What competences are needed for researchers in professional higher education institutions?
Vilnius UAS, together with its international partners, is completing the Erasmus+ project “Enhancing Staff Research and Innovation Capacity in Professional Higher Education” (RECAPHE), 2019-1-PL01-KA203-065823, which has developed an inventory of the nature and scope of R & D activities in the European professional higher education institutions (PHEIs), identified the competencies necessary for the sector’s researchers, created a tool for the assessment of the individual researcher’s competencies, and prepared distance learning micro modules for the development of the researchers’ competences.
16 December Vilnius UAS hosted a dissemination seminar on the results of the international project “Enhancing Staff Research and Innovation Capacity in Professional Higher Education” (RECAPHE) “Competences of Researchers in Professional Higher Education”, which was attended by the researchers and staff of a number of Lithuanian professional higher education institutions, who are involved in the organization and implementation of applied research and experimental development.
The project, which Vilnius College has been running together with partners from Poland, Portugal, Germany, Malta and EURASHE, is coming to an end. The aim of the project is to strengthen the profile of applied research and experimental development in European professional higher education. It has developed an inventory of the activities and nature of R&D in European professional higher education institutions, identified the competences required by researchers in PHE institutions, developed a tool for assessing the competences of the individual researcher, and developed distance learning micro-modules for competence development. Recommendations for European professional higher education institutions are currently being finalized.
During the event, the results of the project were presented, the participants were introduced to the Individual Researcher Competence Assessment Tool, and the Individual Competence Development micro-modules were demonstrated, with theoretical material, practical exercises and videos.
Participants were able to apply the knowledge gained during the seminar in practical activities. After listening to the presentations of two applied research cases, a discussion developed on what competences the researchers needed. The research cases were presented and the discussion was moderated by Dr Eugenijus Mačerauskas, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Electronics and Informatics, and Dalia Karlaitė, Lecturer at the Faculty of Business Management of Vilnius UAS. The participants stated that the event was useful and timely, as the development of researchers’ competences is an important activity for the quality of applied research in professional higher institutions and for the breakthrough of outsourced research.
