On October 27, at the Faculty of Economics and Entrepreneurship of Uman National University of Horticulture, at the initiative of the Department of Economics, an interdepartmental seminar on project activities of higher education institutions was held on the topic: “Projects under the EU Erasmus+ Program: New Opportunities and Prospects for Ukrainian Higher Education Institutions”.

Participants of the event were higher education students and lecturers of the Department of Economics and the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance. The speaker of the seminar was Olena Filimonova, PhD in Economics, leading specialist of the International Relations Department of Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, the DEFEP project coordinator: Distance Education for Future: best EU practices in response to the requests of modern higher education seekers and labor market, within the framework of the Erasmus+ program.

During the seminar, the scientists discussed the development and building opportunities for Ukrainian higher education institutions provided by the EU Erasmus+ Program. Olena Borysivna emphasized that the rules of the EU Erasmus+ Program have now been changed to facilitate support for Ukrainian establishments and institutions, educators and scientists in the context of the military aggression of the russian federation, in particular those displaced within Ukraine or abroad. Since russia and belarus have been excluded from funding this program, opportunities for Ukraine, its education, youth and sports have become wider.

The speaker emphasized that the priorities of Erasmus+ include: inclusion and diversity in all areas of education, training, youth and sports; support for Ukraine and temporarily displaced Ukrainians; environment and climate change; addressing digital transformation through the development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity; shared values, active citizenship.

The features of the introduction of distance education and approaches to its implementation, which are being developed under the DEFEP project Distance Education for Future: best EU practices in response to the requests of modern higher education seekers and labor market (grant agreement No. 101083143 – DEFEP), were also discussed in detail. The participants of the seminar analyzed which educational programs of the second master’s level of higher education can be switched to distance learning in the next academic year at Uman National University of Horticulture as experimental for the project; what challenges and opportunities this creates for students, lecturers and university administration.

The interdepartmental seminar was an excellent platform for a deeper understanding of the EU Erasmus+ Program and its relevance to the Ukrainian higher education environment.