About project:
The name of the project: NİZAMİ - Restructuring and development of doctoral studies in Azerbaijan in line with requirements of European higher education area (561784-EPP-1-2015-1-FR-EPPKA2-CBHE-SP) Erasmus+ KA2 project
Grant holder / coordinator: Université de Montpellier (France)
Project duration: 3 year (2015-2018 + 6 months, April 2019)
For more information please visit this website: https://nizami.edu.umontpellier.fr | [LINK]
NIZAMI is a structural project, operating at macro level and targeting the national higher education governance, policies and priorities of Azerbaijan. The project is directly supporting the restructuring and development of Doctoral studies in Azerbaijan in line with the requirements of the European Higher Education Area. It will last for three years (15 October 2015 – 14 April 2019).
It involves activities such as:
Promoting reforms in the Azerbaijani higher education system, with a particular focus at the doctoral level;
Modernizing policies, governance and management of Azerbaijani HEIs involved in doctoral studies, based on the standards of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA);
Strengthening relations between higher education systems and the wider economic and social environment in Azerbaijan.
NIZAMI has been developed on the back of the BACKIS project (Erasmus Mundus Action 2), which enabled the University of Montpellier (France) to establish close relations with many Azerbaijani partners. The University of Montpellier also participated in the first two Franco-Azerbaijani Higher Education Forums organized by Campus France and the French Embassy in Azerbaijan since 2013, as well as in the 8th Azerbaijan International Education Exhibition held in Baku in 2014.
Following several meetings and exchanges with Azerbaijani Higher Education Insitutions (HEIs), it became clear that there was a real need to structure and develop Doctoral studies (http://doctorantura.az/ ( LINK )) in accordance with European standards. In 2014, bringing together European and Azerbaijani universities recognized for their expertise and the quality of their research, the project was proposed to and welcomed by the Minister of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Mikayil Jabbarov, and the President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Prof. Dr. Akif Alizadeh.
The project was later consolidated when the University of Montpellier successfully applied to the 2015 call for proposals of the Erasmus+ Programme « Capacity-Building in the Field of Higher Education » (Key Action 2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices), supported by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).