As part of networking and knowledge sharing activities, a series of visits were conducted between faculty staff members of STEFORA Project partner institutions.
In September, Dr. Hyrmet Mydyti from IBC-M conducted a visit to MU during which she had the chance to deliver a lecture and a presentation that tackled digital technology, business strategy, and advanced data. Dr. Mydyti also was exposed to best STEM teaching practices by partners in MU.
Another key visit was that of UET Professors, Amanda Kote and Ardiana Topi, to LNU for the 3rd International Symposium on Digital Transformation. Kote and Topi had the chance to dive into the latest trends in digital learning, healthcare, humanities, AI, business, and modern working environments — all within the fast-paced landscape of digitalization.
Following that, Dr. Joseph Timoney from MU had productive visits at RIT-K, IBC-M, and UET. During these visits, the team aimed to explore joint research opportunities, potential collaborative projects, and student exchange opportunities. Dr. Timoney had also the chance to attend a talk session about women in business and STEM by Jody Daniels, Retired Chief of U.S. Army Reserve and Commanding General of U.S. Army Reserve Command, organized by RITK.
Another insightful visit was conducted by Dr. Mimoza Polloshka to LNU. The highlight of such visit were fruitful discussions on potential collaborations for research, student, and staff mobility opportunities within the Mathematics Department. Dr. Polloshka had the privilege to also attend workshops on Digital Competence Development and Data Infrastructure as well as LNU Big Data Conference 2024.
We hope such visits served as a basis to further build capacities at the beneficiary institutions and to foster long-term partnerships between those institutions.
In the series of staff exchange activities, Linnaeus University (LNU) completed a two-day staff exchange visit at RIT Kosovo during July 29 – 30, 2024. Dr Arianit Kurti, Associate Professor, and head of department at the Department of Computer Science and Media Technology at LNU and Dr Mexhid Ferati, Associate Professor at the Department of Informatics, participated in a series of meetings and discussions with RIT Kosovo President, Dean of Faculty, Office of Academic Affairs, Coordinator of the Faculty Development Center, STEM faculty, and STEFORA project team.
The sessions with University Administration and STEM Faculty provided an opportunity for participants to share information about existing and upcoming STEM programs, share strategies, and learn from best practices. One of the sessions was RIT Kosovo’s presentation of their new laboratories and equipment for Physics, Chemistry, and Electrical Engineering Technology. These upgrades are done to support the development of new STEM programs at RIT Kosovo and enhance the overall learning experience. Another key point of discussion during the visit was the sustainability of the collaboration between the two institutions. Both institutions emphasized the importance of continuing their cooperation beyond STEFORA’s official timeline. Therefore, the meeting sessions provided a venue for exploring strategies for long-term collaboration, focusing on maintaining the momentum of shared initiatives and ensuring the sustainability of the STEFORA project outcomes and ongoing benefits for both universities.
As part of Work Package 4, Dr. Blerta Prevalla Etemi from RIT Kosovo (A.U.K) and Dr. Skender Luarasi from POLIS University visited Maynooth University, Ireland from June 10-14, 2024. During their visit, they had a series of exchange and networking activities while attending the Innovation Value Institute Summit (IVI) 2024.
The IVI 2024 Summit, themed “Unleashing the Power of Data and Services,” opened the first day with a session on women in STEM with active participation from STEFORA team members who joined in person and online. Participants engaged in a co-creation workshop “Equitable Futures: Addressing Challenges for Women in STEM in Higher Education”, moderated by Roshmita Kanungoe. The opening address was given by Dr. Venera Demukaj, and there were impactful presentations from EDI pioneers in academia, the public sector, and industry.
A highlight of the final day of the summit was the launch of the Data Governance Roadmap for Ireland by Micheál Martin. The summit featured keynote addresses, panel discussions on digital transformation, and breakout sessions on services, genomics, and data spaces. The Speakers at the Summit included Karen Coleman, Prof. Markus Helfert, Prof. Eeva Leinonen, Dr. Mihai Bilauca, Jeevantika Lingalwar, and Anne Josephine Flanagan. Panel discussions provided insights into Ireland’s data strategy, AI, and services. A panel on AI’s future, chaired by Joan Mulvihill and featuring Mark Little, Stephen Redmond, and Michael Beary, offered critical reflections. The summit included a STEFORA networking lunch and tours of Maynooth’s university, concluding with reflections on the Stefora Project and discussions of its impact.
As part of Work Package 4 activities, Roshmita Kanungoe, a digital transformation researcher from Innovation Value Institute in Maynooth University, Ireland visited IBC-M, RIT K, and UET partners for STEM exchange, knowledge sharing and observation activities. During her five-day visit which took place during May 13-17, 2024, in Kosovo and Albania, Ms Kanungoe held a series of meetings with representatives of the partner institutions in Kosovo and Albania discussing their STEM programs, institutional policies, current and future initiatives centred around increasing Digital Citizenship capabilities in the beneficiary HEIs. Ms Kanungoe delivered presentations and workshops discussions on ‘Best Institutional Policies to ensure Digital Citizenship for women in STEM’ IBC-M and on the topic of ‘Digital Footprint and its intersection with women in STEM in HEIs’ at UET.
In the following week, during May 20-21, 2024, Professors from the Informatics Department at Linnaues University, Sweden, Mexhid Ferati and Juan P. Velasquez visited POLIS University in Tirana. During their visit, they held a series of meetings with university representatives and delivered lectures and workshops on STEM related topics. On the first day, Professor Velasquez delivered a lecture on the topic ‘Design, behavior and technology for valuing water’ which gathered staff and students at the university. During the second day Professors Ferati and Velasquez conducted a workshop on the topic of ‘Behavioral Design in STEM Education’ with students from Computer Science and Applied Design programs.
In the sequence of events, a virtual Internal Project Meeting took place on September 27, to discuss about upcoming activities within Work Package 4. The representatives of POLIS University and Maynooth University as leaders and co-leaders of WP4, respectively, and RIT K as consortium leader met virtually and engaged in constructive discussion. During the meeting, the main focus of the discussion was on the activities related to fostering new collaborations through the exchange of staff and demonstration of STEM activities. The discussion resulted in clear and actionable decisions that will guide our teams’ path forward in completing all the WP4 activities on time.
