The regional cooperation of Serbia in higher education predominantly takes place at interuniversity and interfaculty bilateral levels. Some universities are taking part in international networks, but apart from the Balkan Universities Network, none of them have only regional scope. The most regional bilateral cooperation agreements are signed with the universities and faculties of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Macedonia. The co-operation is mostly dependent on the geographical region where the faculty is situated, so that, for example, faculties of the University of Novi Sad have intensive co-operation with faculties from Hungary, Romania and Croatia, while faculties of the University of Nis are more orientated towards faculties from Bulgaria and Macedonia. Co-operation is at a lower level with faculties from Montenegro, Albania and Turkey, while co-operation with faculties in Kosovo is considered as inter-Serbia faculty co-operation. The agreements usually include cooperation in the following areas: exchange of teaching and non-teaching staff, exchange of students, study visits, organization of joint courses, participation in seminars, conferences and summer schools, work on joint publications. Most of the cooperation agreements do not promote an implementation plan. Even though the agreements on cooperation are signed, most of them do not have the plan how the co-operation is going to be implemented.
Apart from institutionalized cooperation, there is cooperation of academic staff on a personal level that is not so visible. In these circumstances, it is difficult to assert the full situation regarding the regional co-operation in the field of education. There are many projects that involve faculties from the region which are organized within the European Union programmes, such as Tempus or the Framework programme (FP7). The mobility of professors and students is usually undertaken through programmes of the European Union, such as Erasmus Mundus (within two already existing networks – Basileus and JoinEU-SEE) or CEEPUS and some others. These programmes are valuable for establishing trust between two parties (whether these are universities, faculties, academic staff…), which will ensure and consolidate further co-operation in the region.
Best Practice
Master Studies in Entrepreneurship, UNESCO Chair for Entrepreneurial Studies (UCES) of the University of Novi Sad
The Master Studies in Entrepreneurship started in the academic year 2009/2010. It resulted from a regional project “Enabling Private Sector Development in the Western Balkan 2008-2010” organized by a non-governmental organization SPARK from the Netherlands. Besides the University of Novi Sad, there are 5 other Universities engaged in this project: University of Prishtina, University of Zenica, University of Tuzla, University of Podgorica and University of Skopje.
They all agreed that the University of Novi Sad – UNESCO Chair for Entrepreneurial Studies will host the Regional Master Studies in Entrepreneurship. Partner Universities participate in this programme by providing it with the professors, who also took part in the preparation of this master studies. In the first academic year there were 27 students enrolled in the master studies, mainly coming from the partner Universities.
Alongside the master studies, the creation of a bachelor studies in entrepreneurship at the University of Novi Sad is already taking place. It is a part of the same regional project initiated by SPARK. The goal of this initiative is also to establish or improve a Bachelor course in entrepreneurship at partner Universities from Novi Sad, Prishtina, Tuzla, Zenica, Podgorica and Skopje. The University of Novi Sad has a leading role in helping the development of BA studies
Partner universities:
University of Prishtina (Kosovo),
University of Zenica (BIH),
University of Tuzla (BIH),
University of Podgorica (Montenegro)
University of Skopje (Macedonia)
Bilateral co-operation between Faculty of Philosophy, University of Nis
and Faculty of Philosophy, University of Veliko Turnovo in Bulgaria
This bilateral co-operation between two faculties has continued for 20 years. The first contact between the colleagues from the Department of Slavic languages and Bulgarian language in Veliko Turnovo and the Department of Serbo-Croatian Language and Yugoslav Literature in Nis took place in the year of 1989.
At first, cooperation was performed through participation in scientific meetings. Professor Cenka Ivanova from Veliko Turnovo and Professor Lili Laskova from Sofia came to a meeting dedicated to Serbian writer Stevan Sremac, and then a reciprocate visit took place when Professor Miroljub Stojanovic, the organizer of the previous meeting, came to scientific meeting in Veliko Turnovo. Miroljub Stojanovic organized a few more meetings which involved Bulgariancolleagues: Sacrifice and self-sacrifice in Slavic literature, Historical novel in the Slavic literature and Slavic themes and national literature. In the academic year of 1996/1997, studies of the Serbo-Croatian language started in Veliko Turnovo. The Faculty of Philosophy wanted to help the newly founded studies and in the next academic year Boban Arsenijevic, a lector, was sent to spend two academic years there. Every year, from that time on, the Department for Serbo-Croatian language and Yugoslav literature provided studies of the Serbo-Croatian language in Veliko Turnovo with a lector. As a result of this collaboration, Biljana Vasic was appointed to be the lector in Sofia for two academic years, beginning in 2008. In the meantime, she also became the co-author of the Bulgarian-Serb phrasebook with Professor Cenka Ivanova.
