Delegation from the Education and Research Institute of Business Participated in the Annual Meeting of the Visegrad University Association

 The delegation of the Education and Research Institute of Business consisting of the Dean of the Department of Economics, T.G. Kaminska, the Head of the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics and Management , M.P. Talavyrya, the Head of the Planning and Finance Department of the University, N.M. Drobot and the representative responsible for the international programs of the Education and Research Institute of Business, O.O. Oliynyk participated in the annual meeting of the Visegrad University Association held at the Mendel University (Brno, Czech Republic) on September 12-14 , 2013.

For reference. Visegrad University Association was established within a strategic project “Sustainability in Agrisector of V4 Countries and Cooperating Regions” that Slovak University of Agriculture is coordinating with the support of the International Visegrad Fund. Apart from constituent members, universities and institutions from Thailand, India, Turkey, Moldova, Italy and Germany decided to support the idea of cooperation within the association and currently there are 37 full and 11 honorary members. The main aim of the association is to link partner universities in order to provide quality education and scientific environment and to promote development of closer cooperation among the Visegrad group as well as cooperating regions respecting the neighbouring countries policy of the International Visegrad Fund in the field related to all aspects of sustainability.

During the year, the VUA conducted the International Symposium "Sustainable Development and Agribusiness", International Visegrad Summer School: EURUS AGRI 2013 Food Sciences & Human Nutrition & Agribusiness & Innovation and published the international scientific journal "Visegrad Journal on Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development" and the monograph "Sustainable Development and Agribusiness". The staff and students of the Education and Research Institute of Business actively participated in these activities.

The General Meeting approved the VUA Annual Report and the Plan of Activities for the upcoming period. Among them conduction of First Visegrad scientific doctoral symposium: Multifunctionality and Regional Development (October, 2013, Szent Istvan University in Gödöllö, Hungary); publishing  the international scientific journal "Visegrad Journal on Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development" (2 issues per year); presenting research initiatives (Brussels, Belgium, May 1, 2014); organizing International Visegrad Summer School: Sustainable Development and Water Resources Management, which will be held in two modules: the 1st (June 23 – 29, 2014) will be held at Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia, while the 2nd (June 30-  July 6, 2014 .) – at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany); carrying out a new project for youth aimed at building a bridge between the students and university management. It is also planned to hold a round table on cooperation between the EU, V4 and South-Eastern Partnership supported by the European Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development. The participants also suggested to take part in Green University Platform, initiated by the European Trading Academy (Germany), and to introduce VUA awards for significant achievements in the field of education, science, research, active international cooperation within and outside the VUA.