STEM for ALL - STEFORA is a result of the self-as the results from the on-going STINT project funded by the Swedish Government, where diversity and gender equality are identified as topics of interest aiming at sharing knowledge and experiences in terms of frameworks and empirical studies to investigate Generation Z’s enrolment and involvement in the development of STEM. The on-going (STINT) project was designed by LNU and RIT (AUK), for starting a long-term collaboration in academic development with RIT (AUK) and with other HEIs in Kosovo and the region, for supporting internationalization and enhancement of HEIs’ STEM capacities. A part of the core activities of the project are designed to address the findings of self-assessments and strategic meetings between LNU and beneficiary HEIs in Kosovo and Albania from December, 2021. The other focus is to take advantage of the Committee for Women's RIghts and Gender Equality (FEMM) Study produced by the European Parliament. As such, STEFORA’s is designed with a holistic approach around three wide/general project objectives: (1) digital citizenship focusing on mitigating institutional barriers, (2) apply universal design principles in formal and non-formal learning activities including premises, and (3) adopt norm critical approaches to raise cultural awareness and foster gender sensitive education, in the target countries specific to STEM engagement for women.

Cross-border student and staff mobility as key peace-building instrument among European countries and driver for the circulation of ideas, innovation and graduates is politically enticing. Hence, student and staff mobility in Europe is increasing partially as a result of such mobility promotion and funding instruments as ERASMUS+. Yet, such growth is shown to be unbalanced. The most worrying is that students from unprivileged socio-economic backgrounds are less inclined to student mobility than students from better-off socio-economic backgrounds, thereby turning ERASMUS+ to some sort of social selection mechanism. The same studies suggest that the social segregation of certain Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) contributed to the unbalanced mobility pattern and call for more equal mobility uptakes across universities through tailored incentives. Empirical research among the project’s partners indicates that reduced mobility uptake in remote and socially segregated HEIs also corresponds with lesser capacities of International Relations Offices (IROs).This project responds to the European Commission’s commitment to reinforce ERASMUS+ programme “in particular by reaching out to increasing numbers of people with fewer opportunities,” as those served by the type of HEIs mentioned above.The project, titled “ROAMING - Strengthening International Staff&Student Mobility Offices in the West Balkans,” aims at reducing the unbalanced international mobility uptake of remote and less privileged HEIs in the West Balkans by strengthening the capacity of their International Relations Offices. To this end, we are working to establish a consortium with a mix of experienced and inexperienced Higher Education Institutions from the West Balkans in matters related to ERASMUS+ from Albania, Kosovo* and Motenegro, willing to cooperate with an experienced university from an ERASMUS member country and another university from an associated country, North Macedonia.

The ALL4LIFE project aims to create competences-oriented education and innovation to strengthen students and universities growth and competitiveness, through involvement of alumni in teaching process and modernisation of learning objectives. Enhancing connections between WBC HEIs and business sector and establishing business and new business networks, while enabling collaborative opportunities, knowledge transfers and partnerships between industry and universities, creating conditions for better employability of graduates, capitalise with well-established and string alumni structure at HEIs. Consequently, greater openness of higher education institutions to industry and market needs is achieved, especially at still greatly traditional Western Balkan higher education system. The project objectives will be achieved with systematic involvement of alumni in teaching, mentoring and research at HEIs, with more practical training and competences-oriented education harmonized with labour market needs and organization of career support program for students, their professional development and recruitment. With close cooperation with alumni and industry, each WBC HEI will enhance research capacities and it commercialization, facilitated by Research Chair that will be established for linking the research excellence with innovative potential of industry and mobilising the industry funding for top-notch research and market-based innovations through Alumni Scholarships Clubs. To expand WB HEIs management and inclusion of alumni in their teaching and research activities reform of operational regulation is needed and will be important part of AL4LIFE activities. Involvement of alumni in WB HEIs will be reflected in the creation of institutional and operational framework, integration of the HEIs’ Career Center activities into that structure, and installed effective Alumni coordination tool that jointly ensure continuous and sustainable realisation of the project objectives.

The world leaders of the UN member states in September 2015, unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN 2030 Agenda) in the UN General Assembly. The agenda includes 17 goals, 169 targets and 244 indicators for progress measurement. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental. Particularly important for us is Goal 4: to provide inclusive and quality education for all and to promote lifelong learning.The relevant ministries in EU candidate and in EU neighborhood countries have adopted educational development strategies in recent years, which provide guidance on how to improve teaching by applying ICT in accordance with the Goal 4 of the UN 2030 Agenda. The overall objective of the project is to improve the teaching process at the HEIs in the Region 1 (Kosovo UN Resolution 1244, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina) with a special emphasis on enabling the access to a quality teaching process for students who, for objective reasons, can not attend regular teaching activities at HEIs. The project goal is using of modern ICT technology and pedagogical approaches to promote equity to the students with: a) disability, b) economic obstacles: people with a low standard of living, low income, dependence on social welfare system and c) geographical obstacles: people from remote or rural areas; people living in small islands or in peripheral regions;Expected results of this project are:- implementation of modern distance learning platforms,- creation of e-content for multimedia platforms,- equipping the remote and central office classrooms with modern ICT technology for teaching (smartclassroom),- developing new pedagogical approaches that define the use of ICT in education, - training of teaching and technical staff.The project will impact on the improvement of equity in the teaching process at HEIs in Region 1.

The main goal of the project is to improve the education of doctors in WBC HEIs with the support of EU HEIs in accordance with social needs, which is achieved through two specific goals:(1) implementing a new learning model to enable students to use conceptual, procedural and metacognitive problems and (2) develop the capacity of WBC HEIs to further enhance blended learning through cooperation with EU universities and mutual cooperation. Project management permeates all activities. The analysis of conditions in WBC HEIs determines the capacities for the implementation of a new learning model using metacognitive problem-based (MCPB) modules. Knowledge transfer of MCPB modules from EU HEIs staff to WBC HEIs staff is being carried out. In the new learning model, teacher ideas are combined with programming and design solutions into MCPB modules, which are then implemented in courses. Based on the analysis of the quality of application of MCPB modules, their upgrade is carried out. WBC HEIs are embracing a new learning model by adopting improved curricula. We are continuously working on strengthening the impact of the project and ensuring the sustainability of the results. It is expected to have an impact on: Teachers who will conduct the courses (300 people); 5,000 students; WBC HEIs Management (25 people); decision makers (60); Future users - tens of thousands of people; Millions of residents (patients) in the WBC. We expect the following from the project: Transfer knowledge from EU HEIs to WBC HEIs through 5 trainings of trainers and 12 trainings within WBC HEIs; Created new learning models in WBC HEIS containing MCPB modules, at least 2 advanced courses per WBC HEIs - at least 12 courses in total. The new learning model is becoming an integral part of the WBC HEIs teaching process - improved curricula of at least 12 in 6 WBWC HEIs are being adopted.