Newsletter

No. 1, May 2017

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.

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 sub-jects. 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 la-bour market.

The project started on 15 October 2015 and will run to 14 October 2018. The total project budget is €722,093.00.

Entrepreneurial Universities for Industry Alliances – EUFORIA

Specific objectives:

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

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 experi-

ences

Conducting surveys of companies and using feedback on

student placements to identify skills and knowledge shortag-

es of university students and graduates and upgrading the

curricula by embedding these skills, thus enhancing the em-

ployability 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 postgrad-

uate students

The kick-off meeting of the project took place in February 2016 at the Faculty of Eco-nomics, University of Pristina. Representatives of all EU and Kosovo partner univer-sities 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.

Kick-Off Meeting

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 establis-hing the university counselling centres for small and medium enterprises, the development of an online platform for university centres, and by curriculum im-provement to comply with the industry requirements.

The delegation attended the presentati-ons 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. Pavi-čin from the Croatian Chamber of Com-merce 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-upincubator ZIP.

FEB Welcomes Delegation from Kosovo Universities

As part of the EUFORIA project, the delega-tion from two universities from the Re-public of Kosovo paid a working visit to FEB from 2 – 6 May 2016. The delegati-on 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 universi-ties met with FEB’s Dean Professor La-još Žager, Vice Dean Professor Jurica Pavičić and Professor Marina Dabić to discuss the modalities of future coope-ration. The aim of the working visit was to promote co-operation between uni-

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Seminar on University -Industry Links

The first project seminar was organ-ised 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 develop-ment of relevant academic program-mes in univeristies that match the needs of the industry, placement of students on internships, employment of graduates, consultancy and rese-arch projects.

Visit of Senior Staff of Kosovar Universities to EU partners

12 Senior members of staff including, Rectors, Deans, Vice Deans and senior profes-sors from six Kosovar univesities (2 from each university) visited three partner uni-versities in the EU to learn about the host university's links with industry and how these links have been developed.

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Professor Muhamet Mustafa and Professor Arben Damoni from Riin-vest 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.

Senior staff from Kosovo partner universities visited Munich University of Applied Sciences

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, Rec-tor, and Professor Bujar Pira, Vice Rector, of the University of Applie-d 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”.

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 Work-shop on ‘Preparing case studies of Kosovar companies to use in teaching’ on 6-8 June 2016 in Prishtina.

The Workshop was run by Prof Marina Dabić and Prof Jurica Pavičić (University of Za-greb) 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 ac-tual companies in Kosovo. Participants contin-ued to work on these case studies in Kosovo, including visiting local companies, before par-ticipating in a final Workshop at Nottingham Trent University, UK in January 2017 where they completed their case studies and pre-sented them to members of staff there.

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 Nottin-gham Trent University, UK. The workshop was run by Professor Marina Dabic and Dr Usha Ra-manathan from Nottingham Trent University and Professor Jurica Pavicic from the Faculty of Eco-nomics 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 ba-sed on companies in Kosovo and will be used in teaching in the partner universities in Kosovo.

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 Eco-nomics, University of Prishtina on his re-search on the views of graduates about the challenges they faced when they en-tered the world of employment.

In addition to the presentations by Koso-var colleagues, Dr Jana Fiserova an Eco-nomist from Staffordshire University pre-sented the experience of Staffordshire University in developing its ‘employability project’ and embedding employability skills in the curricula of its entire study.

Seminar on the Skill and Knowledge Gap of Kosovar Graduates: the Views of Large and Small Enterprises

Staff from the 6 partner universities in Koso-vo (Universities of Gjakova, Gjilan, Peja, Prishtina, Ferizaj and Riinvest College), par-tner companies and NGO partners (Uje Ru-gove, Hotel Dukagjini, Enrad, Trepharm, Women in Business and Kosovo Chamber of Commerce) of the EUFORIA project atten-ded the Seminar on ‘the Skill and Knowledge Gap of Kosovar Graduates: the Views of Lar-ge and Small Enterprises’ on 27 September, 2016 in Prishtina. The Seminar was jointly organized by Staffordshire University and the University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”. Re-marks 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 Bajra-mi. 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 com-panies in Kosovo), and then improve the

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Launch of tender for the purchase of equipment 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 Ko-sovo. The University of Peja is conducting the tender process on behalf of Staffordshire University.

The tender process was com-pleted in June and by October 2016 all the purchased equipment was delivered to partner universities in Kosovo.

Workshop on Writing Case Studies

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Placement Officers appointed at six partner universities in Kosovo and undergo training in the EU

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 en-sure that crucial employability skills and graduate attributes are covered in their cur-ricula 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.

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 re-mainder of the project. EU part-ners from Staffordshire, Munich and Ancona universities made presentations on the involvement of their universities.

Suggestions at the meeting includ-ed the idea that the project run a series of seminars on the out-comes of the curriculum develop-ment and case study work packag-es in partner universities in Koso-vo so that the results (updated curricula and case studies based on Kosovar companies) are dis-seminated to a large number of staff at each partner university.

Planning and Monitoring Meeting

Staff from the 5 EU universities (Staffordshire University, Munich University of Appli-ed Sciences, University of Zagreb, Universita Politecnica delle Marche and Nottin-gham Trent University), 6 partner universities in Kosovo (Universities of Gjakova, Gji-lan, 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 pro-ject, identifying any deviations from the Work Plan and finding solutions to any po-tential problems. The completion of the process of tendering for equipment was dis-cussed. 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 hig-hlighted.

The six newly appointed Placement Officers from the partner universities in Kosovo (the universities of Ferizaj, Gjakova, Gji-lan, Peja, Prishtina and Riinvest College) attended a week of tra-ining 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 aca-demics involved in monitoring students on placement and as-sessing their progress.

CareersFest was a week-long festival of events, lectures, seminars and practical sessi-ons aimed at promoting the many options available to SU graduates entering the world of work, including placements and work experience in companies and enterpri-ses. The Placement Officers were able to explore the e-Coach online system for care-ers coaching, attend sessions on updating and improving their CVs, interview techniques and the academic and practical benefits of placements for students.

On 7 March 2017 the Seminar on Financial Sustainability of Universities: Experiences from EU Countries and Lessons for Kosovo was held at Hotel Sirius, Prishti-na. Examples of different methods of fun-ding of higher education in EU countries were given by project partners from Mu-nich, 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 partici-pants discussed the findings.

EUFORIA

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 Centr-es’ 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.

http://euforia-kosovo.com/

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 universi-ties in Kosovo.

Seminar on Financial Sustainability of Universities