XXIV Conference of Association of International Departments at TU Sofia

During the period between the 17th and 22nd of June, MPEI delegation was taking part in the Organizing Committee of 24 Conference of Association of International Departments (AMO) of Universities in Bulgaria. TU Sofia carried out the hosting duties.

The conference gathered supervisors of international services of 9 Universities. Among them there were representatives of Russia, Bulgaria and Germany.

Vice-Rector on International Relations Alexander Tarasov, Head of the Department of International Relations Elena Gulicheva, and Head of International Alumni Oksana Bibicheva participated in the conference from the MPEI side.

The Sofia side was represented by Valentin Dimitrov, Head of AMO, and Oleg Duhlev, Deputy Head of AMO, who have greeted the guests on behalf of Georgy Mihov, Rector of the TU Sofia, member of Bugarian Academy of Sciences, professor doctor of technical sciences.

Reports of the conference were made by Valentin Dimitrov (TU Sofia), Alexander Tarasov, Elena Gulicheva and Oksana Bibicheva (MPEI), Nataliia Anashkina (USURT), Marat Magomedov (MGSU), Marion Helemann (TU Dresden) and Vladimir Goldenberg (Augsburg University of Applied Sciences).

The reports provided information on the state of international cooperation, existing joint projects between AMO member universities, prospects for the development of new international projects, optimization of the activities of international departments, challenges to international cooperation in modern universities, and positioning of universities in the international educational market. Successful examples of the cooperation of the member universities of the AMO throughout the history of the Association were considered and the importance of international cooperation of universities was underlined.

Membership in AMO and participation in the annual conferences of the Association helps to resolve quickly the issues of organizing joint educational programs and the development of academic mobility.

In the framework of the first session the participants were presented the Strategy of Internationalization of TU Sofia and Universities-members of AMO. Responsible persons from MPEI made a report on the development of collaboration with them as well.

Assessors discussed the scholarship programs of the European Union and the prospects of development of exchange programs between the AMO Universities.

Here are the persons that have been granted membership of AMO on the 24th Conference - from University of Otto-von-Guericke in Magdeburg - Anne-Katrin Behnert (University of Otto-von-Guericke in Magdeburg); Reena Schliephake (University of Otto-von-Guericke in Magdeburg); – others – Nataliia Anashkina (USURT); Marat Magomedov (MGSU); Petya Petkova (TU-Sofia); Nina Stefanova (TU-Sofia).

Vice-Rector of MPEI Alexander Tarasov from the part of MPEI proposed to hold the next anniversary AMO session in Moscow at National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”. The proposal has been approved unanimously.

A final protocol has been signed as a result of the conference.
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