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© Proceedings of the Ruhuna Quality Assurance Sessions 2021 (RUQAS 2021)
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21 September 2021

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How the Covid-19 Outbreak Affects the Quality of International Research Collaborations:

A Case Study of EU ERASMUS+ Funded Building Resilience in Tropical Agro-ecosystems

(BRITAE) Project

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G. Saranga* , R. Jayasekara , E.D. Witt , C. Siriwardana and I. Lill
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Katubedda, Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka
2 Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate Tee 5, 19086
Tallinn, Estonia

* Corresponding author: gaindusaranga@gmail.com

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the formal procedures for international research

collaborations and other interpersonal knowledge sharing practices. Covid-19 restrictions are largely
affecting the way of conducting the usual project and research activities. The advice of health

authorities is to find an alternative method for these activities. In the present study, a case study
approach was applied to investigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on international research

collaborations. The BRITAE (Building Resilience in Tropical Agroecosystems) is an EU Erasmus+

program of the European Union Co-funded project which is being carried out in collaboration with
five Sri Lankan universities and four foreign universities. The project activities were severely

disrupted from initially planned activities due to the pandemic situation all over the world. Apart from
the kick-off meeting, all other steering committee meetings were conducted via the Zoom platform.

For the first year of the project, an annual self-assessment exercise was carried out in March 2021
which aimed to identify any shortcomings in project performance in order to rectify them. Further,

participant evaluation of project steering committee meetings was carried out to ensure that the

meetings taking place in the course of the project were conducted appropriately and effectively. The
present study attempts to outline the extent of impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the project

activities and to ascertain whether there is a need for modification of activities due to the conditions

generated by the pandemic. According to the results, three areas were highlighted for improvements
such as active participation of all participants, more disciplined use of technology by participants, and

satisfaction of follow-up tasks and time management. The study concluded that, although the project
proceeds well in most areas despite the Covid-19 pandemic, more attention should be given to the

effectiveness of project activities as a consequence of the quality reduction of activities held via online
platforms.

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