COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Directorate General XXII - Education, Training and Youth ANNEX III T e m p u s Phare Joint European Project Final Report and Statement of Expenditure for 1999/2000 AC_JEP-13358-98 (JEP contract n°) The Final Report and Statement of Expenditure are to be returned in TWO copies by registered mail by 15 February 2001 at the latest (date as per postmark) One copy to: One copy to: Commission of the European Communities Directorate-General XXII Education, Training and Youth Mr. G. Massangioli Head of Unit B-7 8/49 rue de la Loi, 200 B - 1049 Bruxelles (Belgium) European Training Foundation Mr. P. Bedewell Head of Tempus Department Viale Settimio Severo, 65 I - 10133 TORINO (Italy) 1 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/2 Final Report and Statement of Expenditure DECLARATION This declaration should be completed and signed by the following people: 1. the Coordinator of the Joint European Project; 2. the person who is legally authorised to represent the coordinating institution; 3. the Contractor of the Joint European Project; 4. the person who is legally authorised to represent the contracting institution. We, the undersigned, certify that we have submitted all the documentation that is required of us, including the documents listed in the checklist in Annex . Furthermore, we certify that the information given in this Final Report, Statement of Expenditure and Checklist is correct to the best of our knowledge. We are aware that amendments to them will not be accepted after 15 February 2001. Name of the coordinating institution: University of Szeged ..................................................................................................................................................................................... ....... .. Name of the Coordinator: László Zádori ....................... Function: associate professor ......................................... Done at: Szeged.............................................................. Date: June 30, 2001 Signature: ...................................................................... Name of the legal representative: György Benedek ........................................................................................ ....... .. Function: vice rector ........................................................................................ ....... .. Done at: Szeged ........................................................................................ ....... .. Date: June 30, 2001 Signature: ........................................................................................ ....... .. Name of the contracting institution: University of Szeged ..................................................................................................................................................................................... ....... .. 2 Tempus Joint European Project Name of the Contractor: László Zádori .......................... Function: associate professor ........................................ Done at: Szeged .............................................................. Date: June 30, 2001 ........................................................ Signature: ...................................................................... ANNEX III/3 Final Report and Statement of Expenditure Name of the legal representative: György Benedek ........................................................................................ ....... .. Function: vice rector ........................................................................................ ....... .. Done at: Szeged ........................................................................................ ....... .. Date: June 30, 2001 ........................................................................................ ....... .. Signature: ........................................................................................ ....... .. 3 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/4 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure INTRODUCTION This Final Report form applies to the 1999/2000 Joint European Project period. The form consists of two basic parts: a) the Final Report on outputs achieved and activities performed in relation to the project objective stated in the Contract and the approved version of your 1999/2000 Revised Budget and Activity Plan and b) the Statement of Expenditure concerning the grant expenses made. A. FINAL REPORT The Final Report aims first of all at evaluating the achievements of the Joint European Project in 1999/2000 as well as whether the your initial project objective has been reached and is the most valuable source on projects, which have been completed. In this respect, the answers will contribute to a better understanding of the context in which Joint European Projects are operating and the impact which they have generated in the beneficiary institutions, thus guaranteeing a fairer evaluation of the project quality as well as giving an indication on the value of the Tempus Scheme as such. The most important aim of the evaluation of your project is to assess whether and how you have realised the achievement of your project objective. This is the objective which is indicated in your Contract (Chapter II-Special Provisions). In order to have a clear understanding of how you reached the objective, the outputs and activities, which were performed in 1999/2000, will be compared to your 1999/2000 Revised Budget and Activity Plan. The aim is to evaluate whether the activities and their outputs are coherent with each other, and to which degree they supported the final