- LISS24

Project News

Presentation of LISS24 at the «Erasmus+ National Kick-off Day 2024» in Yerevan

On June 20, 2024 “Erasmus+ National Kick-off Day 2024” event took place at the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The purpose of the event was to present the main goals, expected results of the projects implemented by Armenian higher education and VET Institutions that received funding as a result of the Erasmus+ Call 2023, hold discussions aimed at the implementation of these projects and identify the challenges of the field and solutions. The event hosted more than 150 representatives of higher and vocational education institutions, education policymakers, civil society and business representatives and other interested parties. The event started with the opening remarks of Vassilis Maragos (Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia) and Artur Martirosyan (Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of RA). Afterwards, Lana Karlova (Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia) introduced the recent updates on CBHE (Capacity Building in Higher Education) Action. National Polytechnic University of Armenia also took part in the event and presented project (by Gor Martirosyan) on behalf of the project Armenian partner universities, highlighting the main goals and objectives, challenges and mission of the project. LISS24 The Panel discussion of the presented Erasmus+ CBHE 8 projects delved into broad themes such as sustainability strategies, training programs and the use of virtual exchanges to pilot new educational models. A recurring theme was the vital connection between academia, business and the labor market. By aligning educational outcomes with market needs, these projects, including LISS24, ensure that graduates except of the academical proficient are equipped with the practical skills and international outlook necessary for success in today’s global economy.

Finnish visit summary and comments of results

The localization and application of the knowledge and practical experience gained during the visit create the necessary conditions for the gradual implementation and development of an educational component aimed at succeeding in international business at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. Specifically, the visit reinforced NPUA's commitment to promoting and encouraging the development of "B2B sales and Innovation" competencies, highlighting the importance of collaboration and knowledge exchange in achieving this goal, which aligns perfectly with the global objective of LISS24 project gathering speed at NPUA: to develop innovative and international B2B sales knowledge and skills in the field of engineering at universities in Armenia and Georgia in the current digital age. "The day has started well. During the visit, we will also get acquainted with sales competitions in which Turku University of Applied Sciences is strongly involved. It will be interesting to get acquainted with the sales training of partners and to share information on both sides”- **Arto Kuuluvainen, TUAS** “To summarize the tour so far: what a week full of excitement, amazing discussions, learning and laughter with wonderful LISS24 partners from Armenia, Georgia, Austria, Spain and Sweden. Today were the finals and it was great to see how the finalists were able to negotiate and close the deals in a very demanding situation. Hats off to them!” - **Taru Kankaanpää, TUAS**. “The experience gained at Finnish universities will considerably help us in the effective implementation of the planned activities within the framework of the projects at the Georgian Technical University. It implies the retraining of academic staff using various training and teaching methods; The development of services and processes; The implementation of training courses, and the launching of an education-oriented sales laboratory” - **Boris Githolandia, GTU**. “I was honored to have served as a judge at the 10th European Sales Competition, held at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. It was inspiring to witness the exceptional sales skills and innovative approaches showcased by talented students from universities across Europe. Congratulations to all participants for their dedication and professionalism! It would be a fantastic opportunity to bring this dynamic event to our region and showcase the talent and innovation of our students from not only the National Polytechnic University of Armenia but all over Armenia” - **Lida Aghajanyan, NPUA**. “As a result of talks and arrangements made during the 5 days of the meeting, a B2B sales lab will be established in ANAU soon, and modern equipment, including biometric devices and sensors will be acquired. The project, knowledge and skills acquired in its scope will allow us to develop an educational component aimed at commercialization of research results at ANAU and to prepare B2B format sales specialists” – **Artur Altunyan, ANAU**.

Participation at «European Sales Competition 2024» in Helsinki

The professional foundational knowledge and experience gained by the NPUA team during the exercises in Turku were effectively applied during the second working phase of the visit, which took place from May 21 to 23 in Helsinki, where the finals of the "European Sales Competition 2024" were held at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. Such competitions are designed to promote and encourage students from European universities to develop and enhance their skills in conducting B2B negotiations and successfully selling their "intellectual products" in fields such as business, business management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The participation of the NPUA team members in this three-day event was not merely for familiarization. Lida Aghajanyan and Gor Martirosyan gained practical experience in applying the foundational knowledge acquired in Turku by actively serving on the international judging panel of the competition.

The first in-site project Management Meeting in Turku

The first working phase, which took place on May 20 and 21, was held at the project coordinator Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS), where our Finnish partners conducted quite interesting from both content and methodological perspectives exercises on the topic of "B2B Sales Management" for the NPUA and the NPUA neighboring other Armenian two (NUACA and ANAU) and Georgian three (GTU, RSU and ATSU) partner universities’ team members. Additionally, crucial and productive discussions took place regarding the project with representatives from the Dutch company "iMotion," the sole supplier of equipment for the B2B Sales Labs and biometric data processing software for the partner universities. As a result, essential collaborative ties were established, and specific agreements were reached concerning the technical outfitting of the B2B Sales Labs

Training in Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS)

The first working phase, which took place on May 20 and 21, was held at the project coordinator Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS), where our Finnish partners conducted quite interesting from both content and methodological perspectives exercises on the topic of "B2B Sales Management" for the NPUA and the NPUA neighboring other Armenian two (NUACA and ANAU) and Georgian three (GTU, RSU and ATSU) partner universities’ team members. As part of the exercises, the NPUA team members became familiar with the course curricula of the "B2B Sales" program at TUAS, including their theoretical and practical content, explored methods for developing professional skills in negotiation, result assessment, and management. The team took an active part in quite interesting "exercise games" in mixed groups and visited as well the TUAS's dedicated training laboratory to examine existing capabilities and opportunities from the perspective of their future applications at the home university.

Visit of NPUA Team Members to Finland

Within the work plan of Erasmus+ LISS24 project NPUA Team Leader and the Project National Coordinator Ruben Aghgashyan and the Team members Artur Zaprosyan, Lida Aghajanyan and Gor Martirosyan, together with the other project partners, had a Grand Study Tour in Finland on June 20-24, 2024, combining two interlinked programs. The tour started with two intensive days of meetings and trainings, hosted by Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) and continued with the rest of the week spent in Helsinki, where the project partners observed and actively participated in the European Sales Competition organized this year by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. The agenda included also discussions on project management and coordination, insights into establishing sales laboratories at partner universities, and organizing their own sales “game-competitions”. The participants had the pleasure of brief introductions from the TUAS Rector Vesa Taatila and the Vice Rector Juhani Soini. From May 20 to 24 of this year, within the framework of the on-going at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia (NPUA) Erasmus+ “LISS24” project, took place an exploratory visit of the project NPUA and the Armenian National coordinator Prof. Ruben Aghgashyan, along with the leaders of the project “academic” components, Lida Aghajanyan, Gohar Martirosyan, and Arthur Zaprosyan to Finland. The visit comprised two interconnected working phases. Theoretical and practical exercises, discussions on project management and coordination issues, a visit to a specialized B2B Sales laboratory, and practical participation in the finals of the European B2B Sales inter-university student annual competition were planned to implement by the visit program.