protection.
RETHINK is divided in 8 work packages:
- WP1 – Aims at SWOT analysis of PC and EU HEIs’ existing Curricula, programming further activities.
- WP2 – Will RETHINK Curricula for Architecture/Urban Planning Degree.
- WP3 – Will RETHINK Curricula for Environmental Sciences/Climate Engineering Degree.
- WP4 – Upgrade cluster - aims at upgrading PC HEIs English language skills, modernize their technical base/teaching materials/training methods.
- WP5 – Quality Statute will set the quality plan and check the project’s quality performance.
- WP6 – Expand RETHINK aims at setting the dissemination strategy.
- WP7 – Exploitation & Sustainability aims at developing new projects and extending RETHINKs life-span.
- WP8 – Administration & Management will develop the strategy for the successful project implementation
Events
Events
- The First Double Master Diploma! (24 November 2017 )
- Our master engineer students in Portugal (September 2016)
