The SMART project supports partner HEIs from target countries, Albania, Bosnia&Herzegovina, and Montenegro, to transcend their role as knowledge providers and become active shapers of the regional innovation ecosystem cooperating with various stakeholders. The project aims at targeting the existing gap between HE outcomes and labour market demands by: •Addressing the challenges of HEIs in the field of smart specialisation and the related innovation & entrepreneurship competence development with the introduction of new smart specialisation-related learning modules and innovative teaching approaches into HEIs’ curricula, including online teaching, cross-curricular learning, and virtual mobility. •Supporting the professional development of HEIs academic staff in the field of innovation & entrepreneurship competence development for the requirements of smart specialisation along with hybrid & online teaching practices.•Setting up 7 SMART Innovation Centres at HEIs and integrating them into the existing HEI structure. •Facilitating sustainable cooperation between HEIs and the business sector through the SMART Knowledge Exchange Network.•Encouraging student and staff work placements and (virtual) mobility. During the project, 84 staff will be trained in the project topics, 14 of them will work in the newly established innovation centres along with 21 trained students from partner HEIs. The SMART Knowledge Exchange Network will offer ample opportunities for networking, training & counselling opportunities to multiple stakeholders of the regional innovation ecosystem. In addition, 210 ambassadors of smart specialisation will be trained, and 250+ new stakeholders will be reached through the Network undertakings during the project implementation, while SMART Innovation Centres aim at being fully operational and sustainable also after the project completion by offering counselling&training services in the smart specialisation area, especially to the business sector.

The Trans2Work project is designed as complementary with “Equal Access for All -Strengtheningthe Social Dimension for a Stronger European Higher Education Area” (EquiED)(http://www.equied.ni.ac.rs/en/) in SR and “Support and Inclusion of SwDs at Higher Education inMontenegro” (SINC@HE) (http://sinche.uom.gr/) in ME and “Equal Opportunities for StudentsWith Special Needs in Higher Education” (EQOPP) (http://www.eqopp.ba/) in BiH. The aforementioned projects have been designed to improve the equal access, inclusion and support of prospective and current students with disability (SwD) at HEIs in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Taken into consideration the specific objectives of these 3 projects, the proposed project is a follow up and complementary based on the assumption that SwD often experience limited access to and success within postsecondary and higher education programs which subsequently limits their employment. Thus, Trans2Work links the outcomes from the aforementioned projects and makes the next step by preparing SwD to meet the needs of the labor market after their graduation. This project proposal completely addresses regional priorities for JP in Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, concretely the priority “Developing the Higher Education sector within society at large, University-enterprise cooperation, entrepreneurship and employability of graduates”. All three partner countries (PC) have done a lot for persons with disability (PwD) on the legislative level. I.e. ratified UN Convention on the Rights of PwD and adopted laws such as the Law on Prevention of Discrimination Against PwD both providing framework for right to education and employment/work for PwD. Almost all universities at partner countries have career centers and for those that have not the already established centers for students with disability from aforementioned projects have been included within the Trans2Work project.The associations of individuals with disability and the employment agencies in three partnercountries are actively involved in supporting PwD to find an appropriate job and some, i.e. inSerbia, developed programs for employment of PwD and specialized services both for PwD andfor employers.Although there is a good background and some common good developed strategies there are a lotof differences that are making the mobility among partner countries not easy and in a lot of casesthe implementation of those policies are still inefficient and not practically linked. A review onreports and literature focusing on the transition from HE to work life in the 3 partner countries has showed a lack of research data and information. Generally employers are skeptical about thepossibility of hiring PwD since their concern relates to the ability of PwD to carry out theiremployment responsibilities. Important factor for positive change in the attitude of employers is the level of education of PwD. Furthermore gathering statistical information to build up a clear picture of the situation of PwD within the labor market is particularly difficult. This is due in part to the fact that partner countries do not carry out regular or consistent surveys on the employment situation of PwD at the HE level. Comparison of the situation at EU level is further complicated by the fact that each partner country has its own system for defining the population with disability. Aim of the project is to improve the quality and relevance of school to work transition of HE SwD in RS and ME and BiH. Main objectives are to (a) upgrade and prepare HEIs services to support SwD to their transition from HE to Work following the EU policies, (b) link HE to “disability friendly” work environments, (c) assimilate transition opportunities and skills with EU practices and policies and (d) to prepare employers on understanding the needs of employees with disabilities in order to offer new jobs.

