LUDOVIKA UNIVERSITY OF PUBLIC SERVICE

Innovation

Public Service Development enhancing Good Governance

Public Administration and Development Operative Programme 2.1.2

The quality and the performance of public administration – and overall public service – of a country directly affect its competitiveness. Public service performance is determined by the personal performance of public service employees, by the means and methods they utilize, and by the organizational structure in which they operate. In this regard, knowledge and know-how play a crucial role.

The Ludovika - University of Public Service is responsible for the coordination of a public service knowledge and know-how which is required for the system-wide development along the lines of the ways and means of good governance and public administration. Accordingly, Ludovika-UPS plays a central role in developing, concentrating and utilizing the knowledge material and methods aimed at good governance. The project runs between 2016-2018.

 

Commonality in Police Higher Education in Europe (ComPHEE)

The Faculty of Law Enforcement is involved in the European research project ComPHEE (Commonality in Police Higher Education in Europe), scheduled for 2011-2014, which is funded by the European Commission as part of the programme “Crime Prevention and Fight against Crime”.

The outcome of the joint project conducted by the experts and teachers of Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen, Germany, the Police Academy of the Netherlands, the Scottish Police College and the Faculty of Law Enforcement, Ludovika - University of Public Service, Hungary is a common European training module (teacher’s and students’ manual).

After the module was developed, it was tested in a two-week pilot phase by German, Dutch and Hungarian students in their respective countries in 2013.

After assessment of the overall experience and internal and external evaluation, the results of the project will be presented to a wider scientific audience of European and international conferences.

The Faculty of Law Enforcement is represented by the Hungarian coordinator of the project, dr. habil. Andrea Kozáry of the Department of Applied Law Enforcement Science, dr. habil, Ilona Bodonyi, dr. Judit Nagy, dr. Lóránt Horváth and Ferenc Krémer, a former lecturer of the Faculty.

 

Comprehensive Training Programme Development for Local Governments
State Reform Operational Programme 2.2.22

The Hungarian governement considers the continous education of civil servants an important element of the public service carrier. This is the most complex and innovative program to launch a post graduate training for civil servants working on local level so far, comprising quite different ways of training (e-learning, community learning and post graduate learning) trying to meet a wide choice of expectations of the public servants in form, professional content, level and credit points alike.

The programme includes three types of training:

1. Six e-learning modules of 8 hours independent learning each with tutorlias via Skype, offered for all public servants and officers to widen their professional horizonts and to improve their public service post graduate credit registry with 16 points after eaxh module.

2. Local Community Academy, an interactive training program organized at 70 microregions for some 700 activists in public service and administration in order to enable them to evaluate and compose local strategic planning at municipal level.

3. Regular post graduate training program of two semesters with 12 subjects focusing on a wide scope of municipal functions, economics of local governments, public local policy and communication, with all the topics implying the latest professional findings and knowledge. The 300 graduates will be registered on a list of local government advisors who at the same time can earn 60 credit points.

The programme is being deveoped by Ludovika -University of Public Service in 2013 and is planned to be run in 2014. The experts and officers of the state department responsible for local governments in the Ministry of the Interior are also involved in the realization of the programme which is supervised by the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice. Its total budget is 2,333,000 EUR.

 

Training of Public Officials working in One-Stop-Shops
State Reform Operational Programme 2.2.20

The project titled “Training of Public Officials working in One-Stop-Shops” is a HUF 1.6 million project funded by the European Union, under the framework of the State Reform Operational Programme 2.2.20. The aim of the project is to provide timely managed education on public office customer service with modern syllabus and methodology. Accordingly, the training contributes to the renewal of Hungarian public administration and the development of a government official and civil service corps with strong devotion towards the nation and with a high-level professional knowledge on an international level.

The training of public officials working in one-stop-shops has been managed by Ludovika - University of Public Service since February 2013. Approximately 4,000 public officials with higher level education degree participated in professional trainings, and about 2,800 public officials without a diploma were involved in public service trainings. In both cases, the aim of the trainings was to acquaint the participants with the knowledge and the know-how required for the processes in public administration, and to support the development of a “customer friendly”, well-prepared, highly skilled and efficient government official and civil service corps.

The first 29 offices of the new customer service system became operational on the 3rd of January 2011. This headway is an example of the Hungarian state’s efforts of acquiring a modern and competitive customer service, the concept of which is already successfully applied by large service providers. Nevertheless, the establishment of 29 one-stop-shops was only the first step of forming an up-to-date customer service system. The second phase of this process is the overall creation of one-stop-shops on the level of territorial public administration and the acquaintance of these establishments with the citizens.

