Increasing role of the bio based production to ensure food security all over the world need skills and credentials that place them above and beyond the crowd. The proposed ABioNet project is strategically designed to provide interactive, multidisciplinary platform for effective functioning of continuous education, research and innovation. ABioNet will be a network of universities, enterprises and research community with effective and continuous flow of the information, with exchange of experience, active training programmes, with possibility to share the existing resources and to make the process of education as well as research much more effective.

Project implementation will enable identifying the similarities and differences between the local and European universities. Focus will be shifted onto education outcomes targeted at replicating European good practices and efficient education models.

The priority will be given to the fields which are common and strategically important for all involved partners from EU and Armenia.

Within ABioNet: 1 to 10 months short term training courses in areas of agricultural, food and nutriceutics science and technology; MSc programmes with 120 ECTS and Joint degree scheme within ABioNet partners will be developed.

The main features of the activities within ABioNet are as follows: Flexibility; Access; Information; Connections Professionalism.

Innovative approach in the Curricula Content and structure will be applied, which means integration of practice based approaches, and innovative thinking, entrepreneurship. This means that the already established links with enterprises in the bio-based production fields should be enhanced. Here the great input will come from ANAU, UniTe, TUD.

Formal components of the program will include: Science cores Business Sequence, Topics in Entrepreneurship in life science curriculum, Laboratory based classes and Final Project importantly the approach for students starts up projects in bio-based production and biotechnology fields – this can be carried out either within University or working within company.

The main output for this activity will be to pilot such links within the framework of Msc programmes locally and internationally (the Final Year projects). The special workshops University – Industry links will be conducted and hosted by TUD and further by UniTE to develop new experience among the staff on integration of entrepreneurship in life science curricula.

Development of short term trainings includes: Review of Armenian and EU partner’s expertise in developing of modular short term training programs, knowledge, and experience exchange at this stage via on-line discussion and video conference. The courses will be integrated within the ABioNet system.

During the project lifetime training courses will be conducted for academic staff in Armenia to raise their skills and knowledge in new program design and development at all levels. The trainings will help the PC participants to better understand the main points and problems during development of degree programs thus making the activities much more effective and constructive. Totally 30 persons from Armenian Universities will be trained. The trainees will get opportunity to attend the lectures practical lab. Based on the results of the trainings the responsible staff persons will spend more time within the system University-Innovation – Enterprises system, to better understand and to coordinate in the future the same activities in Armenian Universities (staff mobility strand)

Short term training courses, as well as MSc programs will be launched by the mid-end of the second year of the project.

The EU partners (2 experts from each EU members) will be invited for a week period to deliver the lectures at the Armenian HEIs in the selected subject areas, thus contributing to the knowledge experience exchange process. By the end of the Program year 1 the successful MSc students will be selected from each partner HEI for the 3 months mobility to the EU partner Institution to pilot already developed start up project within the companies of EU partner (student mobility strand) recognition of credits. This can be carried out either within universities or within the industrial company. The long term impact of this activity is to establish the operational scheme for the international student mobility among the EU and Armenian HEIs.

The introduction of new teaching methodology will be also carried out. The main outcome of this activity will be the Teaching Process e- Management tool (incorporated in project web-site), which will provide the wide range of on-line services for the students and staff of PCs HEIs.

The project envisages lying foundation for the establishment of joint degree scheme. It is envisaged to establish the operational scheme for the initiating of the joint degrees in a selected priority areas among the HEIs upon completion of the project.

The accumulated knowledge will be shared and discussed between the members during the Project meetings at various stages of the Project .

One of the important missions of the Network will be the networking of partner HEIs and originations, as well as leading and sustaining the established links between HEIs, research community and enterprises. The Network will be formed as an agreement between all partner and will operate virtually which will be supported highly with UCP. During the first year the teaching facilities at PC HEIs will be updated, the new teaching equipment will include computers and laboratory teaching equipment also. The modern sets of special equipment are the essential tools for the laboratory based study activates. Armenian HEI’s will be equipped by modern specific equipment, by avoiding replications for research and education, which will ensure and sustain the effective distribution of the resources within the ABioNet.

Associate partners will highly support the students start up projects implementation, as well as will contribute as a network member during the MSc curriculum design, dissemination of the project activities.