NUBiP delegation participated in the International Mobility Program at the Toulouse National Institute of Polytechnics (Toulouse INP)
NUBiP delegation participated in the International Mobility Program at the Toulouse National Institute of Polytechnics (Toulouse INP)
April 9, 2025
Representatives of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, namely Yevheniy KHAN, deputy director for international activities of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Forestry and Horticulture, senior lecturer of the department of forest taxation and forest management and Oksana YARMOSHENKO, leading specialist of the department of international relations, assistant of the department of administrative management and foreign economic activity, took an active part in the International Mobility Program organized by the Toulouse National Polytechnic Institute (Toulouse INP, France) from March 31 to April 04, 2025.
The event brought together specialists from the international departments of leading universities in Toulouse in order to establish effective cooperation, exchange experience and develop internationalization strategies in the field of Higher Education.
The program included a rich series of meetings, workshops, presentations and interactive sessions.
As part of the official opening, participants had the opportunity to get acquainted in detail with the activities of Toulouse INP, its structure, international strategy and approaches to organizing academic mobility. Of particular interest to the NUBiP delegation was the school INP-AgroToulouse, which is part of Toulouse INP and specializes in training highly qualified specialists in the fields of agriculture, food technologies and ecology, which makes it a strategically important partner for Ukrainian agricultural institutions of higher education. During the special workshop for representatives of international departments, key aspects of the implementation of mobility programs were discussed, in particular digital tools, features of financing, document management, as well as challenges faced by higher education institutions in the process of implementing international cooperation.
One of the important elements of the program was the presentation of partner universities, during which delegations had the opportunity to talk about their institutions, discuss priority areas of development and find potential common ground for further cooperation. This was a great opportunity for NUBiP to expand its international network of partners and present its own achievements in the field of international activities.
During the visit, the participants got acquainted with the functioning of the university system of Toulouse, a city that accepts more than 17,500 international students (16% of the total number), and their number increased by 15% between 2016 and 2023. The delegation presented 6 key thematic areas of the Universities of Toulouse: biological and life sciences; law, political sciences, economics and management; humanities and social sciences; mathematics, information technology and engineering; materials science; planetary and environmental sciences.
Special attention was paid to the issues of supporting international students and employees. The participants visited the Welcome Desk / Toul'box, an office that accompanies international students during their adaptation in France, providing support in administrative, domestic and cultural matters. The delegates were presented with a comprehensive approach to the integration of international students, which includes pedagogical activities (courses in English and French, industrial visits, intercultural workshops), logistics support (meeting at the airport, housing, transport, food) and social and cultural events (historical and cultural visits, sports activities). This experience was particularly valuable for further improving the practices of integrating foreign participants into the NUBiP educational environment.
As part of the cultural and scientific part of the program, the delegation also visited the Paul Sabatier University and the Softmat laboratory, where they got acquainted with innovative research. A special event was the meeting with the coordinator of «Maison de l'Ukraine» — an initiative aimed at supporting Ukrainian students in France, which is extremely important in the face of modern challenges.
An important component of the program was the training on effective teamwork «The Well-Working Team», conducted by Fredrik BACKLUND, Associate Professor and specialist in quality and Team Development from Luleå University of Technology (Sweden). The training was aimed at developing project team management skills and covered practical aspects of building effective interaction in international teams. The participants got acquainted with the phases of team development, conflict resolution techniques and principles of problem-oriented and project-organized learning (PBL & POL), which are actively implemented in the European higher education system.
Mr. BACKLUND also presented the massive open online course (MOOC) «The Well-Working Team» developed by him, which is available to students and professionals around the world. This course combines theoretical knowledge and practical tools to build and maintain effective teams. A special feature is the concept of" MOOC+ "— an extended version of the course that adds a component of live interaction through discussion groups to online learning, thus creating a "learning community".
Special attention was paid to the transition from traditional training to models where the team becomes the main training unit, and the teacher acts as an intermediary. Participants had the opportunity to discuss how these approaches can be used to develop international cooperation between universities and prepare students for global challenges.
Participation in such an event was an important step for NUBiP towards strengthening international cooperation, deepening academic mobility and implementing the goals of the internationalization strategy. The experience gained and new contacts will undoubtedly contribute to the further development of the university as an active player in the international educational arena.
Evgeniy KHAN,
deputy director for international activities
of Educational and Scientific Institute of
Forestry and Horticulture,
senior lecturer of the department of forest taxation
and forest management
Oksana YARMOSHENKO,
leading specialist of the International
relations department,
assistant of the department of administrative management
and foreign economic activity
