Excellent university for the researchers 1st Quality Assurance Committee Meeting   Project Title: Enhancement of HE research potential contributing to further growth of the WB region   Project acronym: Re@WBC Recent and following activities within the WP2: Excellent university for the researchers Vesna Mašulović University of Novi Sad 23-24 March 2017, University of Montenegro

Information analyzed: Act. 2.1. Reinforcing university centres and offices by creating and adopting relevant bylaws Task leader: University of East Sarajevo Information analyzed: Bylaws on institutions regulating status of researchers and research in general. Main elements of research strategy such as strategic aims and action plans. Bylaws regulating work of research centers.

Act. 2.1. Reinforcing university centres and offices by creating and adopting relevant bylaws Task leader: University of East Sarajevo Conclusions: Conditions for promotion differ from university to university. The positions of teachers and researchers and their definitions differ from university to university. Strategies for research differ from university to university (do not exist on some universities). Implementation of strategies and following strategic and action plans is questionable on the most institutions involved in this project. On some institutions a number of research centers and institutes exist but they have different structures and are legally organized in different ways.

Actions: Develop a research strategy with common minimal principles. Act. 2.1. Reinforcing university centres and offices by creating and adopting relevant bylaws Task leader: University of East Sarajevo Actions: Develop a research strategy with common minimal principles. Develop all relevant documents and bylaws regulating research using existing good regional and European practices. Regulate the role of research centers and institutes using existing good regional and European practices. Prepare the report on the implementation of recommendations by the end of June 2017.

Activity carried out at the University of Novi Sad on Act. 2.2. Training of WBC administrative staff with respect to research services Task leader: University of Novi Sad Activity carried out at the University of Novi Sad on September 22-23, 2016. 36 administrative staff from Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro and Serbia participated.

17 representatives from WBP universities participated. Act. 2.3. Seminar on HRS4R for university managements Task leader: University of Novi Sad Professor Miroslav Trajanovic from the University of Nis held a meeting with University management at the University of Novi Sad on April 27, 2016. Seminar on HRS4R for university managements held at the University of Belgrade on June 8, 2016. 17 representatives from WBP universities participated.

Act. 2.4. HRS4R created and adopted at partner universities Task leader: University of Novi Sad UNIKG, UNSA, UES, UV and UNS created and adopted HRS4R. These universities submitted their applications under the November 2016 deadline to obtain the “HR Excellence in Research” award. After assessments the European Commission granted the “HR Excellence in Research” award to the UNIKG. UES, UV and UNS were asked to make minor revisions and resubmit applications under the same call. USA was asked to make a major revision and submit the new application under the new call. Due date: October 2017.

1. TRAINING IN COVENTRY, December 14-17, 2016 Act. 2.5 Training trainers by EU partners Task leader: University of Novi Sad 1. TRAINING IN COVENTRY, December 14-17, 2016 Topics: supervision training for supervisors and students, communication training – train the trainer 2. TRAINING IN BELGRADE (3 participants per WBP and EU universities, 3 days) April 05-07, 2017 Topics: inter-cultural communications, researcher ethics, writing research proposals 3. TRAINING IN LIEGE (2 participants per WBP university, 4 days) May 08-11, 2017 Topics: excellence in research – HR strategy for researchers, merit based and transparent recruitment of researchers, merit assessment, best practices between supervisors and PhD candidates 4. TRAINING IN TORINO (2 participants per WBP university, 4 days) May 23-26, 2017 Topics: soft skills and entrepreneurship

Revise the procedures for academic promotions. Act. 2.6. Revising and improving university bylaws regulating academic promotion procedures Task leader: University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo designed a common template for evaluation reports and suggested the following: Revise the procedures for academic promotions. Create detailed criteria for academic promotion based on scientific areas and titles. Develop common template for reporting on academic promotion. Make all the relevant documents available at the university web-site. Action: Prepare the report on the implementation of recommendations by the end of June 2017.

Act. 2.7. Plagiarism monitoring tools implemented Task leader: University of Nis The WB partner universities are in the process of purchasing the plagiarism monitoring tool.

Act. 2.8. Enhancing of ethical committees through legislative improvements and trainings Task leader: University of Vlora and University of Kragujevac 2.8.1 Training carried out at the University of Kragujevac on November, 10-11, 2016. 19 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia took part. 2.8.2 The University of Vlora analyzed all WB Universities reports and made the following conclusions and recommendations: Define clearly ethical principles and issues. Revise the composition of the ethics committees. Define clearly procedures for ethical assessment.

Act. 2.8. Enhancing of ethical committees through legislative improvements and trainings Task leader: University of Vlora and University of Kragujevac Draw a clear-cut distinction between the role, scope, tasks and responsibilities of ethics committees and those of scientific integrity boards. Facilitate the work of the ethics committees through proper legal, institutional and technical instruments. Improve and enhance the efficiency of the work of the Ethical committees. Analyze periodically legal and ethical norms and standards of research. Define the model for the transformation of the Court of Honor to the Ethics Committee.

Act. 2.8. Enhancing of ethical committees through legislative improvements and trainings Task leader: University of Vlora and University of Kragujevac Analyze viability and possibility for introducing the Ombudsman in order to protect rights of researchers at the university level. Adopt the principles of establishing disciplinary liability in cases of violations of the Code of Ethics, plagiarism, infringement of intellectual property rights etc. Define actions that indicate a violation of professional ethics. Refine the procedures under which the Committee for ethical issues gives its recommendations. Delineate the cases of disciplinary proceedings from the cases in which the procedure is conducted by the Ethical Committee. Due date: July 2017.

Act.2.9. Establishing links with scientific diaspora by creating and updating databases Task leader: University of Tirana The University of Tirana analyzed all WB Universities reports and made the following conclusions and recommendations: Universities lacking the alumni database need to create more permanent structures and a list of databases of academics living and working abroad who are willing to come to their home country and contribute to the Institutions of Higher Education. Having established the database, all WB universities need to implement a Diaspora strategy. Engage the government in the process. One Diaspora strategy cannot fit all the countries. While many governments acknowledge the importance of Diaspora engagement, many still lack the capacity to design and implement effective policies on a meaningful scale. Due date: October 14, 2018.