On 3 December 2021, as a follow-up of the series of tailor-made trainings for academic staff of the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” (UP) and as part of the overall logic of the intervention – to develop concrete project proposals, HERAS Plus team headed by our Office Manager Ms. Donjeta Ibra and the national expert Ms. Vjosa Beqaj, facilitated two coaching sessions with the members of the respective working groups.

The coaching session will continue in the coming period until the project proposals are fully shaped and ready for fund-raising.

Noteworthy, this initiative is designed jointly by HERAS Plus and the UP leadership, and is part of the earmarked fund expert support for strategic development of the public universities.

On 24 November 2021 a dedicated Workshop was provided to Researchers about the Collaborative Research opportunities in the scope of the Horizon Europe Programme, including the regulations and rules of participation that need to be taken into account when applying for Horizon Europe Calls, with particular emphasis on the enhanced opportunity for International cooperative research with Kosovo as an associated country to HE.

In close cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, this training is offered alongside strengthening the professional support structures by supporting the National Contact Point (NCP) with capacity building training and increasing participation of researchers from Kosovo in International research collaborations. The Workshop was open to all entities eligible to apply to Horizon Europe, and participants were enrolled through an open call procedure.

During this session held on 23 November 2021, an advanced Train the Trainers (ToT) including specific feedback and guidance was provided to all National Contact Points (NCPs) related to their services in the scope of Horizon Europe and their presentations with identified calls per each cluster and mapping of potential stakeholders and target groups in Kosovo.

On July 8th, 2021, the first training introduced the Horizon Europe Program, benefits from Kosovo’s associated status, and the roles and services expected from NCPs.

The offered trainings are considered timely and crucial for the newly appointed NCPs in building their capacities and efficiency to increase Kosovo’s participation in Horizon Europe by utilizing the available calls and the existing potentials to benefit from them.

In the scope of HERAS Plus planned support, NCPs discussed and provided their feedback and suggestions towards shaping the upcoming activities of support from the project to ensure tailor-made actions in response to identified needs and challenges.