1. Monitoring visit UNIVERSITY OF TIRANA
Tirana, July 14th,2016

2. Dr. Elvana SHTEPANI University of Tirana Tirana, July 14th,2016
Enhancement of HE Research Potential Contributing to Further Growth of the WB Region
Dr. Elvana SHTEPANI
University of Tirana
Tirana, July 14th,2016

3. CONSORTIUM University of Niš, Serbia - coordinator
University of Belgrade, Serbia
University of Novi Sad, Serbia
University of Kragujevac, Serbia
University of Montenegro, Montenegro
University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
University of East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
University of Vlora "Ismail Qemali", Albania
University of Tirana, Albania
Coventry University, United Kingdom
University of Liege, Belgium
Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy
Center for the Promotion of Science, Serbia

4. OBJECTIVE
Contribution to enhanced management of human research potential at WB universities in line with national and EU strategies for researchers. 
Fostering regional cooperation
Improving institutional HR policies and practices
Enhancing career development and cooperation opportunities of researchers
Improving institutional HR policies and practices by harmonising them with EU standards and strategies for researchers, and with national priorities for sustainable development;
Enhancing career development and cooperation opportunities of researchers through professional and transferable skills improvement;
Fostering regional cooperation in order to harmonise the management of university research potentials, and raise awareness about HRS4R principles.

5. European Charter of Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers endorsed by all WBC partners;
mentoring system piloted for the sake of newly promoted assistant professors for their better response to new responsibilities;
researchers’ databases created at all WBC partner universities;
alumni networks developed for better contacts with WBC scientific diasporas

6. Erasmus + Enhancement of HE research potential contributing to further growth of the WB region/
Lifetime: 3 years
Six work packages:
Preparation for the HR research management reform
Excellent university for the researchers
Excellent researchers for the community
Quality at
Dissemination and exploitation
Management at

7. First meeting The objectives of the kick‐off meeting were
to introduce to each other all the partners of the project
to develop a common understanding of the project objectives, activities and expected results
to discuss into details the action plan for the first six months
to clarify project management and administrative procedures.
Steering committee, WP leaders, Quality Assurance project team established.

8. Mapping HR management strategies at EU universities, 21-25 March, 2016, Turin
The objectives of the meetings were:
 empowerment for employability and the 
stage and job unit, 
the importance of HR Strategy for researches for inclusion of  WBC research institutions in  ERA, 
how to attract international researches, 
reporting system, 
presentation of good practices from Turin. 
participants  from  the Western  Balkans  universities will learn about  the  procedures used by Politecnico di Torino in various fields which will be useful in order to increase  of their research capacities. They will meet with experts and praticians in these fields and be able  to ask them questions.   It  will  create  a  network  of  reference  persons  that  they  will  be  allowed  to  consult  at  the  later  stages of the implementation of their strategic plans

9. Meeting: Mapping HR management strategies at EU universities, 18‐22 April 2016, Liège
Participants from the Western Balkans universities learned about the procedures used by Université de Liège in various fields which will be useful in order to increase of their research capacities. They met with experts and practicians in these fields and were able to ask them questions .
Different topics included:
Professional and responsible attitude of the researcher.
Career development, transferable skills training, mentoring and supervision of PHD students
What are the main targets to achieve at the end of a PhD and how to achieve them? Targets in knowledge/experience & Learning methods
Euraxess Rights -The Human Resources Strategy for Researchers

10. Seminar on HRS4R for Universities management, Belgrade, 8th June, 2016
To make the university an excellent environment for the researcher, it is necessary to educate the management about the significance of improving the position of human research potential.
Representatives of the management boards of the partner institutions were educated on the implementation of the Charter and Code through the “HR Excellence in Research” by HR expert from the University of Nis.

11. Meeting: Mapping HR management strategies at EU universities, 20-25th June 2016, Coventry
Coventry Context: Research Strategy and Overview of Support for Researchers
Doctoral Training
Developing Research Capability - Broader UK Context
Introduction to Supervisor Development
Perspectives on Supervising in the UK
Responsible Research and Research Integrity
Researchers' Career Progression: Introduction to the Academic Framework
Temat e trajtuara në këtë aktivitet u përqëndruan në përvojën e Mbretërisë së Bashkuar dhe kryesisht të Universitetit Conventry për mënyrën dhe kriteret e rekrutimit të hulumtuesve të rinj në karrierë, dhe veçanërisht në trajnimin e udhëheqësve shkencorë; u diskutua rreth rëndësisë që ka përcaktimi i qartë i strategjive dhe zbatimit të etikës në kërkimin shkencor për të shmangur plag

