Monday – Friday: 8:00 – 18:00 Hrs
Phone: +47 6723 1619
E-mail: waternorway@nmbu.no
Strengthening digital skills in the water sector higher education
Objective: To improve the quality of water education in Moldova and Ukraine by developing digital skills and transferring innovative technologies and best practices from EU Member States
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Supporting the competitiveness of the pan-European water sector and revitalizes educational focus toward the digital skills needed in the labour market.
Transfer knowledge from successful Erasmus+ projects and promote the region’s digital transformation of water education by implementing innovative teaching methods, digital workshops, and eLearning modules.
Train teaching staff on using digital solutions in their classes and provide modern equipment and software for digital transformation.
The project will enhance the quality of teaching, modernize education systems, and support students in acquiring better competencies.
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, NO
University of Nis, RS
University of Galati, RO
Technical University of Moldova, MD
Moldavian State University, MD
National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, UA
National Technical University of Ukraine KPI, Kiev, UA
Ukrainian State Uni. of Science and Technology, Dnipro, UA
Lviv Polytechnic National University, UA
The water sector and education, both are undergoing a rapid digitalisation process. The digitalisation of the water sector presents a plethora of possibilities to monitor water quality, optimise transport and treatment processes save energy and resources, and unique possibilities in early warning and emergency management. Digital tools in education have enormously expanded the potential for collaboration and resource sharing over geological boundaries, cutting down financial constraints and enabling possibilities that were even five years ago not imaginable. Despite the negative impacts on many areas, it has also positively impacted these two sectors (higher education and the water sector), creating new possibilities for interconnections. The universities in EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme started focusing on these aspects a few years ago, and the DIGISKILLS project aims to share the best practices and lessons learned from these European initiatives with the Region 2- Neighbourhood East countries (Moldova and Ukraine), who both have the need and potential to boost their development and economies.
The project supports strengthening the competitiveness of the EU water sector through talent and innovation in higher education according to the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020). It also addresses revitalisation of educational focus towards the growing mismatch between the digital competences graduated students acquire and the demand on the labour market accounting for the water digitalisation trend and supporting development towards a Digital Single Market.
The project focuses on digital technology for teaching and learning, developing digital competences and skills, and improving education through better data analysis and foresight meeting the goals of the EU Digital Education Action Plan. Curricula analysis demonstrates a clear skills mismatch related to the employers’ expectations, while intelligent use of digital tools in education may reduce the gap.
Both targeted third countries not associated to the Programme involved in the DIGISKILLS project (Moldova and Ukraine) have accepted the development of education using ICT as one of the priority areas of higher education. During the theme-based training organized by EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme HEIs, teaching staff will be introduced to how to implement and use up-to-date digital solutions in the practical part of their teaching activities. The most advanced equipment and software will be purchased for digital transformation purposes. Therefore, modernisation of HEIs through enhancing the teaching and digital capacities is one of the DIGISKILLS objectives.
The wider objective of the DIGISKILLS project is to improve the quality of water education in Moldova and Ukraine through the development of digital skills and application of the digital transformation in line with the adopted digital higher education strategies.
The specific objectives of the DIGISKILLS project are:
O1.1 Provide efficient and effective management of the project, WPs, and coordination among partners
O1.2 Share information with the project partners
O2.1 Better understand the water sector’s needs for digitalisation
O2.2 Identify EU initiatives and policies related to digital water and education
O2.3 Analyse existing curricula connected with the water sector
O3.1 Strengthen capacity building of partner HEIs through the modernisation of university courses
O3.2 Human capital development by acquiring new digital skills
O3.3 Harmonise teaching environment in line with EU trends
O4.1 Transit to digitally driven HEIs through the use of digital educational content
O4.2 Implement online digital workshops
O5.1 Provide internal and external evaluation of the project results
O5.1 Organise inter-project coaching event to make synergies between similar past or on-going projects
O6.1 Develop and implement a Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation Plan
O6.2 Capitalize on existing dissemination channels to raise awareness about DIGISKILLS
