All project partners - Plovdiv University (Bulgaria); Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University (Poland); Tomsk State University (Russia); Siberian State Medical University (Russia); National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine); Vinnitsa Nationa Pyrogov Memorial University (Ukraine), - participated in this meeting. Also were present members of BIHSENA Advisory Board:

G.T.M.(Ineke) ten Dam, who is educational scientist, expert in international education, joint courses and distance learning, and works as programme manager for Technical Medicine, University of Twente, The Netherlands; Abel Polese, who works for Dublin City University and Tallinn University, and as a researcher and development worker is interested in the challanges of translating Western forms of governance and development and their applicability to the Global South; Susanne Bauer, Associate Professor at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo, Norway, who works in the field of science and technology studies and public health and has long-standing research collaborationg with scientists in post-Soviet countries working on the aftermaths of nuclear exposures.

The president of the Maastricht University, Prof. Dr. Martin Paul, opened the meeting, wished all the project partners to have a fruitful collaboration and anticipated an important contribution of BIHSENA work into various spheres of societal life. Despite the challenges of the current international political situation, project participants consider collaboration in higher education and academic exchange very important in order to stimulate human development and building cross-cultural dialogue understanding.

During the kick-off meeting, the partners has a chance to meet each other face-to-face, though most of the universities had previous experience of successful collaboration.  All partners presented their expertise and their vision of the project activities related to new course development; to discipline- and sector- bridging events, such as round tables and conferences; as well as to dissemination of the project results and project sustainability. The outcome of the BIHSENA kick-off meeting was the common vision of the project objectives and work plan for the next three years. 

Interim results will be published through various channels, among which the project website, and a final meeting will be held in the spring of 2018.

For more information about the BIHSENA project, contact: Maastricht University, Klasien Horsman (project coordinator) k.horstman@maastrichtuniversity.nl or Olga Zvonareva (project manager) o.zvonareva@maastrichtuniversity.nl