Target area:	Higher Education Development
Sub-target area:	Higher Education Management
Target countries:	Kosovo
Duration:	02/2017 - 01/2020
Partners:	Consortium ZSI - Centre for Social Innovation OeAD GmbH - Austrian Exchange Service   Project Partners Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kosovo Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA)  Public Universities of Kosovo
Budget line:	Austrian Development Cooperation

Project description

The project “HERAS – Higher Education, Research and Applied Science” contributes to the well-functioning of Higher Education and Research in Kosovo along the principles of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA) with the long-term objective to support the socio-economic development of the country.

The objective of this project is to effectively and sustainably improve the higher education and research system in Kosovo, enhance the quality of higher education and the employability of graduates, and improve human capacities and increase internationalisation of research.

 

Within the framework of the project the partners closely cooperate with Austrian institutions, international institutions, international and local experts; some of the activities also involve Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and students directly.

Intervention Logic of the Project

The project addresses the following three levels:

•      Policy Level -for improved quality, effectiveness, governance and transparency of higher education and research planning and decision-making processes and policies.

•      University Level - for a more student centered, labor market oriented higher education, based on state-of-the-art methodologies, and quality measures along European standards.

•      Research Level - for an increased participation of faculties, institutes and individual researchers in international research cooperation and improved human capacities for teaching and research by means of scholarships and research projects.

 

Additionally, the project addresses the situation of students from marginalized groups in order to enhance their access to and participation in higher education without obstacles related to their social, cultural and economic back ground.

Projects Outputs

The project outputs include inter alia, joint research projects, partnerships between Kosovan and Austrian higher education institutions, PhD and  PostDoc scholarships, improved QA instruments along European standards, projects to foster the implementation of the Social Dimension in Kosovo, and improved the useofuse of quality assurance instruments with focus on  implementation of follow up measures along European standardsthat enhance the quality of higher education and research and the employability of graduates. HERAS also raises the overall awareness of MEST and other stakeholders regarding Kosovo´s obligations in the field of human rights, including the right to education.

 

HERAS is based on the predecessor project Higher KOS which was successfully implemented from 2011 - 2015.