Focus on refugee migration to Europe means a focus on a silent parallel emigration crisis - the “brain drain” from the Western Balkans – has lost momentum of solving the loss of able, highly educated individuals from our region in search of higher-paying jobs or and better working conditions elsewhere that has taking place since the 1990. BalVET-EWEC aims to keep talent home by addressing the need for young people to acquire new skills that will enable them to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Pilots establish living labs as VET capacity-building mechanisms, develop new curricula for skills development for learners ages 16-28, and create opportunities for synergies and cross-border collaboration. Actions VET educators as “paradigm shifter” learning facilitators to mentor learners with skills to respond to myriad jobs - both in conventional local markets and in remote work; entrepreneurship ed positions both VET systems and learners for the twin transitions, and Open Badges display capacity transparency of skills acquired during training. Via the Collaborative Leadership Process, EWEC also prepares a cross-section of sectors to respond to innovation and technology advancements that warrant the design of new products and services, create new jobs and careers and support social entrepreneurship to address social agendas. It reviews the “new normals” of workplace realities reshaped by social disruptors that, coupled with initiatives that promote digitalization, sustainability and the greening of society, present new opportunities for young people in our region to re-evaluate how, where and for whom they work, but are in need of new skillsets to face post-Covid careers. Mobility for both teachers and learners is a priority. Ultimately, a new generation of changemakers and problem-solvers is nurtured, able to address challenges with new skillsets, enter or progress in a variety of labor markets and contribute to the economic development of our region.

The 4th industrial revolution is unfolding worldwide, opening up new horizons driven by new-generation digital technologies. The digital revolution brings opportunities for big and small companies across Europe, but many of them, especially SMEs, still find it difficult to make the most out of it. This change of paradigm has a profound impact in economies and societies, transforming products, processes and business models in every industry, and thus, every region needs responds to the specific needs of their industry to go digital.Digital research centres and universities have a key leading role in digitization process of industries, strengthening cooperation with national economies, capable to provide expert knowledge and support to their local industries, as well as to help them to cooperate with innovators, investors and customers all across Europe and globally. However, collaboration and networking are also essential to ensure best practices can be exported to other regions, and missing expertise can be imported, ensuring an efficient innovation ecosystem. That is a reason why the project is focused to SUPPORT MODERNIZATION OF HEIs IN MONTENEGRO, TO ENHANCE THEIR COOPERATION WITH WIDER BUSINESSES IN ORDER TO MAXIMISE THE BENEFITS FROM DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN PRIORITY AREAS OF AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH WHILE ENSURING THAT STUDENTS GRADUATES, FUTURE EXPERTS AND THE WORKSFORCE ARE ADAPTING TO THE DIGITAL AREA. The project will results with MNE ACADEMIC DIH with two nodes: Digital Entrepreneurial Nest at UDG and Digital Support Centre at UCG; dealing with three sets of services: Digital Education; Digital Business Support and Innovation &Cooperation. Also, innovative teaching methods and practical training schemes will be integrated in innovative curricula, thus providing sustainable education meeting industry 4.0.

The main aim of the project is to improve Master Programme in Information Systems (MPIS) according to the needs of the modern society; to bring the universities closer to changes in global labour market and world education sphere; to enable them to stay responsive to employers’ needs; to give students an idea of various job profiles in the IS domain; to ensure employability throughout graduates’ professional and soft skills. Specific objectives of the project include improvement of Master Programme in IS according to the requirements of business; modernization of the current Degree Profile (DP) & curricula in IS. Degree Profile and Curricula revision will be implemented in accordance with the newest standards of Higher education and the compatibility with the National qualification frameworks; development of innovative academic environment for MPIS as a platform for training/retraining, PhD, LLL; provision/modernization of labs infrastructure for IS.MASTIS will enable the PC & EU Universities to modernize IS education based on the student-oriented principals, strong university-enterprise cooperation and modern approaches to the education. It will give the PC Universities an opportunity to prepare competitive specialists for Ukrainian, Montenegrin and global labour market.The following results of the project are considered major: MPIS Degree Profile & curriculum; teaching materials for MPIS; Degree Profile & curricula revision mechanism; joint Double Diploma Master programme; IT environment in PC HEIs; web portal for stakeholders; network of EU-PC universities & employers.In both partner countries and at the european level the impact of the project will take the form of university-enterprise networking. Both HEIs in general and business representatives will benefit from it because in global sense it will affect the development of national IT industry due to saturation of the labour market with quality IT professionals.