National Erasmus+ Information Day Held in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The National Erasmus+ Information Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in the University of Sarajevo Rectorate on Thursday, 8 November 2018. The event was organized with the aim of promoting the Erasmus+ program, cooperation and connections strengthening between higher education institutions and other relevant actors in BiH. UNSA Rector, Prof. Dr. Rifat Škrijelj, Mrs. Aida Durić, on behalf of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Head of the Department for European Integration and International Cooperation, and Mr. Gianluca Vannini, Head of the Department for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina opened the event by speeches. The guests were also welcomed by Mr. Suad Muhibić, National Erasmus+ Office in BiH Director.
Highlighting the importance of the programs funded by European funds for the academic community of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also our region, Rector Škrijelj emphasized that Erasmus + does not offer opportunities only to students, academic and administrative staff, but also to various individuals and organizations across Europe and the world. He also reminded that the University of Sarajevo participated in 103 Tempus projects from 1996 to 2013, out of which in 83 as partner, 16 as academic coordinator and in 4 projects as the chief coordinator.
“Each Tempus project has contributed to the development of the higher education system modernizing, in accordance with the Bologna principles and the Lisbon Strategy. Many projects have made educational reforms, especially in capacity building and support for teaching implementation in line with European partners” said Rector Škrijelj.
Ms. Aida Durić spoke about the participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Erasmus+ program, as well as on the challenges and current issues that are ahead of us in the context of participation in this program. She also recalled that from 14 June 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina, by signing the EU-BIH Agreement, has been participating in the Erasmus+ program as a partner country, which opened a new chapter of cooperation with the European Union in the education field.
Mr. Suad Muhibić stated that the main goal of the event is to promote opportunities within the Erasmus + program, with a special emphasis on presenting a new call for proposals in the field of higher education, including: capacity building projects in higher education, international credit mobility, joint master programs, Jean Monnet activities, and other opportunities in the field of higher education.
The event was designed to present key parts of the Erasmus + program to various users in the field of higher education, including higher education institutions, students, relevant ministries and other actors. During the event, Mr. Suad Muhibić spoke about the Erasmus+ Program, gave a short program’s overview, and presented the results and opportunities in the field of higher education. Mrs. Giulia Moro (EACEA) spoke on key novelties and how to apply for the Erasmus+ call in 2019, while the presentation on the topic “How to prepare a successful CBHE project proposal” was delivered by Prof. Dr. Pakeza Drkenda, project coordinator (UNSA Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences). Mr. Dejan Rosić, National Erasmus+ Office in BiH spoke about international credit mobility (ICM) and joint master studies (JMD). Mirsada Behram (Office for International Cooperation, Džemal Bijedić University of Mostar) and Adnan Rahimić (UNSA Department for International Cooperation) spoke about international credit mobility and the ways in which it works in practice. Jean Monnet was presented by Giulia Moro (EACEA), and Fatima Terol and Loreta Paulaskaite from the Spanish National Agency for Erasmus + presented the cooperation with the higher education institutions in Spain.