O6.3 Improve project visibility towards internal and external stakeholders
Documents for achieved results are available upon request
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, NO
Coordinator: Harsha Ratnaweera
Zakhar Maletskyi | Project Coordinator | Associate Professor, research scientist focusing on development of research projects on contaminants of emerging concern, water in the circular economy and membrane technologies. Maletskyi is co-instructor in 4 water-related graduate courses and supervised and co-supervised 1 PhD and 12 MSc students, 9 visiting researchers and ERASMUS+ exchange students. |
Harsha Ratnaweera | Deputy Project Coordinator WP1 leader, Task 3.2 leader | Professor in water and wastewater treatment since 2012. He was employed as the Director of International Projects and Innovation at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) 1991-2012. Ratnaweera has experience of complex international capacity building projects in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. His current projects cover 50 universities from 33 countries, including participation in the ERASMUS+ project in Western Balkans. |
Agnieszka Katarzyna Cuprys | Task 3.6 leader | Researcher at Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences -NMBU. She has an MSc in Pharmaceutical biotechnology (2016, Poland) and a PhD in Water Science (2019, Canada). She was an EU-MSCA Post-doctoral fellow at the NMBU since 2021 before joining the research group as a Researcher and Project Management Specialist in 2023. Dr Cuprys is involved in several international projects funded by EU, Erasmus+ and the Norwegian Research Council. |
Rasha Hassan | Task 5.3 leader | Project Coordinator at the Research Group at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences -NMBU. She is involved in the logistics of the group’s international projects. She has a coordinating role in the NMBU’s International Summer School on Water, and contributes with communication between the partners, communication and dissemination of project results, etc. |
University of Nis, RS
Coordinator: Milan Gocić
Milan Gocić, researcher | WP5 leader | PhD, Associate Professor at the Faculty of civil engineering and architecture (FCEA). Expertise: hydroinformatics, data mining and hydrological hazards. Participation in seven international projects and coordination of two Erasmus+ CBHE projects (SWARM and NatRisk). |
Milica Ćirić, researcher | Task 3.4 leader | Teaching assistant at the Faculty of civil engineering and architecture (FCEA). Expertise: data mining, programming languages. Participation in three international projects (SMARTEN, WATERLINE, SmartWB). |
University of Galati, RO
Coordinator: Marian Barbu
Marian Barbu | WP2 leader | Professor of Automatic Control, Doctor since 2007. Habilitation Thesis defended in 2016. He has led 5 R&D projects, is the author or co-author of 18 articles in ISI journals, over 40 ISI Proceedings indexed articles in conferences, 13 chapters or books in international and national publishing houses. The main result was the knowledge transfer from my research activity to a private company (SMC Manager Ltd) in a Innovation Project, the outcome of the project being a Mobile Treatment Plant for Industrial Wastewaters. |
George Adrian Ifrim | Task 2.4 leader | Asoc. Professor of Automatic Control, Doctor since 2012. His research interest is in modeling and control of biotechnological processes with a focus on of photoautotrophic growth of microalgae and wastewater treatment. |
Marian Craciun | Task 3.3 leader | Lecturer, he holds a PhD in Computer Engineering (using hybrid intelligent systems for predictive data mining). In his last activities, some of the most important projects he participated in are EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) grants for collecting and management of data, at regional and national level, according to the EFSA standards; one of them is building of the first Romanian data repository and transmission of data on chemical contaminants occurrence in food and feed; another is a database on food consumption, based on a national dietary survey, as the first Romanian contribution to the Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database, by adopting and using Foodex2 codification. |
Technical University of Moldova, MD
Coordinator: Natalia Ciobanu
Ion Ioneț | WP3 leader | Associate professor, Coordinator of “Water Supply and Sewage” Program at Department of Heating. Mr. Ioneț has experience in research, being a member and coordinator of several research projects at the national level, regarding the purification of concentrated wastewater from animal husbandry and the food industry with the obtaining and use of biogas. Between 2015-2021, he was the coordinator from the UTM side of the International” Water Harmony” Eurasia -I, CPEALA-2015/10036 project. |
Natalia Ciobanu | Task 2.1 leader | Associate professor in water and wastewater treatment at Department Heat Supply, Water, Gas and Environmental Protection. Ciobanu is teaching and research areas on Sustainable development for water supply and sewerage systems, treatment of drinkable water, wastewater treatment plant. |
Rodica Ceban | Task 5.4 leader | Licensed engineer in civil engineering, specialized in hydrotechnics, Technical University of Moldova, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences in the field of hydro-improvement. She is the coordinator of 10 specialized courses (cycle I and cycle II), every year he is the scientific supervisor of several bachelor’s and master’s theses. The field of research is the construction and improvement of hydro-improvement systems – irrigation, drainage. |