12. Activities completed Participation in all meetings (reports) PA signed
Opening of the project bank account
First installment received
Questionnaire for mapping the research human potential and issues in WBC universities (individual questionnaires)
establishing the state-of-the-art, namely a detailed and comprehensive picture of current human potential in science and research in targeted universities, including the issues, related to HR management, career development and employment of researchers, ethics, working conditions, accountability, training and collaboration.
a tool for development of individual HR strategies of each of the universities. It is foreseen that the tool will facilitate synthesis of a background data for gap analysis, relative to the principles of European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for Recruitment HR strategies for each of the partner universities are planned deliverables of project
Requests for equipment purchase sent to the Finance office

13. FURTHER ACTIVITIES
Activity 2.1. Reinforcing of university centers and offices by creating and adopting relevant bylaws
Activity 2.2. Training of WBC administrative staff related to research services
Activity 2.5. Training trainers by EU partners
Activity 2.6. Revising and improving university bylaws regulating academic promotion procedures
Activity 2.8. Enhancing of ethical committees (EC) through legislative improvements and trainings
Activity 2.9. Establishing links with scientific diaspora by creating and updating databases
All WBC partner should create Alumni networks and links to them on the websites of their universities.
Task leader is the University of East Sarajevo.
Please, nominate the responsible person from your university, as soon as possible, since the deadline has already expired (01/07/2016).
You should also prepare the report, which will describe the present situation concerning University centres and HR offices with the idea how to improve it, and send it to the University of East Sarajevo till15/10/2016. Task leader is the University of Novi Sad who will organise the training of administrative staff probably on September 22nd and 23rd 2016 in Novi Sad. We will send the agenda at the beginning of September.
Please, nominate 4 representatives from your university and send us their names till September. 
The topics of this training will be the following: C&C, services for PHD students, data bases.
Task leader is the University of Belgrade.
This activity should be realize between November 2016 and March 2017.
The first training should be organise at the University of Coventry on December 15th and 16th2016. The topics of the training will be the following: supervisor development and training, multidisciplinarity and funding proposal.
Please, nominate 2 representatives from your university
Task leader is University of Sarajevo.
Please, nominate the responsible person from your university, as soon as possible, since the deadline
You should also prepare the report, which will describe the present situation concerning promotion procedures with the idea how to improve it, and send it to the University of Sarajevo till 15/10/2016.
The University of Sarajevo will than collect all reports into one internal report with an analysis of the situation and with suggestions of concrete actions, and send it to the University of Novi Sad till30/10/2016. The University of Sarajevo will also design a common template for evaluation reports.
Task leaders are the University of Vlora and University of Kargujevac
Please, nominate the responsible person from your university, as soon as possible, since the deadlinehas already expired (01/07/2016).
You should also prepare the report, which will describe the present situation concerning EC with the idea how to improve it, and send it to the Universities of Vlora till 15/10/2016.
The University of Vlora will than collect all reports into one internal report with an analysis of the situation and with suggestions of concrete actions, and send it to the University of Novi Sad till01/11/2016.
The training of EC members should be organise at the University of Kragujevac at the end of Octobar 2016.
Please, nominate 2 Ethical Committee members from your University till September and send their names to us and to the University of Vlora.
The University of Vlora will, in consultation with the University of Kragujevac, organise this training, prepare the agenda of the meeting, the list of participants and the report after the training.
Task leader is University of Tirana.
You should also prepare the report, which will describe the present situation concerning cooperation with scientific diaspora and Alumni with the idea how to improve it, and send it to the University of Tirana till 15/10/2016.
The University of Tirana will than collect all reports into one internal report with an analysis of the situation and with suggestions of concrete actions, and send it to the University of Novi Sad till30/10/2016.

14. IMPORTANT ISSUES
Nominating responsible person for the upcoming activities
Establishing work group for improving ethical committee work and procedures and relevant bylaws as well as a work group that will mainly deal with issues related to improving a strategy for research. Rector’s decision to be shown on the university’s website
Buying equipment and software
Online questionnaire to be filled out before the end of July
Opening of a link to assist young researchers in getting acquainted to European Charter of Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers
Opening of links under the administration of the University’s website to provide opportunities for researchers
Establishing database with primary information on researchers
Trainings for administrative staff
Training for Research methodology
Signing and stamping of all documents related to the project

15. QUESTIONS ???

16. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Dr. Elvana SHTEPANI
Contact person