The seminar was opened by prof. Danilo Nikolić, Rector of the University of Montenegro; Mubera Kurpejović, Director General of the Directorate for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education and Vanja Drljević, Director of the National Erasmus + Office.

“This topic is of great importance for the strategic future of the development of the University of Montenegro, especially from the aspect of promoting the University of Montenegro as a research institution. In the forthcoming period, the University will strive to strongly focus on strengthening research and innovative spirit at all levels of study”, Danilo Nikolić, Rector of the University of Montenegro said.

He also said that the future Development Strategy of the University of Montenegro would recognize research activities and innovative capacities as a basis for high quality teaching and scientific research.

“As the only state university in the country, we are aware of the role in education of young people who need to prepare themselves so that they can respond to the demands and needs of modern society and future generations. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to stimulate research with students and actively promote creativity and innovation”, he said.

However, the right model is necessary in order to fulfill this mission. That is the reason why, said Rector Nikolic, these seminars gathering experts from different backgrounds and generating ideas and directions of future development, are very important.

“The event is not less important in terms of our efforts for internationalization, which should contribute to our better positioning in the field of European Higher Education. We see this as an opportunity for networking and establishing potential new partnerships for the exchange of ideas and expertise that will ultimately lead to improving the quality of teaching and research processes at the University of Montenegro – the institution which sets the foundations for the development of the economy and society as a whole in Montenegro”, Nikolić said.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Montenegrin HERE (Higher Education Reform Experts) for the role they had in the process of reform at the University of Montenegro in the past few years, opening various discussions on the most important topics in the field of higher education in Montenegro.

Mubera Kurpejović, Director General of the Directorate for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, said that apart from promoting the research, it is important to interlink with the economy and practical research in companies that may lead to a shift in innovation and scientific work. In accordance with the recent amendments to the Law on Higher Education, a practical part of teaching represents an obligatory part of the curriculum for all higher education institutions.

Coordinator of the National Erasmus + Office in Montenegro, Vanja Drljević, expressed her satisfaction regarding the character of the seminar, which will not focus only on the Western Balkans, but it will have wider impact.

The role of the HERE team is important since it is composed of people coming from different universities and ministries, and their role is to draw attention to important topics in the field of higher education and to try to influence specific decisions in coordinated work, striving, first of all, towards a better system, ” concluded Drljević, expressing the hope that this seminar will lead participants to important guidelines for future modifications.

The HERE (High Education Reform Experts) network has been active since 2008 and its aim is to participate in policy development and reforms in the field of higher education and to advise higher education institutions on the implementation of reform processes at the national and institutional level and to actively participate in all information and promotional activities related to higher education reform.

Members of the HERE team are appointed by the Ministry of Education in consultation with the National Erasmus + Office, the EU Delegation and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) from Brussels.

During the seminar, examples of good practice in this field will be presented by European Union lecturers coming from best European universities, such as Marie Curie University in France, the University of Sheffield in Great Britain, Sapienza University in Rome, Cork College in Ireland, University of Rijeka, etc.

The aim of the seminar itself is to make progress in this field by identifying good practices in the strategic approaches of EU institutions in order to find a way to integrate the research and education missions. It was also important to identify national frameworks, policies and funding that may help or hinder the development of research-based teaching.

This seminar is focused on those who are in a leadership position in institutions, capable of implementing policies that may shape the teaching, learning and research. The seminar is also open to students and to representatives of the ministries of education.

The two-day seminar is funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Union.