International Mobility for Albanian Teachers to the CIHEAM-IAMM, 15 to 30 June 2019
In the framework of the SmartAL project, the CIHEAM-IAMM welcomed from 15 to 30 June 2019 Prof. Asoc. Dr. Remzi KECO, Vice-rector of the Agricultural University of Tirana, Prof. Asoc. Dr. Fatmir GURI, Lecturer at the Agricultural University of Tirana, and Dr Elena KOKTHI, teacher and researcher at the European University of Tirana. They worked together with the French team –in pairs with Tahani Abdelhakim PhD, Mélanie Requier Desjardins PhD and Philippe Le Grusse PhD, lecturers at the CIHEAM-IAMM– to develop the curricula of the future SmartAL Master. The issues addressed were the Institutions and actors in territory, the natural resources and environmental management and the project design.
Dr Elena Kokthi, European University of Tirana, was the first Albanian lecturer-researcher to experiment the pairing in a European university, in September 2018. She stayed for a month at the Centre International de HUBTes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes-Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CIHEAMIAMM), where she worked with Dr Tahani Abdelhakim on the design of the module dedicated to “Territory actors and institutions”. The definition of the module perimeter, course attendance and literature review were some of the activities undertaken in the framework of this mobility. A draft module was prepared and discussed in several pair meetings.
The year 2019 is strongly marked by the work in pairs of Albanian and European universities lecturers for the construction of the 9 modules of the SmartAL master. International Mobility for Albanian Teachers from the University Fan S. Noli Korçë (UNKO) and the Agricultural University of Tirana (UBT) to the University of Hohenheim (UHOH) Dr Dorjan Marku (University Fan S. Noli Korçë) and Prof. Asoc. Dr. Ilir Kapaj (Agricultural University of Tirana) were hosted by the University of Hohenheim in the framework of the international mobilities of the SmartAL project. They worked with Prof. Reiner Doluschitz to the development of the module “Instruments and policy evaluation methods”.
On the occasion of the First Steering Committee of the SmartAL project, the CIHEAM-IAMM, in collaboration with the UBT, organized a High-Level Segment in Tirana. A large panel of stakeholders attended and debated on the optimization of the sustainable development of agricultural territories in Albania: among them, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration, the Erasmus+ Agency in Albania, the DG Agri of the European Union, the Regional Environmental Center but also the Ambassadors of France, the Ambassadors of Greece and the Ambassador of Germany. They highlighted the interest and the necessity of such a project for the strengthening of the employability of young people which would benefit to rural areas in Albania. They also stressed the importance of the collaboration of EU countries with Albania in this context. A wide range of institutional, but also private stakeholders such as the Union of Agro Business, Krop Agricultural Consulting, Geotechniki Aigaiou emphasized the fact that the creation of such a training offer was totally coherent and fitted their needs in terms of skills as future employers. In addition to a continuous dissemination through social networks and the production of a video for the project’s website, the event was covered throughout its duration by the first Albanian channel, offering a great visibility to the project.
The 1st Steering Committee of the SmartAL project was co-organised by the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies-Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM) –as the Coordinator– and the Agricultural University of Tirana (UBT) –as a member of the Project Consortium–, on 22 & 23 October 2018. On 22 October, Magali Maire, SmartAL Project Coordinator, CIHEAM-IAMM representative, after the welcome of the consortium members, thanked them for their high involvement and commitment in the project. The members of the Steering Committee, after a presentation of the Quality Plan submitted by Dr Fatmir Guri of the UBT and Pr Pascal Chevalier of the University Paul Valéry Montpellier (UPV), in collaboration with the CIHEAMIAMM, validated it as a structural framework of the project. The Communication Plan and communications tools were then presented by Dr Ketrina Çabiri Mijo, European University of Tirana (UET), as the leader of the Communication Work Package, and validated by the Steering Committee. Finally, a reminder of the financial rules related to the Management of Capacity Building Projects as well as a financial statement of the project to date, were provided by the Coordinator. On 23 October, a reminder of the 2018-2019 Work Plan was provided by the CIHEAM-IAMM and the objectives of the mobilities of Albanian & EU teachers were detailed. Dr Elena Kokthi, Teacher and Researcher at the UET, presented her first experience of the mobility at the CIHEAM-IAMM and pairing of teachers with Dr Tahani Abdelhakim of the CIHEAM-IAMM, and the starting of a Master module design. The pairing of Albanian / EU teachers was set up, and discussions on the design of modules’ methodology were held among partners: the UBT, the UET and the University Fan S. Noli of Korçë (UNKO), as the Albanian higher education institutions of the Consortium; the University of Hohenheim (Germany), the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (Greece), the University Paul Valéry Montpellier (France) and the CIHEAM-IAMM (France) being the European ones.
The SMARTAL project was promoted in the Projects' Fair, organized at the European University of Tirana. On Erasmus Days 2021, several promotional materials of the project were made available to the participants.
On the occasion of the Final Steering Committee of the SmartAL project, the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies-Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM), Coordinator, in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Tirana
