Advancing Mental Health and Innovation in Western Balkans Higher Education Through Digital Transformation

During 8 and 9 December 2025, RIT Kosovo, hosted a hybrid Kickoff Meeting of the Erasmus+ CBHE Project WE-MIND: Advancing Mental Health and Innovation in Western Balkans Higher Education Through Digital Transformation. Representatives from the project’s partner institutions such as the Medical University of Vienna (MUW), Polytechnic of Porto (P. Porto), Institute for Research and Innovation in Life and Health Sciences of Central Catalonia (IRIS-CC), Sarajevo School of Science and Technology (SSST), University of Sarajevo (UNSA), and the International Business College of Mitrovica (IBCM) came together to begin work on advancing mental health literacy, digital transformation, and human capital development in higher education across the Western Balkans. 

The first day of the kickoff meeting opened with official greetings and welcome remarks by RIT Kosovo Interim President Michael Hess, RIT Kosovo Dean of Faculty Albina Balidemaj Basha, and Project Officer Dimitrios Moschos from the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), who joined online from Brussels to share important guidance on expectations for reporting, deadlines and the project visibility. 

The first day of the kickoff meeting focused on project milestones and deliverables, partnership agreements, clarifying roles and responsibilities for everyone to meet the set deadlines in the Grant Agreement. The day concluded with a city walk, sightseeing and informal networking at a local café, strengthening personal and professional connections within the consortium. 

The second day focused on project management and coordination, outlining financial and coordination procedures. This was followed by the first Project Management Committee meeting, attended by project managers from each partner institution, where governance structures and reporting protocols were confirmed.

In the afternoon, partners were divided into three hybrid groups, initiating discussions and coordination to accomplish the most urgent milestones and deliverables. The meeting closed with a joint session on next steps, aligning immediate priorities of the project and giving all partners clear short-term timelines. The day ended with a gathering at a restaurant in Prishtina for another round of socializing.
 

As a coordinating institution, RIT Kosovo is proud that WE-MIND is one of the five Erasmus+ CBHE projects funded by EACEA this year in Kosovo. This represents a major milestone for both our institution and the country, highlighting RIT Kosovo’s growing regional and global academic impact. A huge thank you to our partners for their collaboration, dedication, and the expertise that they bring to this project. 

  Disclaimer: Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.