achievement of the project objective. The Final Report will also be used to check on whether the activities were in accordance with the contractual rules that apply to the Tempus grant. B. STATEMENT OF EXPENDITURE The purpose of the Statement of Expenditure is to check the expenditure made in 1999/2000 in order to ensure an adequate financial follow-up. Two aspects will be looked at: on the one hand whether the expenditure is coherent with the outputs and the project objective, and on the other hand whether the contract rules have not been violated and the expenditure is in line with the 1999/2000 Revised Budget and Activity Plan. INSTRUCTIONS These documents should be typewritten, making use of the forms given. These forms should be completed in any EU working language. Please do not forget to type your JEP number in the box on the cover page. The Final Report & Statement of Expenditure should be completed jointly by the JEP Coordinator and Contractor. The JEP Coordinator is supposed to report on part A (Final Report on outputs and activities), while the Contractor's main task is to account for the project expenditure under part B (Statement of Expenditure). All documents related to this report must be included; they will not be accepted if sent by separate mail. Please do not send copies of teaching materials developed within the project with the Final Report. Questions or requests concerning activities or expenditure of running projects will not be considered when included in the Final Report; they need to be submitted to the Commission by separate mail. This Final Report 1999/2000 MUST be sent by registered mail.. Only receipts from post offices and official carriers will be accepted as proof of dispatch. Faxed forms will not be accepted. Failure to return the Final Report and Statement of Expenditure on time would result in an automatic request for reimbursement of the total Tempus grant. For travel flows which have been financed by the Travel and Subsistence grant, the grantholders need to complete, date and sign an "Individual Grantholder Report" form (see Contract Guidelines for the utilisation of the grant - Annex I/13). These forms must be enclosed with the Final Report. Blank Individual Grantholder Report forms can also be downloaded from the Web on the ETF homepage (http://www.etf.eu.int). Proofs of payment of travel costs (tickets, vouchers, boarding passes…) for staff and/or participants in training should be annexed to the Individual Grantholder Reports. For each person employed in the project, the Contractor will provide a Convention (see Contract Guidelines for the utilisation of the grant - Annex I/5) together with the Final Report, signed by the person concerned and the central financial service of the institution where this person is normally employed. For fees and salaries paid for language preparation, accounting and translations, also included under staff costs, an invoice is required. Blank Convention forms can also be downloaded from the Web on the ETF homepage (http://www.etf.eu.int). 4 Tempus Joint European Project A. ANNEX III/5 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure FINAL REPORT SECTION I 1. Achievements of Outputs As explained in the Introduction of this form, an overview of the outputs and activities performed in 1999/2000 is necessary in order to understand how and whether the overall project objective has been reached. Please summarise the achievement of the project outputs realised in 1999/2000 using the standard form in Annex III/8. This form relates directly to the outputs you described in the approved version of your 1999/2000 Revised Budget and Activity Plan. An example has been provided for your guidance in Annex III/9. Please indicate in the table the project objective, the outputs achieved during 1999/2000, the related activities and your indicators of achievement. Please also indicate any deviations which have occurred in the implementation of the project (e.g. why an output may have only been partially achieved or postponed, why the definition of an output may have had to be modified by widening or narrowing it, why a deadline was reached earlier or later than foreseen, what influence - if any - these factors have had on the achievement of the other outputs). SECTION II You will notice in section II of the Final Report, that the focus is placed on the achievements of your project as a whole, i.e. since its start. Each Joint European Project has set its own objective, against which its progress has been monitored. At the end of your project it is, however, important, to take into account the larger environment in which the project has been operating and in which the results should remain to be felt. The questions you are being asked aim at understanding on the one hand, what relevance the implementation of the project has had and still has for the institution in the partner country as well as the “project environment”, i.e. other faculties, institutions and the economy and society at large. On the other hand, it is important that the results of your project will be sustainable, i.e. maintained by the project participants in the partner countries. Please, be therefore as precise as possible when answering the questions in section II of the Final Report, taking into account the totality of the outputs that have been performed. 