Center for Education Projects PIU The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports

On June 8 the representatives of RA Ministry of Education and Science and Centre for Education Projects PIU were on a working visit in Yerevan State University (YSU). The aim of the visit was the monitoring of the ongoing grant program of Competitive Innovation Fund (CIF) of higher education of Armenia. The representatives of RA Ministry of Education and Science and Centre for Education Projects PIU accompanied by the coordinator of YSU grant project Karen Trchunyan, visited YSU Faculty of Biology and got acquainted with ongoing activities of the establishment of ''Microbial Biotechnology and Biofuel Innovation Center'' which was created in the framework of CIF. The centre creation is being implemented according to the stages defined by the grant project. 1.5 years after the beginning of this project, its third stade is being summed up. It should be mentioned that this centre will promote the modernization of basic and applicable investigations, the cultivation and investment of beer, diary, wine and other new productive microbial technologies. The attendees fixed that a part of chemical materials and obtained laboratory equipment has already been provided and are accommodated at the repaired places worked out for them. We should also mention that the foundation, repairmen and technical inspection of the centre were finished in the previous stage of the project. The revision activities of the professional educational project were finished, there were also carried out division of renovated master program, complying with international standards. Hereafter it is planned to use this modern microbial equipment in master and PhD scientific works. The university is already discussing the possible cooperative projects with local and foreign organizations. The primary agreements of these cooperations already exist, for instance, with the University of Belgorod. During the visit the PIU representatives, along with K. Trchunyan, discussed the correspondence of monitoring plan indicator, which is one of the parts of the grant project, with realized tasks, also other subjects connected with the usage and protection of necessary laboratory equipment. The coordinator of the project also introduced the cooperation process with consortium partners. This partnership promotes the immigration of efficient specialists to the production. Emphasizing the importance of cooperative work, K. Trchunyan informed, that it is planned to devise and publish laboratory manual along with consortium partners. It should be noted that the foundation of the ''Microbial Biotechnology and Biofuel Innovation Center'' will allow not only to realize master and PhD scientific works with high quality, but also will promote to organize entrepreneurial activity.