Establishing a Center of Excellence for Research & Training at Damascus University Dr. Talal...
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Transcript of Establishing a Center of Excellence for Research & Training at Damascus University Dr. Talal...
Establishing a Center of Excellence
for Research & Training at Damascus University
Dr. Talal Al-Shihabi, Damascus University
TEMPUS Project funded by the EU
Research & Training
According to Webster▪ Research: a careful study that is done to find
and report new knowledge about something▪ Training: a process by which someone is
taught the skills that are needed for an art, profession, or job
Research is about the creation of knowledge
Training is about the dissemination of knowledge
Motivation for the project
Universities are the central pillars in societies for the creation and dissemination of knowledge.
Damascus University, and other Syrian public universities, have many of what it takes to be major research institutions Attract the best and brightest among SY students Offer a wide range of degrees and programs of study Enroll sizeable number of students Have their own financial resources in addition to the
government fund
Motivation for the project
YET, Scientific output of Syrian universities through
research is far below the expectation
Implications of ignoring research University ranking University reputation Devaluing the profession of science in the eyes of the
public Isolation from the world-wide network of universities No motivation for developing advanced curricula or
adopting modern teaching methods Severing the links between the university on one hand
and industry and society on the other hand
Motivation for the project
What could be done? Definition and articulation of relevant research themes Enhancing understanding of research outputs and
research conduction ethics among research students Enhancing research supervision skills for faculty
members Provision of proper research and training infrastructure:
ICT, books, e-libraries, .. Capacity building in developing research plans
Our Project
Establishment of a Center of
Excellence for Research and Training in Construction and Environment at Damascus University (RTCCE)
The project was accepted for a TEMPUS grant in 2010
▪ Budget: 598.866,32 € + 10% co-finance
Official start date▪ Oct 15th, 2010
Duration▪ 3 years
Kick off meeting▪ Feb 2011
The project was extended one more year until Oct 14, 2014
Project Data
Syrian Academic Members▪ Damascus University▪ Aleppo University▪ Tishreen University
EU Acacdemic Members▪ Leeds Metropolitan University, UK▪ Northumbria University, UK▪ University of Lyon I, FR▪ University of Kassel, DE
The Consortium
What could be done?
Definition and articulation of relevant research themes
Enhancing understanding of research outputs and research conduction ethics among research students
Enhancing research supervision skills for faculty members
Provision of proper research and training infrastructure: ICT, books, e-libraries, ..
Capacity building in developing research plans
Management
Information and Communication Technologies in Construction
Sustainability
Research Themes in the proposed center
Project Management Planning & Control, Financial Management,
Resource Management, Quality Management, Value Engineerig
Corporate Management Performance Measurement, Risk Management
Procurement Management Procurement Methods, Claims Management
Change Management Corporate Culture, Innovation
Management Sub-Themes and Topics
Modeling Process & Services, BIM, Construction
Visualization Technology
E-Construction, Collaborative Environments Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Management, Decision Support
ICT Sub-Themes and Topics
Sustainability & Construction
Planning for Sustainability
Sustainability and BIM
Sustainability Sub-Themes and Topics
Identification of needs
Balancing between needs and capabilities
Industry is not mature enough to provide the required feedback
Obstacles
What could be done?
Definition and articulation of relevant research themes Enhancing understanding of research outputs and
research conduction ethics among research students
Enhancing research supervision skills for faculty members
Provision of proper research and training infrastructure: ICT, books, e-libraries, ..
Capacity building in developing research plans
For each of the previous topics, the following was prepared by a faculty member: Background Literature Review Training Material
A specific module was prepared on research methodology
Enhancement of Research Skills
Strong mindedness among some faculty members about their ways of performing academic activities
Obstacles
Develop templates for all academic deliverables and emphasize their use constantly
Heavily involve deans and department heads in supervising academic tasks
Obstacles
What could be done?
Definition and articulation of relevant research themes Enhancing understanding of research outputs and
research conduction ethics among research students Enhancing research supervision skills for faculty
members Provision of proper research and training
infrastructure: ICT, books, e-libraries, .. Capacity building in developing research plans
Procured High-Performance Computers: Servers
and Graphics Workstations PCs for research and training Interactive Smart Board for teaching and
training Printers Classroom Management Software for
training Construction Software
Equipment
Under Procurement 3D Printer Thermal Camera Books Subscription to e-libraries
Equipment
The fluctuation of currency exchange rates
The availability in the local market
Obstacles
What could be done?
Definition and articulation of relevant research themes Enhancing understanding of research outputs and
research conduction ethics among research students Enhancing research supervision skills for faculty
members Provision of proper research and training infrastructure:
ICT, books, e-libraries, .. Capacity building in developing research plans
Dissemination And Management Issues
Always emphasize the exact nature of the project
Resist temptation to very high expectations
thanks