The Kosovo’s National Research School in ICT was inaugurated today in the premises of the University of Prishtina. We were honored to have many distinguished guests, including: the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti, representatives of the government and diplomatic missions in the country, rectors of partner universities, professors and students.
The ceremony was opened by the rector of UP, prof. dr. Qerim Qerimi. “Our university has played a crucial role in the foundation of this school and we are excited to host and coordinate it for the next following years”, said the rector at the beginning of his speech.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti, said that this project enables the necessary cooperation between prestigious European universities and universities in our country. “This school, which we are inaugurating today, is an important block in building the progress we aim for. This program helps develop innovative ideas that have the potential to create new products, businesses and professions which help this country make the necessary transformation”, added Kurti.
The inauguration of the ICT school in Kosovo was also greeted by the ambassador of Norway, his excellency, Mr. Jens Erik Grøndahl. Ambassador said that he is happy that the Norwegian government is cooperating with the Kosovar one in the establishment of digital transformation in Kosovo. “Kosovo is a digital superpower, which continues to emerge and which is far ahead of neighboring countries in this field. Together, with such steps, we can establish the basis for further development. This day is a historical moment“, he emphasized.
The project of launching the school has also been supported by the Swedish Embassy in Kosovo. Its representative, Mrs. Katja Holböll, said that Sweden has had a long-term focus on education and research which in turn has had a major impact on their capacity for innovation. According to her, the same potential exists in Kosovo.
Regarding the importance of the ICT school in Kosovo, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Edona Maloku-Berdyna, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Liza Gashi, also had a saying. Both emphasized the ministries’ commitment to building capacities in the field of technology and communication.
Meanwhile, rectors and representatives of partner universities in this project, prof. Peter Aronsson from Linnaeus University, prof. Samedin Krrabaj, from the University of Prizren, Prof. Edmond Hajrizi from the UBT college, Nikos Zaharis, director of the South East European Research Center as well as Mohamed Abomhara, representative of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, revealed their commitments for the establishment of this school and emphasized their readiness for further advancement of the school.
At the end of the ceremony, Christina Keller from the Swedish School of Management and IT as well as Anita Mirijamdotter, coordinator of the project, presented to the audience the entire journey of the project and the results achieved through it.
The ceremony was closed by professor Drilon Bunjaku, also director of the ICT School in Kosovo. He revealed the objectives of this school, which include: raising and developing the capacities of higher education institutions in ICT; facilitating and creating human capacities for linking higher education with working industry; organization of scientific activities for doctoral students, internationalization of scientific work, and other purposes.
The school was established within the project “Development and implementation of an ICT program for the Education System in Kosovo – PhDITKES”, within the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 project. The aim of the school is to facilitate doctoral studies in this field, based on the experience of EU partner universities.