1. Achievement of Objective a) Please describe your objective as set out in your Original Application Objective of the JEP: Developing new graduate courses with main emphasis on the mathematics of actuarial applications in the economy. Specific project objective: The project was to develop new graduate curricula in actuarial mathematics, to support writing and publishing lecture notes and textbooks, to help to retrain young teaching staff and to bring library and department facilities into line with EU standards at four Hungarian universities . Long term objective: The project is the base of a coordinated training system in actuarial studies in Hungary. It makes it possible to offer quality training in actuarial science at four major Hungarian universities in the future. The main goal of this training is to provide a solid mathematical background that takes into account the needs of the economy in accordance with EU standards. b) Did you achieve your objective ? If yes, please demonstrate. If no, please explain why not. We have achieved the project objectives. 5 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/6 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure DEMONSTRATION: Specific project objective: In the framework of project there were 6 new graduate curricula developed in actuarial mathematics, there were 8 lecture notes and textbooks written and published, H teaching staff was retrained and library and department facilities were upgraded at four Hungarian universities . Long term objective: The 6 courses developed are taught and will be taught in the future at the four partner universities participating in the project. The 8 lecture notes prepared in the project will also be used in the training. The project serves as a base for future cooperation between Hungarian universities and the Hungarian Actuarial Society. 2. Outputs and Activities Please comment in a free form the following aspects of your project, where relevant. 6 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/7 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure For ACADEMIC JEPs Restructuring/creation of unit/institution Please give details concerning the objectives and aims of the unit; its management structure; staffing arrangements; how it will be financed in the future; and its official status with respect to partner institutions. Curriculum Development a) Please give details as to the extent of the academic and institutional support received? The leaders of the partner universities all encouraged and supported our effort. The departments involved provided facilities and both academic and administrative work force. The courses developed were admitted at official level at the four universities. Students taking courses in these subjects receive official recognition. b) With regard to new/restructured courses, please indicate for each one: the target public (e.g. under/postgraduate students and their year of study, university staff, managers, civil servants etc.) and approximate number of people directly participating in the course in a given year; The target public in all cases are graduate students in their 4th or 5th year of university studies. Number of participants : Economics of insurance: U of Szeged --15, BUESPA--25 Social security models: BUESPA--25 Mathematics of life insurance: U of Szeged--15, BUESPA--50, ELU--20, U of Debrecen-20 Mathematics of non-life insurance: U of Szeged--15, BUESPA--50, ELU--20 Mathematics of reinsurance: BUESPA--25, ELU--20 Risk processes: U of Szeged--15, ELU--20 whether it is a compulsory part of a regular curriculum or optional; At U of Szeged and BUESPA the courses constitute a compulsory part of a regular curriculum. At U of Debrecen and ELU the courses are optional. whether it is officially recognised and supported by the competent educational authorities (at institutional level, national level etc.); The courses are officially recognized at institutional level. Their recognition at national level is in progress. whether it can/will be delivered in EU languages ? At present the courses are taught in Hungarian. However, most of them can be delivered in English, if necessary. Teaching materials Please give details of the links between the materials developed and the courses/curricula underway or planned. Relationships between the 6 courses developed and the 8 textbooks and lecture notes: Course: Supporting materials: Economics of insurance-------------------Economics of Insurance, Dynamical models in economics Social security models---------------------- none Mathematics of life insurance:------------ Exercises in the mathematics of insurance Mathematics of finance and investment, Demography Mathematics of non-life insurance------ Non-life insurance Mathematics of reinsurance-------------- none Risk processes------------------------------- Risk processes, Risk management 7 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/8 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure Staff training a) Please give details on how participants were selected. The participants in staff training were selected under two criteria: having the necessary background in the subject and teaching the subject in the future. b) Please comment on the links with the staff development/training plans of beneficiary institutions; All partner universities in the project are developing training in actuarial studies. Staff training within the framework of the project is a contribution to this goal. Staff members were trained in actuarial subjects that will be taught in the future at the partner universities, such as mathematics of investment, life insurance, etc. c) Please give details as to how the benefits derived from staff training are disseminated to other colleagues within beneficiary faculties /institutions and to other institutions; Interested colleagues other than trainees could attend the investment course at BUESPA. Lecture notes prepared at BUESPA in the project cover the material of the