Moldavian State University, MD
Coordinator: Tatiana Bulimaga
Angela Lis | Task 3.1 leader | She started her teaching career in 2008 at Moldova State University, Department of Industrial and Ecological Chemistry. Her areas of expertise: water chemistry; buffering capacity of natural water; the transformation of some thiol compounds in the water ecosystems; photochemical processes in the natural waters; the processes of natural water self-purification. She has contributed to seven projects related to natural water studies, of which two are international. |
Elena Bunduchi | Task 6.4 leader | Professor at the Department of Industrial and Ecological Chemistry at Moldova State University. Her research focuses on natural water self-purification as assured by oxygen active forms (H2O2, OH radicals) and their role in natural waters as a living environment for hydrobiontites; natural water acid-base balance. She has contributed to nine projects related to natural water studies, of which three are international. She led the creation of 22 master’s theses that had as their subject the composition, self-purification processes, and quality of natural waters. |
Viorica Gladchi | Task 6.1 leader | Research based on model systems of the kinetics and mechanisms of free radicalic or photochemical redox catalytic processes responsible for transformation of various chemical pollutants; The evaluation of self-purification capacity of surface waters from Republic of Moldova applying methods of analysis of redox sate and kinetic parameters as well as traditional methods of water analysis; Elaboration of new more significant indicators of natural water quality and their capacity of autopurification and recommendations for their implementation; Development of a database of qualitative characteristics of chemical transformations of pollutant. The research carried out by the laboratory is both fundamental as well as applicative. |
Vladislav Blonschi | Involved into Task 3.1 | PhD, university lecturer, Department of Industrial and Ecological Chemistry “Academician Gheorghe Duca”, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, State University of Moldova. Fields of scientific interest: chemistry of surface waters, ecological chemistry of waters, photochemical processes in the environment, self-purification processes of the environment, hydrochemical circuit of the elements. Scientific researcher in the framework of 2 national research projects in the field of ecological chemistry. |
National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne, UA
Coordinator: Alla Kucherova
Alla Kucherova
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WP4 leader
| Head of Grant Project Department. Senior Lecturer of Agro chemistry, Soil Science and Farming Department. From 2017 A. Kucherova as the Head of Grant Project Department coordinate the universities’ international projects activities, responsible for the management of international projects at NUWEE. Vice-dean, Faculty of Ecology and Nature Resources Use (2009-2013). Senior Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Soil Science and Farming (2002-now). A. Kucherova participated in the development and creation of new educational programs and curricula, implementation of new educational modules. Author more than 50 scientific and educational papers, 1 patent of Ukraine. She is a Grant Project Management Specialist. Certified by the VCC FOUNDATION, (2019). |
Viktor Moshynskyi, | Task 4.1 leader | DSc, Since 2014 V. Moshynskyi is the rector of NUWEE. Since 2006 he is also a professor of the Land Management, Cadastre, Land Monitoring and Geoinformatics Department. He is DSc in Agricultural sciences,2004, PhD in Engineering,1994. Member of the national and foreign editorial boards of scientific journals. Member of Specialized PhD and Doctoral Scientific Councils. There were prepared 2 candidates of science (PhD) and more than 60 graduate students defended their master thesis under his supervision.
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Oleg Pinchuk
| Involved into Task 4.1 | PhD, From 2017 O. Pinchuk as Associate Professor at the Department of Hydroinformatics NUWEE. O. Pinchuk participated in the development and creation of new educational programs and curricula, implementation of new educational modules. Since 2016 he is a head of expert board of Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in the direction “New technologies in environmentally friendly production and construction, conservation of environment, extraction and processing of mineral resources; chemical processes and substances in ecology; efficient use of natural resources. |
Serhii Martynov | Involved into Task 3.6 | Since 2001, S. Martynov has worked as an assistant, senior lecturer, associate professor, professor of the Department of Water Supply, Sewage and Drilling at NUWEE, since 2018 he is the Head of the Department. Also a Head of the scientific research laboratory of water supply and water treatment NUWEE, member of the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine from the section “Technology of construction, design, architecture”, member of the International Water Association, active member of the Academy of Construction of Ukraine.