The training consists of five modules, supplemented by a separate module on study skills, a practical training focused on the officials’ integration into the new one-stop-shop system, and the preparation of lecturers, mentors and training organisers. The training’s main focus is on the processes concerning customer service and public administration, since these issues are mostly related to the officials’ main scope of activities and being familiar with these issues is highly important for the functioning of a smooth and efficient customer service system. The training is divided in two parts:

Module I-II.: provision of general knowledge on public administration and PA processes

Module III-V.: specified public administration and customer service training

Instead of specialising on the main branches of public service, the curriculum has been aligned to the officials’ scope of activities, hence the training emphasises the examination of specialised matters dealt by one-stop-shops.

 

Development of Electronic Training and Distance Learning Materials
State Reform Operational Programme 2.2.19

The aim of the project is to ensure the e-lecture of e-students using e-contents, and to introduce lecturers of public administration trainings to e-training and e-content development according to methodological researches.

Apart from interactivity and multimedia, e-learning contains the integration of IT dynamic into the learning processes. In addition, it aims to establish an inspiring learning environment, the visual display of knowledge and to create an online learning network.

Organisers of the project particularly emphasise the acquaintance of opportunities for various forms of learning (online learning, blended learning), the introduction of v3.0 motivation methods (e.g. gamification), the observation of learning habits, consistency and the their coordination by a virtual tutor.

The variety of the project is secured by the cooperation of participants with different backgrounds.

Risks and Answers in Talent Promotion
Social Renewal Operative Programme 4.2.2

The project was realised at the Faculty of Military Sciences and Officer Training of Ludovika-UPS between October 2012 and October 2013. Its overall objective was the improvement of the faculty’s PhD training inter alia by constructing an infrastructure that helps PhD students in their research and publishing activities. Another aim of the project was to strengthen the special student communities’ role of talent promoters by supporting the initiation of training and research programmes which are not only related to the national strategic researches but can provide career building opportunities as well. In addition, the project was planned to foster the activity of the scientific students’ associations by promoting research subjects and programmes that could inspire the more talented students and are also related to the research activities of other universities.

The researches conducted under this project were related to the following areas:

  • promotion of training and research programmes
  • dissemination and the social utility of research results
  • development of infrastructure
  • development of HR

Among the many results of the project, the most successful outcomes include a research trip in which lecturers and students of the faculty explored the location of the only stronghold of Zrínyi Miklós (the denominator of the University’s legal predecessor) remaining in the country, the organisation of IT trainings for lecturers and students, and the publication of several research results at national and international conferences.

 

Defence research on Critical Infrastructure
Social Renewal Operative Programme 4.2.1.

The aim of the project is to collect, adapt and disseminate information and to develop a knowledge and technology that improves the citizens’ security against threats such as terrorism, natural disasters and crime, while respecting the citizens’ basic rights. Citizen security requires the optimal and coordinated application of available technologies, therefore, the project is realised in a consortium formed by Ludovika-UPS and the Óbuda University.

The project focuses on the following areas:

  • data integration
  • communication
  • self-care systems
  • civil-military cooperation.

Since critical infrastructures are vital for the everyday functions of modern societies and economies, the project strengthens Hungary’s competitiveness in the following fields: road informatics, geoinformatics, logistics, info-communication technologies.

 

Deployable Rapid Diagnostic Laboratory – BIOLABORATORY
TGYDGL09

The project’s aim was to establish a deployable bio-laboratory capable of conducting researches related to civil emergency situations and scientific analyses related to pathogens. The laboratory could be deployed in an area where the quick and efficient analysis and/or transportation of research samples would otherwise not be manageable.

The system could provide a substantial support in the management of issues related to civilian or animal health diseases or to diseases occurring after an attack with biological weapons. The development process started in 2009 and included the joint work of experts from Ludovika-UPS and other companies’ professionals in laboratory technology, technical modelling and programming.

The main tasks of the University’s experts included:

  • conducting background researches
  • conducting researches regarding the utility of the subsystems planned for integration
  • selecting communication and IT systems and analysing the possibilities of their adaptation
  • modelling the components of the laboratory
  • establishing and testing the criteria-system for adequate function

The completion of these tasks did not only mean a vital contribution to the project itself but also an opportunity for the experts of Ludovika-UPS to improve their knowledge and skills which they can apply within the framework of university lectures in the future, thus further lifting the quality of education at the University.