Under the exchange agreement, the Department for Bulgarian language was opened at the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis. Beginning in the academic year 2001/2002, the students of Serbian and Russian language groups started taking the lectures of Bulgarian language for two semesters. This enabled lecturers from Veliko Turnovo to come to Nis. Until now, Cenka Ivanova and Hristo Bondzolov, both stayed for four years as lecturers on the Department for Bulgarian language.
Co-operation in the field of teaching was going on through the exchange of lectors, but also through holding lectures. First, in 1998, Professors Miroljub tojanovic, Slobodan Marjanovic and Jordana Markovic held lectures for the students of Serbo-Croatian language in Veliko Turnovo. Every time a professor from another University came to visit, lectures were held. In this way, a series of lectures were held by Professor Slobodan Marjanovic. At the same time, under the programme of exchange, Professor Dragana Veljkovic went to Veliko Turnovo and Professor Valentina Sedefceva to Nis.
Apart from an exchange of professors, there is also an exchange of students taking place. Having the purpose to motivate students to learn languages, two places for the language summer schools for students of the other University were arranged. In 2002, for the first time, there was an organized visit for a group of students and professors from Nis to Veliko Turnovo. The visit was arranged so that some students from Veliko Turnovo were hosts to students from Nis. Since then, such student exchanges happen every year.
Co-operation between these two faculties was also established in the field of science. They agreed to publish a joint collection of papers on predetermined topics. As a result, in 2004 the first joint collection of papers written by colleagues of two Universities was published, the topic being “Dining Table in the Culture of Bulgarians and Serbs”. It set the principle that the host of the event chooses the topic and the guest is responsible for printing and publishing before the next meeting. There are five collections of papers published so far: Dining Table in the Culture of the Bulgarians and the Serbs (published in Veliko Turnovo, 2004), Comic in the Culture of the Serbs and the Bulgarians (published in Nis, 2005), Eveybody else’s and one’s own in the Culture of the Bulgarians and the Serbs (published in Veliko Turnovo, 2006), Erotic in the Culture of the Bulgarians and the Serbs (published in Nis 2007) and The Game in the Culture of the Serbs and the Bulgarians (published in Veliko Turnovo, 2009). The topic of the collection of papers that is expected to be published in Nis this year is Body and Clothing in the Culture of the Serbs and the Bulgarians.
Throughout the years, this co-operation between two Faculties has broadened and other departments within the faculties – such as the Sociology, English language and Literature and History Departments took part in this existing and well developed co-operation.
Extract from a report written by
Prof. Jordana Marković, PhD, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš
Regional School of International Humanitarian Law
The Regional School of International Humanitarian Law is organized every year since 2004 at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade. Students are gathered from Law and Political Sciences Faculties in the region (Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek, Mostar, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Skopje, Nis and Novi Sad) who are interested in the substance of international humanitarian law. Participation in the School is organized by the Faculty of Political Sciences sending letters of invitation to the Law and Political Sciences Faculties in the region, to participate in the School by selecting two students for the forthcoming edition of the School. The selection of students is made by the professors of international humanitarian law in the respective faculties, who also participate at the School as lecturers. Apart from lecturers from the region, there are also experts from the International Committee of Red Cross from Geneva, which also holds lectures during the one-week long School. In addition to lectures, students work on various case studies, which elaborates issues of the practical application of international humanitarian law norms that are related to the theoretical segment of the School. One of the important features of the School is its social and cultural activities, involving students going out together, having dinner, etc. Traditional sponsors of the School are the International Committee of Red Cross and the Norwegian Embassy, and this year’s edition of the School was supported also by the Swiss Embassy.
