PROJECT OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the project is the increased and strengthened institutional
cooperation at all levels of the education sector, transfer of competence, techniques
and technology between the two institutions.
The UCT Prague will gain the valuable experience in the field of drug discovering,
development of industrial materials based on new types of biological matrices, health
supplements, and nutraceuticals and biofuels and bioenergy. Extremely important is
the experience of UiT Tromso in the field of "high throughput" bioprospecting
and toxicity testing, because at UCT Prague, new platform for testing the bioactivities
and toxicities of unknown organisms and food matrices has been recently purchased
(UCT Prague got the funding from the Prague operational program for competitiveness
for purchasing of the high throughput robotic device).
On the other hand, UCT Prague can offer the students and researchers cooperation
in the field of the advanced analytical chemistry, mainly methods based on the high
resolution mass spectrometry, for the identification of new biologically active
compounds. The analytical background and mass spectrometric equipment belongs to
the tops in the Europe / world. The mutual cooperation between the UiT Tromso and
UCT Prague will bring new possibilities both in the education of the students.
Support of educational cooperation will be stressed, i.e. mainly the preparation
of webinars, and development of new teaching tools and methods. New types of
"interactive teaching" will be developed and implemented. By using of
the special electronic "voting devices" enabling the anonymous voting
about the solution of particular problematics, students will identify the most
suitable solution, followed by an interactive discussion. This completely new
approach helps to take the attention of students, gain their immediate feedback
and interactively adjust the lesson "fit to the audience" will bring
the benefits reflecting in the increased knowledge and high education level.
The cooperation will also establish the new collaborating research teams which
will follow the present research and will lead to development of both of the
countries, especially in the field of biotechnologies and health food products.
The project will enable equal opportunities for exchange of staff and students
between donor and recipient country. The project will support future extension
of the collaboration to include research projects focusing on bioprospecting
and bioactive compounds, characterisation, mode of action studies and exploitation.
It will also be interesting to implement future mobility projects for master
students within biotechnology and seafood sciences.
The secondary objective of the proposed project is organizing of common seminars
and workshops, and the common educational materials serving for the strengthening
of the education and transfer of know-how in PhD study programs between both
institutions. The UCT Prague will gain primarily the know-how regarding the
bioprospection, biotechnology, and toxicity testing, and UiT Tromso will receive
new skills and practical knowledge in transfer in advanced methods for analysis
of biological matrices and identification of new biologically active compounds.
