“Research and Higher Education as Avant-garde of Regional Cooperation and Reconcilliation in SEE”

1. “Research and Higher Education as Avant-garde of Regional Cooperation and Reconcilliation in SEE” UnivSOE Conference Graz 28-29 June 2007 Regional Cooperation in Higher Education – Universities’ View Fuada Stankovic University of Novi Sad

2. 21st century as the “century of knowledge” : Education has a vital role in development of economies and democratic societies. Quality, quantity and good direction of education and research appear to be the key challenge of all industrial countries; The ability of a society to produce, select, adapt, commercialise and use knowledge become a critical factor for sustainable economic growth and better standard of living;

3. Important question for each country is how to integrate concept of education into national development policies? Positive examples of Finland and Ireland in which the central role of higher education contributed greatly to their rapid economic development in the short run. In 1973. Ireland became a member of the EU. Until 2004. it got 17 billion euros from the structural and cohesion funds, from which 30% was invested into human capital - education and training mostly. Knowledge is seen as intellectual property, as a commodity, with its price at the market. For all the above reasons responsibility of education is greater than ever. Two major players are involved and responsible:governments and instititutions of higher education.

4. Important role of education as an integral part of economic and social policy is recognized by the EU. Also its importance for strengthening competitiveness of EU in the global market. • Lisbon 2000. – the goal (until 2010.?) to become the most competitive and the most dynamic market in the world based on knowledge, able to develop sustainable growth with better and qualitative work places and larger social cohesion.

5. Internalisation of knowledge is necessary not for development reasons only but for the use of research results as well. This is a specific challenge for the small country such as Serbia, and the whole region – the question of a critical mass of researchers to be able to take part in international research. Education is important for every country in the Region because of sustainable development, acceptance of European values, development of skills necessary for market and competition as well as for social inclusion. For the countries in the Region education has an additional important role - reconciliation. This should be more than everything else a reason for more intensive regional cooperation in education and research.

6. Initiatives from international community to support regional cooperation in education and research: Stability Pact In 2006. new priority in regional cooperation was introduced – building human capital -BHC Graz Process In 1999. Task Force for Education and Youth – TFEY) two major goals: to continue with support to national education reforms and to actively promote regional cooperation on the system, expert and civil society levels. ERI-SEE 2003 – Regional platform for exchange and capacity Building- SEE-ERA.NET – to integrate member states and SEE countries into ERA.

7. 2003. Central European Initiative CEI - University Network (Trieste) – to promote mobility of students, teachers, researchers in the region. 2003. Central and Eastern University Network – CEEUN – European university network 2003. Central and Eastern European Network (CEEN) – Platform for dialog among presidents of national Academies of Science 2006. the EU Commission and the Austrian EU council Presidency – Steering Platform on Research for the Western Balkanscountries in Vienna. FP7 Projects -2007-2013 – Croatia,, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia requested to become associated to this programme, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania are also considering their association, Kosovo under special calls for third countries..

8. UNESCO-CEPES (Bucharest) European University Association – EUA World University Service (WUS Austria) TEMPUS CEEPUS projects

9. Unfortunately,regional cooperation in education and research in most cases is initiated by the international community. It didn’t become part of national development plans except may be as a declaration. Research capacities- human and technical in individual countries are small. With establishment of joint research teams, strong regional centres of excellence, with division of labour instead of multiplying capacities it is possible for regional research centres and universities to become equal members of EHEA and ERA.

10. Did any of the governments in the Region offered scholarships to the students from the Region? Law per capita income in the Western Balkans is additional limitation. There is also a problem how to combine a need for intensive investments in education and trend of liberal economic thinking which is more and more prevailing in countries in transition as well as in other EU countries? In spite of all barriers, economic and psychological it is the moment for individual governments to take over initiative from international community and start real and concrete regional cooperation.

11. The Role of Universities Universities in the Region are ahead compared to governments. On individual level cooperation never stopped. On institutional level progress was slow also pushed by international organisations with grants and scholarships. There are more and more initiatives coming from individual universities, professors and students.

12. Some good examples: With the support of UNESCO- CEPES Universities in Novi Sad and Osijek recently established UNESCO Chairs for Entrepreneurship and agreed to organise joint trainings in entrepreneurship for students and external stakeholders. New master programme in entrepreneurship at University of Novi Sad starting next schoolyear will include lecturers from Osijek. They will also establish Entrepreneurial Forum to gather entrepreneurs from both regions to meet and listen lectures and make business contacts. Both chairs are part of SENSI network ( Southeast Network of Science Incubators) supported by Academic Training Association (ATA) from Amsterdam. Members of this network are universities from Tuzla, Zenica, Podgorica, Pristina, Prilep, Bitola, Ljubljana…

13. Example of successful student cooperation are gatherings of law faculty students organized by ELSA (European Association of Law Students). They have regular meetings in Novi Sad and Pristina, and students from Nis, Kosovska Mitrovica and Belgrade recently joined the activities. Western Balkan countries have signed and accepted all EU documents related to recognition of qualifications and diplomas. Besides that - to secure mobility of their students they should agree on mutual recognition automatically without conditions having in mind that for long time all these countries have had the same education system and their actual system reforms are going into same directions. Great advantage – students and teachers in the Region don’t have language burden in general what is an extremely important element in any kind of international cooperation.

14. Thank you! www.ns.ac.you www.unescochair.ns.ac.yu