investment course and are available for any university staff member in Hungary. The materials acquired during the retraining courses in EU countries are available for all H staff members at the partner universities. d) How have the activities under staff development contributed to the achievement of the objective of the project ? The number of faculty members capable of teaching actuarial subjects has substantially increased. Student Mobility a) What were the criteria applied for the selection of students? b) Were any agreements been signed between project partners concerning the recognition of study periods? If so, please give details. If not, what was the basis for recognition? c) Please comment on host universities/enterprises perceptions of the performance of the student(s). Equipment a) Please comment on the appropriateness of any equipment provided and give details of training provided. In the framework of the project the following pieces of equipment were purchased: 4 lcd projectors: for supporting training in actuarial science, making it possible to project computer programs for large audience 1 copier: necessary for preparing written materials for students at U of Szeged 1 computer: necessary for the borrowing system of the mathematics library at the U of Szeged 1 bar code reader: necessary for the mathematics library at the U of Szeged 2 computers: for teaching staff in actuarial science 2 projectors: for training in actuarial subjects at the Faculty of Economics at the U of Szeged software: making it possible for teachers to do actuarial mathematics, to visualise and demonstrate topics in actuarial mathematics Books, periodicals: necessary in teaching and being up-to date in a broad variety of actuarial topics, in particular preparing curricula and teaching materials for the project. All maintenance procedures for the above pieces of equipment are done by the well experienced (already trained) system administrators of the universities where the equipment was installed. The software companies provide free assistance in the maintenance of their products. b) Who uses the equipment within the beneficiary institution(s)? All pieces of equipment purchased are mainly used by the teaching staff members and postgraduate students of the Hungarian participating universities except that equipment bought for the library is used by the librarians of the mathematics library at the U of Szeged. c) How does the equipment purchased support the other elements of the project? 8 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/9 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure d) What are the future plans for the use, maintenance and insurance of the equipment? Equipment purchased will remain the property of the beneficiary universities and will be used in the teaching of actuarial subjects or in the mathematics library of the U of Szeged. Adequate maintenance will be provided by H staff members. 9 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/10 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure For UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT JEPs Reform of university management a) b) c) d) Describe the area of university management targeted at the beneficiary institution(s) in the project. Please comment on the reform process achieved within the project. What institutional changes have been introduced? Describe the management level at the beneficiary institution(s) on which the reform action has an impact. Which level of university management was targeted (the top level (e.g. rectorate, central university services), the senior management level (e.g. faculty) or the middle management level (e.g. departments)) ? e) Please comment on how the reform action built on a strategy within the beneficiary institution(s) ? Was there a consensus within the beneficiary institution(s) on the methodology applied ? Has methodology been modified during the project year and if so, for what reason ? Staff development a) Describe the achievements on staff training related to the area of university management. Provide details on the target group of university managers / administrators and the skills developed. b) Please give details on how the trainees were selected. Was the output of the retraining as foreseen? c) Please comment on the links with the staff development/training plans of the beneficiary institution(s). d) Please give details as to how the benefits derived from staff training were disseminated to other colleagues within beneficiary faculties /institutions and to other institutions. Equipment a) Please comment on the appropriateness of any equipment provided and give details of training provided, maintenance procedures and insurance arrangements. b) Who uses the equipment within the beneficiary institution(s)? c) How does the equipment purchased support the other elements of the project ? For INSTITUTION BUILDING JEPs Training course development a) Please describe the appropriateness of the training provisions to the needs of the target group. b) Please comment on the quality of the training course development activities undertaken. Was the extent of the academic and non-university institutional support satisfactory? c) With regard to training provisions, how many participants were targeted? In which language(s) were they delivered? What was the structure of the training (content, format, teaching methodology)? Participants in training a) Please give details on how participants in training were selected. b) Please comment on the links with the training development plans of the beneficiary organisation(s). c) Please give details as to how the benefits derived from the training were disseminated to other colleagues within the beneficiary organisation(s) and to other organisations. d) Please comment on the target institution(s) perceptions of the performance of the participants in training. Training materials a) Please comment on how the training materials have been developed and whether they were translated, adapted or developed jointly with other partners? b) Please comment on the suitability of the materials. Have they proven to be as useful as expected? 