ERASMUS+ Information Day: Numerous Program Options Presented

The Information Day, at which ERASMUS+ program opportunities were promoted, was held on 28 November 2019 at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Banja Luka.

The main goal of the event was to promote opportunities under the ERASMUS + program, with special emphasis on presenting a new call for proposals for higher education projects, including: capacity building in higher education projects, international credit mobility, joint master studies, Jean Monnet activities and other relevant opportunities in the field of higher education.

Rector of the University of Banja Luka Professor Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, said that the University has been actively participating in all EU funded projects and that there has been a trend of growth in these activities in the past.

He also said that the experience in over 100 completed projects opened the possibility for the University to participate for the first time as an institution coordinator of the ERASMUS+ Capacity Building project.

,,New study programs of the first and second cycle of study were established at the University of Banja Luka and the existing study programs of all three study cycles were modernized, as part of the completed projects. Moreover, different departmental strategies, policies, rules and procedures have been adopted and management and accountability mechanisms have been improved...’’, said Rector Gajanin, who opened the ERASMUS+ Info Day.

As he said, the University remains a reliable partner in this field.

,,In the new program which we will start implementing from next year, we plan to be even more active, and by transferring knowledge, good practices and experience through educational and scientific programs, to work intensively on the internationalization and modernization of the University’’, Rector Gajanin said.

Head of Banja Luka Regional Office of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina Alexandra Wagner emphasized that this program is an opportunity for all students, professors and academic staff to study and specialize abroad, and expressed her satisfaction with the fact that the number of applications from BiH for this program is increasing every year.

"The program enables young people to develop themselves personally and professionally, as well as to gain international experience, new skills, to develop confidence and be more sought after in the job market", Wagner said and noted that exchange of students in these areas is on the rise, but that there is still a need to present to students the opportunities and benefits of studying abroad.

Wagner said that the goal is to create as many opportunities for young people as possible and that they benefit from this program as much as possible.

"The EU subsequently decided to double the funding for the ERASMUS+ program to EUR 30 billion for the period from 2021 to 2027 ", Wagner said.

Suad Muhibic, Director of the National ERASMUS+ Office in BiH, said that this program is an opportunity for BiH universities to, together with European higher education institutions, participate in the application of their projects, aimed at developing capacity.

"These capacities can be expanded through curriculum reform, by improving the cooperation with the corporate or by improving the management setup of universities", Muhibic said.

He noted that the Capacity Building projects are valued at half a million to one million euros per project, in which several project partners from seven European countries participate.

The ERASMUS+ Information Day was organized by the National Erasmus+ Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union in BiH and the University of Banja Luka.