Introduction

Office for Programmes and Co-operation (OPC) came into being in 2001 - as an inner unit within Entrepreneurship and Regional Development Research Centre (ERDRC). The range of activities of the Office focuses on monitoring European students and teachers exchange programmes as well as international scientific-research co-operation. In this last field, the OPC supports ERDRC and other USAE units in preparing scientific-research projects financed by external sources. The activity of the Office is also connected with the current service concerning employees and the USAE students' exchange. Growing need for further development of the OPC in European Integration conditions caused that the Office was extracted from the structure of the ERDRC and become the independent unit of USAE in 2004. Currently the OPC coordinates the following activities with foreign partners

• co-operation with University of the West of Scottland (United Kingdom) which finally takes a form of tripartite co-operation agreement among USAE, University of Economics in Katowice and University of the West of Scottland;
• co-operation with Business School Ostrava (Vysoká ąkola podnikání Ostrava, Czech Republic). The activities include: mutual meetings and seminars preparation, direct contact with the partner representatives, initiation of students and teachers exchange;
• co-operation with Université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambrésis (France) which is focused on students exchange and development of best practices in educational process in European conditions;
• co-operation with University of Southern Stockholm (Södertörns högskola, Sweden) in the scope of scientific-research projects;
• co-operation with Technical University in Ostrava (Vysoká ąkola báňská - Technická univerzita Ostrava, Czech Republic) concerning students exchange and scientific project development;
• co-operation with University of Žilina (Žilinska Univerzita, Slovakia) concerning students and teachers exchange and scientific project development;
• co-operation with University of Trenčin (Trenčinska Univerzita, Slovakia) concerning students and teachers exchange and scientific project development.
• co-operation with Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur Leipzig, Germany) concerning students and teachers exchange and scientific project development.

Current activities and development plans

Currently, the OPC is involved in implementation of activities that expand and develop international co-operation of USAE, especially in the field of students and teachers exchange within the scheme of Erasmus Programme. Within this scope the following project has been undertaken:

• preparation the proposal of Erasmus University Charter to European Commission which enables the USEA to enter into European programmes of students and teachers exchange. The EUC was finally granted in March 2005. Preparation of the proposal for Erasmus University Charter for the years 2007-2013;
• development of co-operation with foreign partners' universities focused on preparation the bilateral agreements which precise the conditions of students and teachers exchange,
• implementation of standards concerning didactic process connected with Bologna Strategy and Erasmus Programme,
• co-ordination of ECTS implementation in USAE.

Development plans of the OPC are defined by the main Office objective: internationalisation of the USAE in Europe by initiation, assistance and service in the field of students and teachers exchange as well as scientific-research project co-ordination.

Contact

dr Adam Drobniak
Head of the Office for Programmes and Co-operation
USAE Co-ordinator of LLP-Erasmus Programme
e-mail: adr@ae.katowice.pl (private)
e-mail: bpiw@gwsp.edu.pl (the Office)
Phone/Fax number: +48 32 3494820
Room 202, B Building

Address
Karol Godula Upper Silesian Academy of Entrepreneurship in Chorzow
Office for Programmes and Cooperation
Raclawicka 23
41-506 Chorzow
POLAND