10 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/11 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure 3. Project Management and Networking a) Please comment on your methodology and approach towards the management of the project. The main organising body of the project is the project committee formed by the coordinatorcontractor, the secretary, and three contact persons at the Hungarian partner universities. At the first committee meeting in January 1999 they laid down the basics of the first year of the project. At the meeting curriculum and teaching material development, retraining activities, visits, purchase of equipment, etc. were planned. The second meeting was held during the workshop in June of 1999 where past and forthcoming activities of the project were discussed. The third meeting was held in February of 2000 to assess the first year of the project and to review the activities of the next project year. At the fourth meeting in September of 2000 the committee reviewed the progress and rescheduled some of the activities. In between the meetings the coordinator and the contact persons were in daily contact via e-mail. The visits were pre-organised by the contact persons and participants involved. They let the coordinator –contractor know about the details of the visits. The financial part of the visits and collecting of IGRs were the task of the coordinator-contractor and the secretary of the project. The purchase of equipment were based on the offers of three independent firms. So we managed to get a better deal on the copier, projectors and the computers. When it was needed the contractor asked for permission from Tempus to modify the budget, to buy software of North American origin, to carry over a part of the equipment fund to the second year of the project and to extend the lifespan of the project. The work of the coordinator was greatly helped by the secretary of the project who temporarily substituted him when the coordinator travelled abroad. The daily administrative tasks were carried out by administrative staff members of the partner universities. b) Was this methodology appropriate or did it require changes? Basically, the methodology worked. c) Please comment on the transfer of project management skills to beneficiary country institutions. For some of the participants this was the first experience in managing large projects. The management skills they acquired will be a valuable asset for the host institutions in the future. 4. Impact a) Describe and demonstrate the key successes of your project in terms of your target group(s) and detail any shortcomings or disappointments. During the project we managed to bring together Hungarian teaching staff members, members of EU universities, actuarial institutes and insurance companies to discuss the state of education in actuarial science. Ways of possible directions of Hungarian actuarial education in the future were discussed. The Tempus grant made it possible for the Hungarian teaching staff members to visit EU actuarial institutes, to make curricula, to prepare textbooks and to finance a retraining course. Books, periodicals, computers, projectors, copier and software bought from the Tempus grant brought department and library facilities closer to EU standards. We planned more West-East visits than we could finally realise during the project. We completed 8 lecture notes and textbooks instead of 10 as planned. Some of the East-West visits became shorter than in the plan because of schedule and availability of staff members. The publishing process of textbooks and lecture notes took longer than it was planned. b) Describe and estimate the impact of the project on the EU partner institutions. The project played a major role in the harmonization of actuarial studies at the four partner institutions. Its immediate impact is as follows: 11 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/12 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure U of Szeged: improvement of department and library facilities, new courses and teaching materials in actuarial science BUESPA: improvement of department facilities, new courses and teaching materials in actuarial science ELU: improvement of department facilities, new courses and teaching materials in actuarial science U of Debrecen: improvement of department facilities, starting training in actuarial subjects during the project period c) Assess the multiplier effect of the project; will the benefits accrue beyond the immediate target group; i.e. both in higher education circles and in the local environment (economic and social)? Please explain and demonstrate. The results of the project make possible a training which matches EU standards in actuarial subjects. This eventually results in a well trained actuary workforce in Hungary. The cooperation developed between participants of the projects remains a major factor in actuarial education in Hungary in the long run. 5. Relevance The objectives of the Tempus Scheme are: to promote the quality and support the development and renewal of higher education in the partner countries; to encourage their growing interaction and as balanced a cooperation as possible with partners in the European Union, through joint activities and relevant mobility. Briefly describe how the achievements of your project contribute to the above programme objectives and orientations and to the needs of the beneficiary country ? The courses and teaching materials developed in the project take into account both the present Hungarian and the present EU standards. The materials were developed according to the recommendations of the Groupe Consultatif. 