Mini-event at the University of Banja Luka - Faculty of Economics

Within the SMART project (SMART – ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE) the Univerity of Banja Luka - Faculty of Economics acquired the modern equipment for the needs of the Innovation Centre - SMART, valued at about 17.000 EUR.
The mini-event for equipment installation and testing took place at the University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Economics on October 24, 2024. The management of the Faculty of Economics, along with professors, teaching assistants, technical staff, and students and professors who will be working in the SMART Innovation Center, were present at the event.
Professor Milenko Krajišnik, the dean of the Faculty of Economics, opened the event and expressed his satisfaction with the Faculty's participation in the SMART project.
Professor Dragan Gligorić, Head of the UNIBL SMART Innovation Center, briefly informed the attendees about the project's progress and the acquired equipment, which has been installed and tested.
This event marks the beginning of many future events and workshops that will be held at the UBL SMART Innovation Center.

Published 26.10.2024 at 09:16

Participation in a panel organized by the Technische Universität Dresden

The Technical University of Dresden (Technische Universität Dresden) hosted the fourth meeting of the project consortium of the Erasmus SMART project from September 25 to 27, 2024. During the first working day, the project coordinator from the University of Banja Luka, Prof. Dr. Dragan Gligoric, participated in the panel “Sustainable University Collaborations between Europe and the Western Balkans: Pathways to Creating Stable Academic Networks". Other panel participants included: Prof. Dr. Thomas Köhler (Technische Universität Dresden), Dr. Mateja Gerder (DOBA Business School Maribor), Marija Milacic (Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro), Prof. Dr. Eric Schoop (Technische Universität Dresden), Dr. Malcolm Duerod (International BURCH University), Prof. Dr. Esmir Demaj (Epoka University). Mattis Altmann (Technische Universität Dresden) moderated the panel. During the panel discussion, challenges, opportunities, and strategies for creating sustainable cooperation between universities in the Western Balkans and EU universities were defined. The panel was organized through the cooperation of two Erasmus+ projects, SMART and COWEB (https://www.westernbalkans-infohub.eu/).

Published 14.10.2024 at 10:03

Internal workshops

Within the Erasmus + project "SMART" (SMART Innovation Centers for the Development of Innovative and Entrepreneurial Thinking to Facilitate the Development of Sustainable Smart Solutions in the Western Balkans) at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Banja Luka in the period 16-25 April 2023, two internal workshops were held on the following topics:

Workshop 1. The Quintuple Helix Approach as an instrument for Regional Cohesion and Innovation, and
Workshop 2.

2.1. Innovative Productс Development and Intellectual Property Protection.

2.2. Agile project management.

Workshop 1 was intended for University of Banja Luka staff, in which participated 27 participants, including three students who are part of the team of the Innovation Center - SMART.

Workshop 2 was intended for the students of the 1st and 2nd cycle of the University of Banja Luka, in which participated 26 participants, including three students who are part of the team of the Innovation Center - SMART.

The SMART project addresses the problem of low innovation capacity in the field of smart specialization in the Western Balkans, specifically in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. The project is designed to systematically support partner universities to transcend their role as knowledge providers and become active designers of the regional innovation ecosystem.

Published 30.04.2024 at 15:29

SMART Training in Vlora, Albania

The second onsite phase of the SMART project took place as 2,5 day synchronous hybrid activity, hosted by University of Vlorë in Vlore, Albania from 19th to 21st November 2023.

The Focus was on two Modules – Module 3: “Understanding the Meaning of the Local Ecosystem for Sustainable Innovation” and Module 4: “Supply Chains and Digital Transformation” – which gives room for local topics like tourism and agriculture. During the training, attention was given to the ecosystem, i.e. the dimension of regionality so on first day participants had opportunity to visit Old Town of Vlora, as a real example of urban revival through innovative solutions.

Day 2 – Partners from Technische Universität Dresden opened the Module 3: “Understanding the Meaning of the Local Ecosystem for Sustainable Innovation” with themes Agile Project Management and Perspectives for entrepreneurial thinking in the SMART network. Partners from Politecnico di Milano and Milan Polytechnic Foundation were leading the theme HEI-business cooperation at EU, national, regional, and local level: Q&A which was completed successfully with disscusion of all partners. During the second part of the second day, partners DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies, Slovenia and University of East Sarajevo from Bosnia and Herzegovina share insight on business modelling and public tendering. Second day was finished with Hands on Case study: tourism and agriculture which was held by University of Vlorë in Vlore, Albania and representative of local industry / economic sector.

Day 3 – Partners from Technische Universität Dresden opened the Module 4: “Supply Chains and Digital Transformation”. The themes were Digital Innovation: – the role of (Open) Data – identifying the Digital Ecosystem and Innovation supply chains: – in the local (industrial) ecosystems – training and functioning of SMART centers – hybrid teaching and learning ibid. The second part of the training was held by Partners from Politecnico di Milano and Milan Polytechnic Foundation who were leading the themes in IPR Management.

Project team from Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka, was represented by prof. Dragan Gligorić, Ph.D., Jadranka Petrović, Ph.D and prof. Goran Janjić, Ph.D. Our team presented the concept of the future SMART Innovation Centre, which will be established by the Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka, and will start operating in 2024, according to the project proposal.

All partner institutions have participants both on-site and online.

Published 01.12.2023 at 15:27

The Faculty of Economics of the University of Banja Luka hosts the meeting within the SMART Erasmus + project

In the period from the 26th to the 29th September 2023 the Faculty of Economics of the University of Banja Luka hosted the second meeting within the SMART Erasmus + project.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of 14 partner institutions (higher education institutions, local development agencies and the chambers of commerce and industry) from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Montenegro. The University of Banja Luka was represented by professor Dragan Gligorić, professor Goran Janjić and Jadranka Petrović, PhD.

In addition to the meeting of the Project Management Board, the event included a three-day training of the trainers, i.e. the staff of higher education institutions in the field of smart specialization, digitization, innovation and entrepreneurship. The training was conducted by representatives of the Technical University of Dresden and the Polytechnic University of Milan.

The goal of the training was to support the professional development of HEIs academic staff engaged in the SMART Innovation Centers that will be established within the Project.

Published 02.10.2023 at 16:09

SMART consortium meeting

On April 24, 2023, an online consortium meeting of the SMART project was held, attended by Dragan Gligorić, Ph.D. project manager on behalf of the University of Banja Luka and Jadranka Petrović, researcher. The aim of the meeting was to analyze progress in the project realization, and to define the deadline for the future project activities. As part of the project activities, the University of Banja Luka organized a focus group where the previous activities in the development of the Smart Specialization Strategy of Republika Srpska were discussed, with a special emphasis on the necessary trainings for the effective specialization of Republika Srpska. Within the defined deadline, the University of Banja Luka project team submitted to the project coordinator the Report on the situation in the field of smart specialization in Republika Srpska, with special emphasis on Banja Luka region, which is the focus of this project.