0A pre-project meeting 18-19 February was held at the Norwegian Maritime Competence Center (NMK) in Olesund, Norway. February 2020 marked the start of the project entitled “Sustainable Development of BLUE Economies through Higher Education and Innovation in Western Balkan Countries” (BLUEWBC) as part of the Erasmus + Higher Education Capacity Building Program approved for funding in 2019.
The representative of IEC Tehnopolis at the kick-off meeting was Anja Grabovica, the assistant in business incubator development activities, who presented IEC Tehnopolis, the business incubator, the events that are organized, as well as the most important projects implemented by our center.
The coordinating institution for the project is the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (TNU), and the total budget of the three-year project is EUR 985,755.00. Besides Tehnopolis, partners from Montenegro are also the University of Montenegro and the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro.
The main objective of the project is the establishment of centers for innovation and entrepreneurship at higher education institutions in Montenegro and Albania (at the University of Montenegro – Faculty of Maritime Studies Kotor, the University of Vlora and the University of Tirana). Also, with the support of partner institutions from Norway (NTNU), the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Split and the Technical University of Vilnius, universities in Montenegro and Albania will modernize the curricula of individual courses in basic and master study programs by incorporating the Innovation and Entrepreneurship component with an emphasis on individual categories in the blue economy. The realization of the project will strive to intensify the connection of students with the maritime economy in Montenegro and Albania, and beyond.
This will create a supportive environment for the development of innovation and entrepreneurship through the cooperation of relevant stakeholders, which will make universities in Montenegro and Albania recognized at the regional level.
