EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND PROJECT SUPPORTING PhD TRAINING AND SCIENTIFIC WORK – AN UP DATE

1. EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND PROJECT SUPPORTING PhD TRAINING AND SCIENTIFIC WORK – AN UP DATE Ján Staško, Kamil Javorka, Peter Galajda, Andrea Čalkovská, Ján Hanáček and Juraj Mokrý Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University (JFM CU), Martin, Slovakia Introduction Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University (JFM CU) was privileged to receive the financial support from European Social Fund (ESF-ITMS 26110230031, 06/2010-05/2013) due to the project entitled „Support of human resources development using the most modern methods and forms of education at JFM CU in Martin“. • Support of the PhD study • PhD grants were awarded to 10 PhD trainees of JFM CU for the period • of 24 months (09/2010-08/2012). Candidates - PhD trainees were sup- • ported by granton the base of defined competitive criteria; • Aims of the ESF project • 1) To increase the motivation of pregraduate students to scientific • work; • 2) Direct support of the PhD study using activities popularizing • the science; • 3) To improve the quality of PhD training and scientific work • 4) To support the e-learning study; • To establish the Faculty Simulator Centre with an idea of the virtual teaching methods development at JFM CU b) In framework of ESFProject there have been organized regular meetings of PhD trainees together with faculty tutors, student presentations and discussions about the preliminary research results and routing of their theses, so called „brainstormings“ (up to 04/2012 = 20 brainstormings); c) There were organized annual PhD conferences (10/2010, 10/2011) and courses of science methodology for PhD trainees (02/2011, 02/2012); The ESF project supports the scientific work of undergradual students Motivation of undergraduate students to the scientific work is stimula- ted by: a) Regular meetings and debates with organizers of the student´s scientific activities at JFM CU and experienced researchers twice a year (so called „round tables“, 4 round tables organized up to 04/2012). b) Support of Student´s scientific conference organization annually at JFM CU (2011, 2012). Best students – winners of the individual sections are awarded by Prizes of the ESF project (2011= 15 stu- dents were awarded in 5 biomedical and non-medical sections). c) 35 students have been working at different departments and clinics annually (2011, 2012) as the qualified young scientific assistents. Both groups of undergraduated students (working either as qualified or voluntary scientific assistents) present their results in the frame- work of the annual Student´s scientific conference (2011 = 64 stu- dent´s lectures presented at the conference). d) The Awards of the Project for the best three PhD trainees and three best tutors of PhD students (09/2010, 09/2011); e) Travel grants for study stay of PhD trainees (duration 1-6 months, suppor- ted 15 PhD trainees) and the active participation of PhD trainees and their tutors at national and international scientific conferences was also suppor- ted (up to 04/2012 = 90 PhD trainees and 32 tutors); f) Publishing of the faculty scientific journal „Acta Medica Martiniana“ deter- mined mainly for publication of the PhD students articles is financially su- pported too (annually 3 issues and 1 supplementary issue); g) Special activity of the Project is a generation of five postdoctoral positions paid by the Project for 30 months to the best PhD graduates (09/2010 – 02/2013). On the base of the experiences by these positions, a proposal for Ministry of Education will be processed for the constitution of paid post- doctoral positions at Slovak universities. • Support of the e-learning and setting-up the Simulator • Centre at JFM CU (opened March 15, 2012) • The use of e-learning in the undergraduate and postgraduate study • at JFM CU is aimed to increase quality of the educational process; • b) The virtual education at JFM CU was stimulated by setting-up the Fa- • culty Simulator Centre with appropriate equipment for education, espe- • cially useful in clinical disciplines (e.g. propedeutics in internal medicine). d) Participation of the student delegates together with their tutors at national and international Student´s scientific conferences is also covered from the ESF project (up to 04/2012 = 18 undergraduated students and 8 tutors were supported) e) ESF Project supports a special study subject (in 3rd and 4th year of general medicine study) called „Introduction to Scientific Work“ for all undergraduate students (2011 = published English handbook). Conclusion: Prelimary results testify that ESF project is extremely helpfull for improving PhD training and scientific work at our faculty.