The ultimate goal of this project is to enhance quality of medical/health education in the countries of Eastern Partnership (Georgia, Moldova, Belarus) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan) through setting instruments and goals of peer review. 12 institutions in 5 partner countries will take an advantage of knowledge and expertise share from 2 institutions from Bulgaria and Lithuania. The relative uniformity of problems in higher medical/health education in partner countries are derived from the common past. Through different capacity building interventions, execution of peer reviews, knowledge sharing, laying foundation for sustainability and wider dissemination of project’s end products, we envisage the following results to be achieved: 1. Increased awareness on peer review process in academic and administrative domains in partner country institutions; 2. A Multinational Peer Review Board (MPRB) established; 3. Consistency of a continuous peer review process in partner country institutions achieved; 4. Capacity of faculty members and administrative staff in: a. conducting effective self assessment tasks; and b. peer reviewing their vis-à-vis increased; 5. An annual scientific-practical journal of “Peer Review in Medical/Health Education for Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (PRIMED-EECA) established; 6. The level of internationalization of HEIs elevated; 7. Awareness on project’s achievements among the key stakeholders increased. The project will ensure that the achieved results are sustainable and being exploited in the foreseeable future by establishing the above mentioned journal and an independent cross-national Peer Review Association for Medical/Health Education of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (PRAMED-EECA) aimed at: a. Providing a pool of highly qualified and readily available peer reviewers; and b. Assisting medical schools in the targeted regions in effectively preparing for international accreditation.

The DUALBEL project aims to support the Belarusian partner institutions (Ministry of Education, National Institute of Higher Education, Universities and Enterprises) in the development and implementation of the dual study model including the legal and organisational framework in the Belarusian higher education system. In this way, the project provides modernization impulses for the Belarusian higher education system by taking into account the interests of the Belarusian labor market, creating the framework for labor-market-adequate study programs at Belarusian higher education institutions and thus increasing the employability of university graduates.In the first half of the project period, a study will be carried out to survey existing approaches to dual studies in Belarus. The study, in connection with further training measures for Belarusian project partners on dual studies at EU universities, will provide the necessary contribution to the development work and creation of the Belarusian model of dual studies. Parallel to this, dual model curricula for academic and in-company training will be developed and examined by the Belarusian Ministry of Education and released for implementation. In the second half of the project period, the new dual curricula in defined fields of study will be tested and evaluated as pilot projects in cooperation with partner companies in Belarus and disseminated to other Belarusian universities. The project is coordinated by Deggendorf Institute of Technology. From the EU, Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences Pori, Latvian University Riga and University of Zilina are participating. In Belarus, the consortium consists of 11 universities, the National Institute of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Republican Institute of Vocational Education and 19 partner companies. The project is scheduled for a duration of 3 years.