This project aims to build enabling structures to aggregate critical mass (integrating the resources of Academy of Sciences research institutes and the teaching and research capacities of universities) for PhD education in 5 regions of Ukraine. Specifically, the project will establish:1) Administrative mechanisms (MinEdu and gov't regulations, laws, Codes of Practice) that enable inter-HEI cooperation in PhD training, including inter-HEI payments of state funds for co-supervision and course work, guidelines for joint PhD program licensing and accreditation of programs with transfer credits.2) Five regional doctoral training hubs (inter-HEI doctoral schools) that offer transferrable skills courses (10-12 ECTS each), and training in subject-specific academic writing (8-10 ECTS) to prepare young researchers for international publication.3) Inter-HEI thematic clusters whose researchers focus on one of 5 subject areas: political science, education policy, finance, informatics, biochemistry. Cluster participants will develop and deliver subject-specific PhD-level courses, and jointly supervise PhD students, aiming to design and pilot joint PhD programs in their subject areas.Aggregation of critical mass will be enabled through creation of appropriate MinEdu and HEI-level regulatory frameworks that will be disseminated nationally to support implementation of the Bologna 3rd cycle in Ukraine.The five thematic clusters will facilitate the creation of joint programs between Ukrainian and EU-based HEIs, and will foster domestic aggegation of currently fragmented critical mass in research and supervision.The university-based doctoral schools will act as teaching hubs, and as administrative centers managing student trajectories (including recruitment, credit transfer, mobility) that will foster an attractive research environment that opens opportunities for international networking and publication.

The major reason behind MultiEd is the need for improving language skills of the population in Ukraine through reforming the curricula of the teachers of foreign languages, introducing new foreign language educational approaches and CLIL (content and language integrated learning) methodology, doing a survey and developing multilingual education strategies for universities and consequently developing National Recommendations on Multilingual Higher Education and internationalization in Ukraine. The results of MultiEd are the following:1) 8 new courses designed, 14 courses upgraded, reformed 8 BA and 8 MA curricula for teachers of foreign languages introduced, new teaching practices adopted, National Guidelines on TFL curricula produced;2) content-based instruction offered to BA, MA, PhD students to increase their employability and career opportunities; 3) multilingual education strategies and national recommendations on multilingual higher education and internationalization designed, internationalization level of universities improved;4) e-course “CLIL methodology” delivered; 5) the platform for the introduction of regular trainings for in-service teachers created, lifelong learning efficient practices promoted to the level when they provide sustainable professional development of teachers;6) policy makers made aware of EU strategies and approaches in HE, multilingual instruction and are provided with specific guidelines to support reform of education.The impact envisaged features the support of the educational reform “New Ukrainian School” initiating a long-term impact on UA HEIs due to the multiplication of the project practices on institutional, regional, national and international level.