The changes that education and knowledge delivery have undergone due to COVID 19 as well as the changes in market needs, have focused higher education institutions priorities towards capacity building. In this sense, in addition to developing and providing quality knowledge, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to find new ways to maintain and strengthen the role they play in the knowledge market. Thus, except market studies, periodic revision of curricula, quality and teaching methods improvement, relations with students and alumni, it is given a special importance to the partnership with other HEIs inside and outside the country, especially through joint projects.
The University of Tirana (UT), due to its strategic importance and pioneering role in Albanian higher education, faces significant challenges related not only to strengthen research capacity and increase scientific research within the basic units, but also to enable and support its internationalization as an essential and guiding philosophy of UT.
In the context of internationalization, among many EU projects where UT is a partner, one of the projects involving the Faculty of Economics (FEUT), is the project “Sustainable development of BLUE economies through higher education and innovation in Western Balkan Countries” – BLUEWBC ”. This project constitutes an active and qualitative network, which not only provides stability in the results and outputs within UT, but directly increases and strengthens the capacities for quality research in the basic units of the Faculty of Economics.
One of the leading philosophies of the BLUEWBC project, which shows the benefit of such a network, and upgrades UT in a very strategic position, is: international philosophy, regional priority, and national need.
BLUEWB’s main objective is directly related to how entrepreneurship and innovation can create opportunities for sustainable development in countries that are involved and have potential for the Blue Economy. This goal puts the two HEIs (University of Vlora – UV and UT) in our country facing the challenge of supporting this objective that has an international approach, but especially a regional priority of crucial importance in strengthening the Western Balkans, as well as a need to support relevant governments to accomplish this challenge of theirs.
In the context of sustainable development and the use of tourism as a national instrument for achieving and enabling the realization of SDG (Sustainable Development Objectives), the concept of blue economy is one of the most supported concepts by Albanian public levels, but also a real potential to spread economic and social development throughout the country. Albania and Montenegro, the two partner countries directly benefiting from the BLUEWBC project, possess great potential to support the development of the Blue Economy concept in the Balkan region. Based on this, universities play an essential role as supporting institutions and quality actors in this process.
The notion of blue economy and the development of such projects involving academic institutions, but also other non-academic actors directly related to the blue economy, raises the awareness of academic levels about the role they have in this process, leading in the development of the concept within the country. In this meaning, UT is directly contributing to economic development and social welfare of the country.
This close relationship established between the 2 public universities (UT and UV), with UoM (University of Montenegro) is giving results not only in the extension of the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship in all universities involved, but also in its concrete implementation within universities. Through BLUEWBC, UV and UoM strongly develop their capacities in the maritime industry, while UT in the tourism industry. This process raises UT’s awareness of the importance of branches such as tourism and the blue economy, as it also supports the central public level in enabling the realization of the concept of navy and blue economy in each country. This increases the opportunities to produce and disseminate more knowledge, modules, subjects, information and knowledge about innovation and entrepreneurship in the blue economy and tourism, orienting more students towards the needs of the market and what is offering employment for the future both by the government and the private sector, increasing the role that UT has in this whole support and orientation process.
The University of Tirana will not only offer more quality knowledge, but especially knowledge oriented by national needs and international priorities, enabling more students to stay and work in Albania, increasing more student exchanges within the network provided by the BLUEWBC project, offering significantly improved quality curricula or professional life-long learning courses (LLC) which will be achieved as a result and output of this network. FEUT will be a strategic factor in establishing internal partnerships with businesses to develop the necessary knowledge and offer various local businesses products related to entrepreneurship and tourism as components of the blue economy.
Prof.Dr.Klodiana Gorica, Project Coordinator BLUEWBC for University of Tirana
Që nga viti 2015 nxisim shpirtin sipërmarrës, inovacionin dhe rritjen personale duke ndikuar në zhvillimin e një mjedisi motivues dhe pozitiv tek lexuesit tanë. Kjo punë që e bëjmë me shumë dashuri nuk ka të paguar. Ne jemi platforma e vetme e cila promovon modelin pozitiv të sipërmarrjes së lirë. Përmes kësaj platforme mbështesim edukimin gjatë gjithë jetës si mjet për zhvillimin personal dhe profesional të brezave. Kontributi juaj do të na ndihmojë në vazhdimin e këtij misioni në gjithë trevat shqipfolëse.
Mund të kontribuoni KETU. Falemnderit.
