News
Oenological Education in the Center of Competitive Innovation Fund's Attention
01.08.2016
On July 11, the representatives of the RA Ministry of Education and Science and the “Center for Educational Projects” PIU accompanied by Vachagan Melkonyan, the Deputy rector and the Project Manager for the CIF grant project of the Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU), visited teaching-experimental farms in Voskehat village located in the Armavir region. The purpose of the visit was the monitoring of the ongoing grant projects implemented in the frames of the Competitive Innovation Fund (CIF) of the Armenian higher education. The participants got acquainted with the ongoing works on the establishment of the Research and Industrial Basis for the Oenological Education. The implementation of the “Development of Scientific-Industrial Component of Oenological Education” grant project was launched in December 2015, when CIF grants were provided to 6 higher education institutions within the framework of the Education ImprovementProject.
It should be mentioned that both establishment of complete and effective oenological educational system based on the up-to-date educational and technical basis and launching of an exemplary farm saturated with the modern scientific-industrial techniques and equipment anticipated for the scientific experiments are expected within the framework of the ANAU grant program.
The establishment of this centerwill contribute to the modernization of fundamental and applied researches of the field, as well as the elaboration and investment of new technologies in the wine industry. The project is being implemented according to 4 stages set by the grant agreement. As a result of the monitoring visit at the end of the first stage of the project it was registered that the formation of grapes gardens has been completed in the area of 8 hectares, the increase of new selection varieties has been conducted, and the work on the improvement of premises conditions and industrial territories is in process.
The grant project manager also informed that the educational content is being elaborated for the renewed organization of oenological education. The establishment of a specialized wine-making auditoriums will contribute to the acquisition of new knowledge and skills in the sphere of treatment, planting, industry, bottling, preservation and supply of different varieties of grapes. He emphsized that the implementation of the grant projcet will provide an opportunity for the students to receive comprehensive agrarian education, obtain practical skills, which are the most important pre-conditions both from the viewpoint of the provision of modern qualitative education and for occupying an appropriate place in the labor marketin the future.
“The mentioned scientific educational industrial base, besides giving an opportunity to acquire practical skills, will also contribute to the industrial activities of the Agrarian University,” added the grant project manager .
It should be added that the “Educational Industrial Center for Agro-Food System” was established in the frames of previous grant project implemented by the ANAU in 2013 as one of the 10 grant projects included in the CIF pilot stage under Education Quality and Relevance Second Project. 36 units of agricultural technique were purchased within the framework of that project.