EXCHANGE OF TWO MILLION
DOCUMENTS BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES IN KOSOVO

SPARK has been working intensively with the academic community in Kosovo since 2000 in implementing various educational reform programmes. This work has centered on the public universities in Pristina and Mitrovica. The working relationship has made an important educational impact. Furthermore, it has enabled SPARK to negotiate the first ever documented large scale exchange of Albanian and Serbian students’ and professors’ documents. Due to the conflict, around 50,000-75,000 (former) students and professors lost access to academic records. For students these records are required to prove if exams have been completed and degrees obtained. For staff these records are required to be eligible for, inter alia, pensions. Furthermore, the documentation has an important emotional value. By the request of both universities and the finance of the Dutch, Austrian and Norwegian governments, SPARK is currently digitizing all documentation and making it available to all individuals involved.

BUSINESS START-UP CENTRES (BSCs)
Five Business Start-Up Centres in SEE help young entrepreneurs to develop their viaible business idea into reality and to expand an existing small business. The centres are governed by a coalition of representatives of the local Municipalities, Universities, Unemployment Agencies, Regional Chambers of Commerce, Business Alliances and Association of entrepreneurs. Among them, each year these centres support the establishment of 50 promising new businesses and help many existing enterprises expand. The centres support these small and medum enterprises through training, coaching, incubation space and soft loans. Existing businesses can receive assistance on obtaining quality standards (ISO, HACCP) and universities are assisted in tailoring their study programmes to meet labor market needs.
As many of Business Centres and Incubators were established in South East Europe, SPARK and the University of Tuzla took the initiative in late 2006 to launch a regional network that brings them all together. The network, which has much grown since its inception has been named “SENSI” after the Southeast European Network of Business Start-up Centers and Incubators.
By bringing together business promotion and incubation in Southeast Europe, its members improve their services to young entrepreneurs and start-ups by learning from each other. Recently the network adopted a statute and a board was formed, formalizing SENSI. More information at www.sensi.biz

Since 2005 SPARK regularly brings together key representatives of Ministries of Economic Affairs, Faculties of Economy; Chambers of Commerce and SME Agencies from Southeast Europe. In various private sector related activities, organized by the network members, these meet to discuss regional capacity in better fulfilling the mandate for private sector development. Concrete examples of activities are the organization of training in project cycle management, organization of the EU Day of the Entrepreneur, regional private sector internships for students etc.

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER UNIVERSITIES
IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPE

Approximately 1,000 students and academics from South-East Europe and countries around the world participated this summer in one of the three summer universities supported by SPARK in Ohrid, Mitrovica and Pristina. All events promoted the introduction of European standards in Higher Education and bring together academic communities from around the region. The two-week summer universities were organized by the local universities and student unions and provided 33 courses on topics including Law, Economics, Business Administration, Education Science and Teacher Training. Each course was taught by a (pro-bono) visiting professor from Europe or North America in co-operation with a professor from the participating faculties. In total approximately 35 years worth of European Study Credits were awarded to successful participants. During the weekend break, participants from Mitrovica and Pristina visited the Ohrid School. This exchange brought together participants from all three summer unive-rsities. A summer university established by the University of Tuzla and SPARK in 1996 celebrated its 13th anniversary this summer and continues to operate fully on its own.

SPARK
Linnaeusstraat 35
1093 EE
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
P: +31(0)20 5682088
F:+31(0)20 5682099
spark@spark-online.org
www.spark-online.org