Strengthening cooperation with University College London (UCL)
From October 7 to 10, the Chairman of the Committee on Higher Education and Science, Sargis Hayotsyan, visited the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to strengthen academic cooperation ties with University College London (UCL), ranked among the top ten universities in the world.
The study visit was organized with the support of the British Council Armenia's office. The Armenian delegation included representatives from the Academic City Foundation and three Armenian universities (Khachatur Abovian Armenian State Pedagogical University, V. Brusov State University, and the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports).
During the visit, meetings were held with representatives from UCL's Institute of Education (IOE), where discussions focused on opportunities for experience exchange and cooperation development in the frameworks of the establishment of the Educational Cluster under the "Academic City" project.
As a result of the discussions, on October 8, the Chairman of the Committee on Higher Education and Science, Sargis Hayotsyan, and Prof. Li Wei, Director and Dean of the IOE at UCL, signed a Letter of Intent. The goals of this agreement are:
- Strengthening cooperative ties between the parties,
- Knowledge sharing and consultancy on university merger models,
- Curriculum development and evaluation,
- Professional development for higher education staff,
- Paving the ground for future bilateral agreements for exchange purposes, academic cooperation, and other joint activities.
It should be noted that this is the second example of establishing cooperation with leading UK universities within the framework of the "Academic City" project. Notably, following a familiarization visit by an Armenian delegation to the UK on November 7-8, 2023, Sargis Hayotsyan and Ratna Ramanathan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Arts London and Director of Central Saint Martins College, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to exchange best practices in higher education and support the implementation of the concept of the Art Cluster of Academic City in Armenia.