In 2021 ECA-CES is planning to launch a new platform: Sustainable Development Forum. It will be launched to promote and accelerate research activities aimed at the achievement of 4th SDG in developing, low-income and middle-income countries of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Forum will support researchers and educators from this region who encounter difficulties including methodological (access to data collection), cooperation with colleagues and research results dissemination while working towards the achievement of the 4th SDG. Forum will serve as a platform for increasing the production and use of research data and evidence in education policy and its’ further implementation.
Forum Global Goals
Forum activities are aimed at achievement of the Fourth Sustainable Development Goal in the region. They are focused precisely on targets of the Fourth Goal such as:
- 4.1 (through accelerating, promoting and stimulating production of more scientific data in educational assessment. including research conducting, tools development, methodology transfer, effective knowledge exchange, teacher training and providing policymaking with rigorous data) and
- 4.B (through working with foundations and development aid agencies and providing researchers with opportunity to conduct researches that they have planned).
Activities
Capacity building opportunities
Forum supports following types of activities:
- annual meetings (once or twice a year at global conferences or as standalone events in one of the participating countries);
- communicational platform;
- support in writing and publishing of the scientific research papers;
- support in receiving grants and scholarships including research grants and travel grants;
- networking;
- internships in partner organizations.
Forum’s mission is to provide young specialists and experts of the region with opportunities on life-long learning and capacity building. Capacity-building program helps members by navigating them in the field of international approaches to education reforming and building career trajectory in accordance with them. Tools for capacity building, include:
- Database of organizations and platforms that provide learning and training opportunities such online short-term courses and further in-profession training in specific topics related to research in education
- Collecting, storing and distributing information on grant opportunities for researchers, including research calls, grant competitions, travel grants and other similar initiatives where researcher can receive financial support for the work
- Helping in receiving post-graduate education including finding a sponsor for scholarship
- Launching of research calls for women and young researchers
- Promoting cross-country comparative research conducting
- Making the researchers from developing countries visible.
Educational events and networking
Thematic conference and seminar will be used as communication platforms for discussing ideas and progress on projects towards the achievement of the Fourth SDG in every participating country. The developers of education quality assessment tools will receive feedback on the presented research results. It is also a great opportunity for networking and mapping of activities in the region to see where they cross and how can researchers join their efforts.
Through networking Forum will offer support in scientific writing and editing, help contact specialists for secondary data analysis in the field of education and psychology. Through liaising with educational institutions across the globe Forum will support at providing access to their databases.