Newsletter No. 1, May 2017
Entrepreneurial Universities for Industry Alliances EUFORIA This project aims to establish and develop links between universities and enterprises in order to enhance teaching and learning, upgrade the curricula in line with the needs of enterprises and improve the financial sustainability of HEIs in Kosovo. Enterprise managers will be appointed to a number of university committees as the voice of the private sector to help the universities design programmes of study in line with the needs of enterprises and the labour market. EUFORIA is a collaboration project between the following partners: Kosovo Partners University of Gjakova Fehmi Agani University Kadri Zeka Gjilan University Haxhi Zeka, Peja RIINVEST College University of Prishtina Hasan Prishtina University of Applied Sciences in Ferizaj Universities will send a number of their lecturers to companies for a short placement period to observe the working of the company and, in consultation with company managers, identify challenges facing them. The lecturers will use their knowledge of the companies and insights they have gained to formulate case studies for their subjects. Experienced EU partners will assist the Kosovar lecturers to write case studies which can be used in the classroom. The use of case studies, particularly those based on Kosovar companies, is rather unusual in Kosovo and will require a change in teaching, learning and assessment strategy. It will have a profound impact on students learning experience and their preparation for the labour market. The project started on 15 October 2015 and will run to 14 October 2018. The total project budget is 722,093.00. Specific objectives: EU Partners Staffordshire University (Project Coordinator), UK Munich University of Applied Sciences, DE University of Zagreb, HR Università Politecnica delle Marche, IT Nottingham Trent University, UK Industry Partners Hotel Dukagjini Uje Rugove TREPHARM ENRAD NGO Partners Kosovo Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Establishing bilateral links between partner country HEIs and enterprises on a formal basis to arrange representation of enterprises on university committees and placements for staff and students Improving teaching and learning methods by developing and using case studies based on partner firms specific experiences Conducting surveys of companies and using feedback on student placements to identify skills and knowledge shortages of university students and graduates and upgrading the curricula by embedding these skills, thus enhancing the employability of graduates Enhancing the financial sustainability of partner country HEIs by enabling them to develop additional sources of income (e.g., by organising training courses and offering services to companies based on their identified needs) Setting up advice centres for SMEs run by staff and postgraduate students
Page 3 Kick-Off Meeting The kick-off meeting of the project took place in February 2016 at the Faculty of Economics, University of Pristina. Representatives of all EU and Kosovo partner universities and the Kosovar companies and NGOs participated in this meeting. This was the first opportunity for all partners to meet and get to know each other. In this meeting, the project activities were reviewed and the role and responsibility of all partners discussed. Plans for the activities of the first year of the project were elaborated in detail. The rules for administrative and financial management of the project were explained by the Project Manager, Mrs Jenny Herbert, who also explained other rules and regulations governing the project. Seminar on University - Industry Links The first project seminar was organised on University-Industry Links in February 2016. EU partners explained the type of relationships and links they have established with industry over the years and the bene-fits they have derived from these links. These benefits include the development of relevant academic programmes in univeristies that match the needs of the industry, placement of students on internships, employment of graduates, consultancy and research projects. Visit of Senior Staff of Kosovar Universities to EU partners 12 Senior members of staff including, Rectors, Deans, Vice Deans and senior professors from six Kosovar univesities (2 from each university) visited three partner universities in the EU to learn about the host university's links with industry and how these links have been developed. FEB Welcomes Delegation from Kosovo Universities As part of the EUFORIA project, the delegation from two universities from the Republic of Kosovo paid a working visit to FEB from 2 6 May 2016. The delegation consisted of Professors But Dedaj, Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Priština and Ymer Havolli from the University of Priština, and Professors Fejzulla Berisha and Bashkim Nurboja from University of Peja Haxhi Zeka. The representatives of Kosovo universities met with FEB s Dean Professor Lajoš Žager, Vice Dean Professor Jurica Pavičić and Professor Marina Dabić to discuss the modalities of future cooperation. The aim of the working visit was to promote co-operation between uni- versities and the Kosovo industry through examples of cooperation at the University of Zagreb. Within the project Euforia the development of cooperation between the universities and the industry in Kosovo will be promoted by establishing the university counselling centres for small and medium enterprises, the development of an online platform for university centres, and by curriculum improvement to comply with the industry requirements. The delegation attended the presentations delivered by the Head of the BDiB programme Professor Mario Spremić, CEO of NOVAMINE Ernest Vlačić, MSc, Ms. Ivana Žorž and Mrs. Dunja Petercol of HAMAG BICRO, Mr. Radoš and Mr. Pavičin from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and by FEB students Karla Petek and Mihaela Bešlić (estudent). They also visited the Končar Metal Structures d.d. plant and the first Croatian start-up incubator ZIP.
