"Substantially obsolete industrial infrastructure in Georgia and Ukraine poses existential challenge for these countries’ economies under conditions of global transformation, often referred to as 4th Industrial Revolution. The gap between availability of advanced technologies coupled with ubiquity of information on the one side and lack of experience in re-setting of business models for an enterprise in Georgia and Ukraine on the other side is bridged in HEIn4 via reinforcing the role of HEIs in Industrial transition through:- building capacities in HEIs (human resource and institutional units);- delivery of tailored business management courses for industrial personnel;- launching consultancy services for industrial companies (large and SME);- setting new taught modules for Master students;- establishing of new forms of collaboration between HEIs and industry.Following major outputs will be produced:- Higher Education 4.0 Concept will summarise pedagogical strategy;- Case Studies will represent the EU practices to wider audience;- short courses will be delivered to upgrade industrial staff;- taught module ""Industry 4.0 Business Management"" will be developed and embodied to official Master programs;- recommendations for updating Engineering curriculum will deliver insights on the new transdisciplinary competencies required for operating the factories of the future and how this can be addressed in higher engineering education;- Virtual Factory Learning Labs will be set in each HEI complemented with their international network as a focal point of collaboration in the Industry 4.0 context.Major long lasting and sustainable impacts will be delivered as follows:-Reinforced role of HEIs in 4th Industrial Revolution;-Industry will attain skills, knowledge and expertise vital for competitiveness;-Employability of graduates will be enhanced;-For academics new opportunities of professional development will be delivered."

Wider objective is to improve education quality assurance systems through development of efficient internal quality standards leading to better employability of students in Partner Countries Universities. The internal QA system will be based on analysis of needs and capacities in Kazakh and Ukrainian HEIs, experiences and best practices from the successful QA action line of the Bologna ProcessThus main activities of the project are as follows (1) to promote the creation of quality culture at various levels through motivation, trust, responsibility of students, institutional leadership, individual staff members; (2) to elaborate proposals for the design of programs for BSc and MSc with the involvement of all stakeholders; (3) to develop technologies of assessment quality of BSc&MSc programs; designed program should meet the objectives including learning outcomes; (4) to conduct training for the QA specialist&academic staff; (5) to improve affiliate network university-business-State through collaboration with the EU universities; (6) to enhance internal university information systems of quality evaluation; (7) to develop a corporate QA infrastructure based on ICT, on-line, mobile technologies.Expected results of EDUQAS project: I. Created QA units, developed set of standards, guidelines for internal quality assurance in higher education; II. Improved quality of activities (research, education, governance) on the basis of the study of procedures and processes of EU universities; III. Improved quality culture among students, academic staff, management and administration of the University; IV. Developed affiliate network university-business-State through cooperation of QA agencies, professors, researchers, students with EU universities; V. Enhanced internal university information systems of quality evaluation and corporate QA infrastructure.VI. Piloted internal QA policy, guidelines&procedures will serve as a basis for QA national standards by PC QA agencies.