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Ukrainian State Uni. of Science and Technology, Dnipro, UA
Coordinator: Roman Smotraiev
Roman Smotraiev | Task 2.3 leader | Professor in inorganic substances technology and ecology since 2022. He is employed as the Head of Educational and Scientific centre at the Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology (USUST) from 2009, where he is responsible for quality assurance of education at the university. Smotraiev’s teaching and research areas are production of nanodispersed metal oxide compounds and the porous materials based on them (adsorbents, catalyst supports, etc.), inorganic coagulants for the wastewater management industry. |
Viktor Gevod | Task 4.2 leader | Doctor of chemical science and an associate professor in inorganic substances technology and ecology. Range of scientific interests focusing on water purification – basic research, processes, and equipment. Conducts lectures and practical classes on subjects: “Theoretical bases of chemistry and technology of water”, “Systems analysis,” and “Strategy for sustainable development”. Gevod supervise 1 Ph.D. and 2 MSc students. He contributed to educational projects of the Water Harmony Global initiative, particularly ERASMUS+ projects. |
Kateryna Sorochkina | Involved into Task 4.2 | Research scientist focusing on development of research projects on drinking water treatment from heavy metals by ion exchange and sorption. Lector of 3 water-related courses at Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology and have taken part as a researcher in 3 water-related scientific projects granted by the Ukrainian government: “Creation of functionally controlled metal, metal oxide and composite nanosystems for various purposes” (2022) “Development of the latest multifunctional materials for cleaning and disinfection of drinking and wastewater” (2019), “Development of comprehensive measures for cleaning and disinfection of drinking water” (2016) She contributed to 3 educational projects of the Water Harmony initiative, including 1 ERASMUS+ projects. |
Olena Hruzdieva | Involved into Task 4.2 | Associate professor in inorganic substances technology and ecology since 2011. She is employed as the Head of Educational and Methodical department at the Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology (USUST) from 2015, where she is responsible for quality e-learning in the university. Hruzdieva supervised more than 30 MSc students. She contributed to 3 educational projects of the Water Harmony Global initiative, including one ERASMUS+ projects. Hruzdieva’s teaching and research areas are water resources management, environmental technologies, recycle resources, chemical technologies of the chelated fertilizers and complex mineral fertilizers. |
Ihor Kovalenko | Involved into Task 3.6 | Professor in inorganic chemistry since 2017. He is employed as the Head of Department Inorganic Substances Technologies and Ecology at the Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology (USUCT) and the Head of the research laboratory of plasma chemical processes, which specializes in obtaining and researching nanosystems for water treatment and water purification since 2020. Kovalenko is co-developer of graduate courses “Technology of drinking water and industrial water treatment in the production of inorganic substances”, teaches the course “Technologies of wastewater treatment” and superviser of 2 PhD students. |
National Technical University of Ukraine KPI, Kiev, UA
Coordinator: Tetiana Dontsova
Tetiana Dontsova | Task 6.3 leader | Head of the Department of Inorganic Substances Technology and Water Treatment since 2022.Tetiana Dontsova has experience in more than 10 national and 5 international projects/programs as a project manager or principal investigator. T. Dontsova is the author of 3 monographs, 8 textbooks, more than 100 scientific articles and 21 patents, supervisor of 4 PhD students who defended their dissertations, and supervisor of two postgraduate students. T. Dontsova is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Water and Water Treatment Technologies. Scientific and Technical News” (Ukraine), a member of the professional society WaterNet Ukrainian Assosiation (2015-present) and EMS Academy “EuroMembrane” (2022-present). |
Iryna Kosogina | Involved into Task 4.2 | Associate Professor, Department of Inorganic Substances, Water Treatment and General Chemical Technology since 2014. I. Research areas are on low-waste technologies for water and wastewater treatment, and local wastewater treatment with a closed cycle. As well, red mud processing in water treatment technology for different pollutants removal. In particular, the development of efficient reagents by a simple method and easy to implement techniques that can be applied in a circular economy. As these technologies carried out by waste recycling, thereby improving the environmental condition of the environment. |
Svitlana Kyrii | Involved into Task 3.1 | Young scientist and Senior lecturer at inorganic technology, water treatment and general chemical technology department. From 2021 member of the Editorial board of the journal “Water and Water Purification Technologies. Scientific and Technical News” (Ukraine). Member of professional society WaterNet NGO Ukraine and International Water Association (IWA). Participated in the Erasmus+ project as PhD student (Ås, Norway), a project of young scientists of Ukraine, “Creation of selectively reactive metallic and composite nanomaterials using environmentally friendly ionic liquids of the new generation” (from 2020 to 2023). |