Senior staff from Kosovo partner universities visited Munich University of Applied Sciences Professor Muhamet Mustafa and Professor Arben Damoni from Riinvest College and Professor Shaban Buza, Rector and Professor Luan Ahma from the University of Gjakova Fehmi Agani visited Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) May 9-13, 2016. Kosovar colleagues discussed university-enterprise cooperation with senior staff of the host university. Visits were made to the Strascheg Centre for Entrepreneurship, Offices of T-Systems and the University Incubator. Page 4 Develop and Utilise Case Studies in Teaching Staff from the 6 partner universities in Kosovo (Universities of Gjakova, Gjilan, Peja, Prishtina, Ferizaj and Riinvest College) attended a Workshop on Preparing case studies of Kosovar companies to use in teaching on 6-8 June 2016 in Prishtina. Senior staff from Kosovo partner universities visited the Universita Politecnica delle Marche Professor Bajram Kosumi, Rector, and Dr Gezim Tosuni from the University Kadri Zeka Gjilan and Professor Agron Bajraktari, Rector, and Professor Bujar Pira, Vice Rector, of the University of Applied Sciences in Ferizaj visited the Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy (UNIVPM) from 17 to 21 May 2016. Kosovar colleagues discussed university-enterprise cooperation with senior staff of the host university. Visits were made to the Loccioni Group, Rainbow Company and the Contamination Lab. The Workshop was run by Prof Marina Dabić and Prof Jurica Pavičić (University of Zagreb) at Riinvest College. The purpose of the workshop was to train the participants in the use of case studies as a teaching and learning tool and also the writing of case studies of actual companies in Kosovo. Participants continued to work on these case studies in Kosovo, including visiting local companies, before participating in a final Workshop at Nottingham Trent University, UK in January 2017 where they completed their case studies and presented them to members of staff there.
Page 5 Workshop on Writing Case Studies 12 academic members of staff from 5 partner universities in Kosovo (Universities of Gjakova, Gjilan, Prishtina, Ferizaj and Riinvest College) attended a follow-up Workshop on Writing Case Studies from 16 to 20 January 2017 at Nottingham Trent University, UK. The workshop was run by Professor Marina Dabic and Dr Usha Ramanathan from Nottingham Trent University and Professor Jurica Pavicic from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb. During the workshop the participants worked with the workshop leaders, both individually and collectively to develop the case studies which they had already begun in the first workshop in Kosovo in June 2016. All the case studies are based on companies in Kosovo and will be used in teaching in the partner universities in Kosovo. Launch of tender for the purchase of equipment Seminar on the Skill and Knowledge Gap of Kosovar Graduates: the Views of Large and Small Enterprises On 13 May 2016, the tender for the purchase of equipment for the EUFORIA project was launched through the national public procurement website. As the budget for the purchase of equipment was more than 134,000, the tender has had to be launched according to the national regulations in Kosovo. The University of Peja is conducting the tender process on behalf of Staffordshire University. The tender process was completed in June and by October 2016 all the purchased equipment was delivered to partner universities in Kosovo. Staff from the 6 partner universities in Kosovo (Universities of Gjakova, Gjilan, Peja, Prishtina, Ferizaj and Riinvest College), partner companies and NGO partners (Uje Rugove, Hotel Dukagjini, Enrad, Trepharm, Women in Business and Kosovo Chamber of Commerce) of the EUFORIA project attended the Seminar on the Skill and Knowledge Gap of Kosovar Graduates: the Views of Large and Small Enterprises on 27 September, 2016 in Prishtina. The Seminar was jointly organized by Staffordshire University and the University of Peja Haxhi Zeka. Remarks on the Graduate Skill Gap were given by HE Minister of Education and Science, Prof Dr Arsim Bajrami and HE Minister of Trade and Industry Prof Dr Hykmete Bajrami. In addition the results of the surveys on the views of enterprises about Kosovar university graduates were presented. One of the objectives of the project is to identify the skill and knowledge gaps of university graduates from the point of view of employers (small, medium and large companies in Kosovo), and then improve the curricula of our partner universities so that these skills and knowledge elements are built into the curricula. In order to do this, we commissioned surveys on the views of enterprises about Kosovar university graduates. The survey was conducted in 100 large and medium sized companied by Riinvest Institute and in 50 small and micro companies by our partner Women in Business. The results were presented in the Seminar. There was also a presentation by Prof Besnik Krasniqi from the Faculty of Economics, University of Prishtina on his research on the views of graduates about the challenges they faced when they entered the world of employment. In addition to the presentations by Kosovar colleagues, Dr Jana Fiserova an Economist from Staffordshire University presented the experience of Staffordshire University in developing its employability project and embedding employability skills in the curricula of its entire study.
