SMART Innovation Centers for the development of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking to facilitate the development of sustainable smart solutions in the Western Balkans – SMART
Type: STRAND 2
Duration: 36 months
Project about: Competitiveness, Innovation, Research & Development
Topics addressed: Education-enterprises partnerships, Smart innovation centers, Smart specialization, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Competence Development, University-business cooperation models, Innovative learning & teaching approaches
Project summary:
The SMART project supports partner HEIs from target countries, Albania, Bosnia&Herzegovina, and Montenegro, to transcend their role as knowledge providers and become active shapers of the regional innovation ecosystem cooperating with various stakeholders. The project aims at targeting the existing gap between HE outcomes and labour market demands by:
- Addressing the challenges of HEIs in the field of smart specialisation and the related innovation & entrepreneurship competence development with the introduction of new smart specialization-related learning modules and innovative teaching approaches into HEIs’ curricula, including online teaching, cross-curricular learning, and virtual mobility.
- Supporting the professional development of HEIs academic staff in the field of innovation & entrepreneurship competence development for the requirements of smart specialization along with hybrid & online teaching practices.
- Setting up 7 SMART Innovation Centers at HEIs and integrating them into the existing HEI structure.
- Facilitating sustainable cooperation between HEIs and the business sector through the SMART Knowledge Exchange Network.
- Encouraging student and staff work placements and (virtual) mobility.
During the project, 84 staff will be trained in the project topics, 14 of them will work in the newly established innovation centers along with 21 trained students from partner HEIs. The SMART
Knowledge Exchange Network will offer ample opportunities for networking, training & counselling opportunities to multiple stakeholders of the regional innovation ecosystem. In addition, 210 ambassadors of smart specialization will be trained, and 250+ new stakeholders will be reached through the Network undertakings during the project implementation, while SMART Innovation Centers aim at being fully operational and sustainable also after the project completion by offering counselling training services in the smart specialization area, especially to the business sector.
Partners:
DOBA Fakulteta za uporabne poslovne in druzbene studije Maribor (SI) Coordinator
FONDAZIONE POLITECNICO DI MILANO (IT) Partner
POLITECNICO DI MILANO (IT) Partner
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDEN (DE) Partner
UNIVERSITETI I VLORES (AL) Partner
UNIVERSITETI FAN S NOLI KORCE (AL) Partner
UNIVERSETI SHKODRES LUIGJ GURAKUQI (AL) Partner
Auleda (AL) Partner
UNIVERZITET U BANJOJ LUCI (BA) Partner
UNIVERZITET U ISTOCNOM SARAJEVU (BA) Partner
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA BA Partner
UNIVERZITET DONJA GORICA PODGORICA (ME) Partner
JAVNA USTANOVA UNIVERZITET CRNE GORE PODGORICA (ME) Partner
PRIVREDNA KOMORA CRNE GORE PODGORICA (ME) Partner
