As part of ongoing monitoring of Tempus IV activities in the Partner Countries, field monitoring visits of the cross-regional project "Developing Medical Genetics Education through Curricular Reforms and Establishment of Postgraduate Trainings" (MedGen) were carried out in Israel and Armenia during November and December of 2014, respectively.


Israel: Ms Marissa Gross and Ms Dina Gallero from the National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) in Israel met and discussed the progress of activities with representatives of Tel Aviv University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology on 20/11/2014 at the premises of the Technion Medical School in Haifa. The monitors highlight that the new curricula developed will increase the employability of graduates in Israel and ensure that the programs taught use modern technologies. The design of the project is logical and enables the partners to develop the programs in a quality manner. Stakeholder input is incorporated in building the curricula, which is critical in ensuring that the program meets national needs, and staff will undergo trainings to enhance their competencies for the programs. The Israeli partners are very passionate about the field, strongly believe in the need for this project in Israel and are dedicated to achieving results. Good communication and collaboration exist between the Israeli partner themselves, and with the European partners. In addition, the Israeli partners reported satisfaction with the project coordinator and the management of the project. Activities are being implemented according to the work plan, and the partners are already developing the curricula for the programs. In addition, the questionnaire they distributed and national consultation that was conducted exposed stakeholders to the project and enabled them to give their input on the program. This can serve as a basis for dissemination and sustainability in future stages of the project. There is institutional and departmental support for the program, which will also help with sustainability. At Tel Aviv University, the Medical School has given its backing to open the new program following the project. 


Armenia: Mr Klaus Haupt, Head of International Capacity Building at Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and Ms Lana Karlova together with Ms Ani Torosyan from the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia met and discussed the progress of activities with the project coordinator, the project team members and representatives of representatives of Yerevan State Medical University and Russian-Armenian University on 12/12/2014 at the Department of Medical Genetiss of YSMU in the premises of the Center of Medical Genetics and Primary Health Care in Yerevan. The monitors stress that there is a good opportunity not only to target academic issues developing and embedding a curriculum into the learning process but also to upgrade and/or change internal system of administration of the University especially the financial management. A local team as well as the whole partnership of the project is professional and united. The coordinator performs his role in an excellent way and shows a good understanding of the regulations of the Tempus programme. MedGen unifies European and Partner countries’ colleagues who mostly knew each other before the project. This fact is also a reason of such common understanding and devotion.

Both visits confirmed that the project is progressing well and that the field of Medical Genetics is very important for both countries. Following the findings of the monitoring visits carried out,O Israel, monitoring group revealed and stated the importance of the following recommendations: 

- the issue of programme accreditation which needs to be properly established and closely followed,
- the provision of support and coordination by university administration in embedding the project outcomes, including financial support
- investment of the possibility for a) cooperation and dissemination of project results with PC and EU universities, and b) a joint degree scheme: PC&PC universities and EU&PC universities.
- connections with external stakeholders to assist with dissemination and sustainability.