Placement Officers appointed at six partner universities in Kosovo and undergo training in the EU Page 6 The six newly appointed Placement Officers from the partner universities in Kosovo (the universities of Ferizaj, Gjakova, Gjilan, Peja, Prishtina and Riinvest College) attended a week of training at Staffordshire University, UK from 7-11 November 2016. They participated in events as part of the CareersFest Week, as well as attending meetings with SU s Placement Team, and academics involved in monitoring students on placement and assessing their progress. CareersFest was a week-long festival of events, lectures, seminars and practical sessions aimed at promoting the many options available to SU graduates entering the world of work, including placements and work experience in companies and enterprises. The Placement Officers were able to explore the e-coach online system for careers coaching, attend sessions on updating and improving their CVs, interview techniques and the academic and practical benefits of placements for students. Workshop on improving the curricula by embedding employability skills and graduate attributes Staff from the 6 partner universities in Kosovo (Universities of Gjakova, Gjilan, Peja, Prishtina, Ferizaj and Riinvest College) attended a Workshop on Embedding Employability Skills and Graduate Attributes in the Curricula (9 13 January 2017) held at Staffordshire University. The workshop was run by Dr Jana Fiserova and Professor Iraj Hashi. The workshop highlighted the issue of the employability of university graduates (which has been well recognized as a major problem in most European countries) and introduced the participants to the Staffordshire Graduate Programme and the way employability skills and graduate attributes are embedded into the curricula at SU. The participants then worked on their own individual subjects and tried to amend the syllabus to ensure that crucial employability skills and graduate attributes are covered in their curricula and to revise the assessment methods to ensure that these skills are assessed. The outcome of this Workshop was the preparation of 12 revised syllabi which will be used as examples in partner institutions in Kosovo. Planning and Monitoring Meeting Staff from the 5 EU universities (Staffordshire University, Munich University of Applied Sciences, University of Zagreb, Universita Politecnica delle Marche and Nottingham Trent University), 6 partner universities in Kosovo (Universities of Gjakova, Gjilan, Peja, Prishtina, Ferizaj and Riinvest College), and 2 NGO partners attended a Project Planning and Monitoring meeting on Monday 26 September at University Haxhi Zeka, Peja. Matters under discussion included reviewing the activities of the first year of the project, identifying any deviations from the Work Plan and finding solutions to any potential problems. The completion of the process of tendering for equipment was discussed. The need for registering the equipment in each University s Inventory List and also putting special stickers supplied by EACEA on the equipment was also highlighted. Dissemination meeting A Dissemination Meeting of the project was held at Hotel Sirius, Prishtina on 6 March 2017. All Kosovar university partners made presentations on the impact of the project on their institutions, and their expectations for the remainder of the project. EU partners from Staffordshire, Munich and Ancona universities made presentations on the involvement of their universities. Suggestions at the meeting included the idea that the project run a series of seminars on the outcomes of the curriculum development and case study work packages in partner universities in Kosovo so that the results (updated curricula and case studies based on Kosovar companies) are disseminated to a large number of staff at each partner university.
Workshop to train staff and postgraduate students on running Advice Centres for SMEs Staff and postgraduate students from partner universities in Kosovo attended a Workshop on Advice Centres on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September at Riinvest College, Prishtina. The Workshop was run by Professor Marina Dabic (Nottingham Trent University) and Prof Jurica Pavicic (University of Zagreb) with material prepared by Dr Usha Ramanathan (Nottingham Trent University). The purpose of the workshop was to train the participants to set up an SME Advice/ Support Centre in their home universities and provide guidance to local small businesses. Seminar on Financial Sustainability of Universities On 7 March 2017 the Seminar on Financial Sustainability of Universities: Experiences from EU Countries and Lessons for Kosovo was held at Hotel Sirius, Prishtina. Examples of different methods of funding of higher education in EU countries were given by project partners from Munich, Ancona and Staffordshire universities. The Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Dr Arsim Bajrami and Deputy Minister of Finance Mr Agim Krasniqi also spoke at the seminar. Prof But Dedaj, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, UP gave a presentation on the White Paper on Financing of Universities after which participants discussed the findings. Meeting the Prime Minister of Kosovo Prof Iraj Hashi, the Coordinator and Mrs Jenny Herbert, the Manager, of the EUFORIA project met the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Professor Isa Mustafa, on 8 March 2017 in his office. They informed the Prime Minister of the aims and objectives of the EUFORIA project and how the activities of the project benefit the partner universities in Kosovo. EUFORIA http://euforia-kosovo.com/