6. Sustainability a) Will the beneficiary institutions be able to carry on and develop the achievements of the project ? If so, what measures are in place or are foreseen to enable such continuation? The Mathematics Department of the U of Szeged has recently developed a new training program in the area of mathematics of economics and finance. The new courses developed play an important role in the actuarial training that is a part of this program. The newly developed program is officially recognized at the university level and will start in the Fall semester in 2001. BUESPA has the most comprehensive education system in actuarial science in Hungary. Just as the U of Szeged , BUESPA is in the process of seeking official recognition for an actuarial major in its training system at the national level. ELU is also planning to develop a full scale of graduate training in actuarial science. The U of Debrecen has recently started and is rapidly developing its own actuarial training program. b) In view of the end of your project please outline: Details of planned future cooperation with project partners; The H partner universities plan to continue their cooperation for further developing their training in actuarial science by studying each other's training system and interpreting already existing methods. How the results of this project will be spread beyond the immediate target group and to other colleagues, departments, faculties, institutions etc.; The substantial improvement of actuarial training will result in the increase of the quality of the workforce in the insurance industry in Hungary. What measures were taken to formalise/institutionalise any links with local nonuniversity partners? 12 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/13 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure The Hungarian Actuarial Society is seeking official recognition to possess the rights of the coordination of actuarial education in Hungary. Several teaching staff of the partner universities are members of the Hungarian Actuarial Society. The H partner universities are developing their actuarial training in accordance with the standards accepted by the Society to ensure smooth cooperation between them and the Society in the future. 7. Visibility Were any steps taken to publicise the activities of the project among for instance local authorities and enterprises, and if so, what was the response ? A workshop in actuarial science was held where participants from all H actuarial organizations were invited to and many of them attended. 8. Conclusions a) Please outline how you consider the Tempus Scheme might be improved. b) Please comment on the major lessons you have learned from this project and on any aspects of the cooperation between partners which you found gratifying or difficult. c) What in your view has been the most important achievement of your project? The project improved the level of actuarial education at four H universities. It came as the first step in the harmonization of actuarial training in Hungary. The teaching staff at the participating universities obtained new information on the system of education of other universities and professional actuarial institutes in Hungary and in the EU countries. 13 Tempus Joint European Project ANNEX III/14 Final Report & Statement of Expenditure PROJECT OUTPUTS & ACTIVITIES Project objective Developing new graduate courses with main emphasis on the mathematics of actuarial applications in the economy Outputs 1. New courses in mathematics of insurance………………………..……………… 2. Retrained Hungarian teaching staff……………………………………………… 3. New textbooks in actuarial science……………………………………..………… 4. Upgraded department facilities…………………………………………………... 5. Home page on the Internet……………………………………………………….. 6. Well functioning of the project…………………………………………………..… Indicators of achievements 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. Curricula prepared for 6 six subjects a Courses taught at the 4 partner univers Second part of an investment course h H teaching staff members retrained, se 8 textbooks prepared and published 4. 4. 5. Training facilities upgraded at the 4 pa Library facilities upgraded at U of Sze Reports on home page. 6. Reports on the project. Activities carried out 1.3 Prepare curricula in mathematics of insurance 2.1 Retrain teaching staff in mathematics of investment in H 2.2 Retrain H teaching staff in actuarial science in EU 3.2 Prepare new textbooks and lecture notes 3.3 Have the new books and lecture notes refereed 3.4 Prepare the publication of the textbooks 4.1 Purchase equipments to support training 4.2 Upgrade library facilities 5.1 Update records on the project 5.2 Set up and maintain an Internet home page 6.1 Coordinate the project 6.2 Do administrative work for the project Deviations from plan 2. Retrained Hungarian teaching staff: In some cases the it was impossible to organize a 4 week course as planned because busy. So we realized shorter visits. 3. New textbooks in actuarial science: 8 textbooks were prepared instead of 10 as in the plan. One of the authors simply ba project. The other lecture note was not published because of individual property right problems. 14