On September 14 of this year, the Erasmus+ National Office (NEO) and the Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture of the European Commission at the National Research University "Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers" In cooperation with EACEA) a cluster meeting on Engineering and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) CBHE projects of the Erasmus+ program was organized. The event was held as part of the monitoring visit of EACEA project manager Mrs. Maria-Sol Dominguez Parrado to Uzbekistan

The Erasmus+ program is one of the main areas of cooperation not only with European universities but also with universities in Central Asia, CIS member states, and other regions of the world. Advanced teaching technologies introduced within the framework of joint projects, established educational platforms, and the possibility of using the educational resources of European universities greatly contributed to the transition of the entire education system to the online format in 2020 in the context of the pandemic. The higher education system of Uzbekistan in 2017-2022 has become a period of rapid changes and important decisions aimed at improving the quality of higher education. The relevance of the Erasmus+ program, its wide-scale activities, and long-term cooperation opportunities are consistent with the goals set in the concept of the development of higher education in the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030.

The event was opened by Professor Bahadir Mirzayev, rector of the "TIIAME" National Research University. Also, at the opening of the event, the Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ms. Charlotte Adrien, gave a speech about the importance and importance of Erasmus+ projects and expressed her gratitude to all the participants and organizers of the event. After that, moving on to the main activities, EACEA project manager Maria-Sol Dominguez Parrado made a presentation about the Erasmus+ CBHE projects in Central Asia, in particular in Uzbekistan. Aziza Abdurahmanova, the coordinator of the Erasmus National Office in Uzbekistan, made a presentation on the 19 Erasmus+ CBHE projects in the field of engineering and ICT that have been implemented to date and the latest updates of the program.

In total 19 Erasmus+ CBHE projects in the field of Engineering and ICT (9 completed projects, 3 ongoing projects, and 7 projects from Call 2022) were represented by the project teams from 26  universities of Uzbekistan. In particular, Ilhom Abdurahmanov, the national coordinator of the project "DSinGIS" implemented at the "TIIAME" National Research University in Uzbekistan, and Abdulhakim Salohiddinov, the project coordinator of the current "HWCA" project, made a presentation. The National Team of Higher Education Reform Experts (HEREs) were invited to the event to contribute best practices, problem identification, and practical recommendations.

7 newly selected projects of Call 2023, involving 22 HEIs (including 8 HEIs - newcomers) from 8 country regions and 7 non-academic organizations, benefited from networking and clarifying the synergy opportunities.

The following results were achieved at the cluster meeting:

● synergy between various CBHE projects with the participation of local higher education institutions in the field of engineering has been increased and the opportunity to establish new cooperation relationships has been created;

● Information about CBHE projects was disseminated and an opportunity was created for various interested parties (EU delegation, ministry, etc.) to familiarize themselves with CBHE projects in Uzbekistan;

● an opportunity was created to share good experiences among the participants;

● Promoted and disseminated results and achievements of ongoing and completed projects to stakeholders.

The event was full of questions and answers, and the participants received appropriate answers to the questions they were interested in from specialists and experts.

Ilhom Abdurahmanov,

Member of the national team of Higher education reform experts.

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