Page 21 - TLÜ aastaaruanne 2014

The Natural History Archives are collections of studies on protists, plants, mushrooms, animals and rocks that document the diversity of the planet´s organic and inorganic nature and development in both time and space. An integrated infrastructure consisting of natu- ralistic collections and a digital archive of biodiversity shall be creat- ed. The collections are open for scholars to study and the databases are available for use by environmentalists, teachers, politicians, etc.
The Estonian E-Repository and Conservation of Collections (1st stage) is an integrated e-environment created for preservation and availability of the digitized resources of Estonian memory institu- tions, including libraries, archives and museums as well as increasing the digitizing capability of the Estonian memory institutions, thus ensuring the survival of collections that are significant for Estonia. The sixth floor of the Academic Library has been built and equipped as a digitizing centre. In addition to the existing fully automatic robot scanner, a V-shaped semi-automatic scanner was acquired, which enables digitizing of volumes that, due to their binding, cannot be fully opened (e.g. Baltica and old books). The total amount of the files scanned at the digitizing centre was 24.9 terabytes by the end of 2014, and the total volume of pages amounted to 591,261. In 2014, software for managing all digitizing processes was developed, which enables digitization to be performed as a uniform process. The existing servers was partly replaced and four additional workstations were acquired, which were equipped with necessary software. The publi- cation environment of digitized items was taken into use, and will be further developed in 2015.
1.5 DOCTORAL STUDIES
In 2014, as in the previous four years, study was carried out in 14 doc- toral study programmes. A total of 46 doctoral students commenced studies. The State financed 25 doctoral study places (including the doctoral study allowance). The university supported the creation of 13 additional doctoral study places by funding 50% of the allowance from the Research Fund. A total of 7 doctoral students from Afghan- istan commenced their doctoral studies at TU in the specialisation of information society technologies in doctoral study places financed by the external aid project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sixteen doctoral theses were defended at TU in 2014. The num- ber of defences by study fields has varied in different years (Figure 3), but over a three-year average, the number of defences in different study fields remains approximately the same.
Additional principles were added to the Tallinn University Reg- ulations for Doctoral Studies, which enable studies prescribed by a
doctoral study programme to be completed as an external student and a doctoral thesis to be defended without having student status.
Commencing in the autumn of 2014, it became possible to con- clude agreements with foreign universities for joint supervision of a doctoral student (the so-called cotutelle agreement). The aim of the joint supervision agreement is to regulate studies of a doctoral stu- dent simultaneously at two universities, enable defence of doctoral thesis before a joint defence committee of TU and the foreign uni- versity, and based on the common decision of the joint committee, award the defendant with the graduation documents and academic degrees of both TU and the foreign university. Tallinn University has commenced negotiations with Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Jyväskylä University for entering into joint supervision agreements.
The number of mobility applications submitted by TU doctoral students and approved for financing within the ESF DoRa sub-pro- gramme “Participation of young researchers in the international cir- culation of knowledge” has remained approximately the same during the previous two years. In 2013, a total of 111 applications were sub- mitted and 47 doctoral students received support. In 2014, a total of 107 applications were submitted and 44 doctoral students received support. Most of the successful doctoral students participated in a specialised international conference, seminar or course with an oral presentation. Also, the number of applications of TU doctoral stu- dents submitted and funded within the ESF´s DoRa sub-programme
“Development of international cooperation networks by supporting the mobility of Estonian doctoral students” which supports the stud- ies of doctoral students abroad for one semester, has significantly in- creased during the previous two years: 23 applications in 2013 and 18 applications in 2014.
Since 2013, TU has participated as a partner in the Erasmus sub-programme PRIDE “Professionals in Doctoral Education: Sup- porting skills development to better contribute to a European knowl- edge society”. The aim of the project is to develop new measures for contributing to increased professionalism of administrative staff in the field of European doctoral education. In 2014, the project team conducted two Europe-wide surveys. The aim of the surveys was to collect information on the best practices of administrative employ- ees in the field of doctoral education, their duties, obligations and expectations, and identify the skills that need to be developed for more efficient performance in the workplace. Tallinn University in- itiated the publication of the article introducing the PRIDE project in the Research Europe magazine and presentation of the results of the project at the annual conference of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators.
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