Arcady Shakhnovsky | Task 4.3 leader | Associate Professor of Inorganic Technology, Water Treatment And General Chemical Technology department since 2020. He was employed as the Associate Professor of Cybernetics of Chemical Technology Processes department, Faculty of Chemical Technology, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsy Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” 2001-2020. A. Shakhnovsky has experience of work as a member of international project teams, in particular in the EU project COMODEC (environment friendly chemical processes with computer-aided modelling, design and control), Rzeszów, Poland in 2003-2005. He also lectured as a visiting professor at Rzeszów University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, in December, 2014. |
Lviv Polytechnic National University, UA
Coordinator: Zenoviі Znak
Zenoviі Znak | Involved into Task 4.4 | Professor focusing on the development of cavitation, electrochemical and flotation processes for cleaning water and aquatic environments. Znak’s teaching and research areas include: educational – innovative and modern processes in water and gas purification technologies (plasma chemical, sonochemical, photochemical, nano catalytic etc); scientific – water purification processes under the action of ultrasonic or hydrodynamic cavitation; sorption processes of natural and waste water purification; intensification of technological processes and development of combined water treatment technologies. |
Yurii Sukhatskyi | Task 4.4 leader | researcher focusing on the development of advanced oxidation processes of pollutants (dyes, pharmaceuticals, aromatic compounds, etc.) of aquatic environments and cavitation-oxidation technologies for water purification. He has PhD in the specialty ”Processes and equipment of chemical technology” (2017, Lviv Polytechnic National University). Sukhatskyi has experience in the implementation of international scientific and research projects. |
Roman Mnykh | Involved into Task 3.2 | Researcher focusing on the development of natural and waste water purification processes by methods of flotation, coagulation and cavitation. Mnykh has experience in implementing international research projects. In 2019-2021, he was the executor of the joint Ukrainian-Indian research project “Hydrodynamic cavitation based on an intensified and inexpensive technology for the treatment of industrial wastewater containing toxic organic compounds and solid particles” (team leader from India – Prof. Parag R. Gogate ). In 2020-2022, he was the executor of research works (projects) on the purification of water and gas environments from harmful and toxic pollutants. |
Oksana Kurylets | Involved into Task 4.1 | Researcher focusing on the development of processes for cleaning natural and wastewater from dissolved pollutants of organic nature using magnetosensitive nanocatalytic systems and composites. Kurylets’s teaching and research areas include: nanocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants of wastewater of dairy and meat processing enterprises; intensification of technological processes and development of combined water treatment technologies. |
WP No | No | Deliverable Name | Lead Beneficiary |
WP1 | D1 | Project management plan | NMBU |
WP1 | D2 | Progress report | NMBU |
WP2 | D3 | Report on analysed water sector needs for digitalisation; review of existing curricula and polices related to both digital water and education | TUM |
WP2 | D4 | Report on digital water education | UGAL |
WP3 | D5 | Report on modernised university courses | MSU |
WP3 | D6 | Digital workshops material | NMBU |
WP3 | D7 | Report on theme based trainings | UGAL |
WP3 | D8 | eLearning modules | UNIS |
WP3 | D9 | Report on human capacity development | NMBU |
WP3 | D10 | Report on purchased laboratory equipment | NMBU |
WP4 | D11 | Report on implemented university courses and online workshops | NUWEE |
WP4 | D12 | Quality report on implemented university courses and online digital workshops | NTUU-KPI |
WP5 | D13 | Quality and Assurance Plan | UNIS |
WP5 | D14 | Reports on organized meetings | UNIS |
WP5 | D15 | Report on external evaluation of quality of project activities | NMBU |
WP5 | D16 | Report on the inter project coaching | TUM |
WP6 | D17 | Dissemination, communication and exploitation plan | MSU |
WP6 | D18 | Project website and promotion material | NMBU |
WP6 | D19 | Report on digitalisation in the water sector | NTUU-KPI |
WP6 | D20 | Report on organized final project conference | MSU |
Partner | Partner’s Project Manager
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NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES | Prof Harsha Ratnaweera
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UNIVERZITET U NISU | Prof Milan GOCIC
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UNIVERSITATEA DUNAREA DE JOS DIN GALATI | Prof Marian Barbu
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UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA A MOLDOVEI | Mr Ion Ionet
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UNIVERSITATEA DE STAT DIN MOLDOVA | Prof Tatiana Bulimaga
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THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING | Ms Alla Kucherova
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UKRAYINSKYY DERZHAYNYY UNIVERSYTET NAUKY I TEKHNOLOHIY | Prof Roman Smotraiev
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NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF UKRAINE IGOR SIKORSKY KYIV POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE | Prof Tetiana Dontsova
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LVIV POLYTECHNIC NATIONAL UNIVERSITY | Prof Zenovii Znak
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Phone: +47 6723 1619
E-mail: waternorway@nmbu.no