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ACCOMPLISHED PROJECTS The SG has worked together extensively with student exchange since the beginning of the ERASMUS programme. However this co-operation expanded to other activities with the introduction of SOCRATES-ERASMUS, such as European Modules, Intensive Programmes, Thematic Networks, etc. The SG has particularly promoted the introduction of ECTS in the universities. The Santander Group has successfully accomplished various international projects mostly EU funded from the following Programmes.
At the end of 1997, the SG signed a contract with the European Commission DG XXII for the creation of a database containing information about all the Curriculum Development Projects (both at Intermediate and Advanced level), European Modules and Integrated Language Courses approved by the E.C. since the Mini-Guide and until the Institutional Contract. This first assignment entitled “Analysis of Curriculum Development Activities under the Erasmus framework” ended in 1999. The database has been updated and included in the internet during 2000 and 2001.
Since mid 1997, the SG started to get involved in international technical co-operation programmes promoted by the DG VIII, DG 1b and others. Technical co-operation focus its aims in Latin America, Africa, the Central and Eastern European countries, the newly independent states and certain of the lesser developed countries. This co-operation covers several fields which can range from agriculture, health and nutrition, education, to governance/democracy and private sector development. Although the SG is only taking its first steps in this area, it has been approved to administer a TEMPUS-PHARE Democracy project for the introduction of public hearings and improvement of public policy in Bulgaria. The project ended in December of 1999.
The SG believes in the importance of training as a complement to education in order to deal with challenges imposed by the opening of the European labour market. The SG has been working with the Leonardo da VINCI programme since the beginning of the programme and it has managed three student placement projects: SANGRIA - Santander Group For Industrial Activity 3 and 5 The main objective of all the SANGRIA projects was: to give the opportunity to young graduates and students of SG universities to have work experience in a European company. After accomplishing SANGRIA 1, the first SG Leonardo da Vinci project, implemented in 1996, and its successor, the SANGRIA 2, the SG proceeded to implement the third SANGRIA Project. Santander Group For Industrial Activity 3 The SANGRIA 3 project for the placements in industries of university students and graduates placed 68 students from SG university members. SG made efforts to ensure that placements were taken in the regions of SG universities, as far as it was possible. The project ended in December 2000 and the final report was submitted in February 2001. Santander Group For Industrial Activity 5 SANGRIA 5 was presented for the 1999 call of applications and it was approved by the European Commission in 2000 with a budget of 142.480 euros. In this project, we had 28 universities as sending institutions, which also included the then non-EU countries Universities such as Polytechnic University of Timisoara (in Romania) and Cyprus College (in Cyprus). There were also 29 enterprises as host institutions. The project ended in September 2001 and it was the last project managed by the SG under the first phase of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme. The SG also manages its own placements programme parallel to Leonardo by which it tries to bring together universities and companies by encouraging companies, within the regions of the university members, to offer interesting placements to students and/or graduates. This programme is not financed by the E.C. and depends entirely on the benefits given by the companies.
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