How can universities turn ideas into successful European projects? The answer often lies in one essential skill: effective project management.
With this goal in mind, the University of Elbasan “Aleksandër Xhuvani” hosted, from 23 to 24 October 2025, the 2nd SuProM Project Management Training, welcoming over 70 participants — including administrative staff, academics, researchers, and students from Albanian institutions — for two intensive days of learning, exchange, and collaboration.
The training, part of the EU-funded SuProM project, aims to build sustainable project management capacity within Higher Education Institutions, empowering them to design, manage, and deliver impactful European projects.
From ideas to action: practical skills for managing EU projects
Participants had the opportunity to explore the different stages of the EU project life cycle through three complementary and highly practical sessions.
The University of Palermo led a session on how to embed sustainability and impact into project development, providing tools to make initiatives more lasting and relevant for local communities. CESIE ETS offered an overview of the key principles and operational tools for preparing successful proposals within EU programmes. Finally, the University of Ljubljana conducted an interactive workshop on project roles, processes, and delivery, helping participants better understand collaboration and coordination dynamics within international consortia.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Dr. Elvira Fetahu, Rector of the University of Elbasan, and Mr. Miha Pezelj, Team Leader at the EU Delegation to Albania, both of whom underlined the importance of strengthening Higher Education Institutions through initiatives like SuProM.
Experts from the University of Ljubljana, the District Council of Elbasan, the Municipality of Elbasan, and the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation (NASRI) further enriched the discussions, focusing on sustainable regional development and university–municipality cooperation.
This was the second SuProM training, following the first session in Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in September 2025. The series will continue in Mostar in early 2026.
Strengthening collaboration across the consortium
Just a day earlier, on 22 October 2025, SuProM partners met at the University of Elbasan for the project’s 2nd Consortium Meeting.
The meeting focused on reviewing progress, finalising the details of the Elbasan training, and planning the next phase of activities.
Partners discussed how to strengthen project management education in Albanian and Bosnian universities through the development of new academic courses.
The consortium also agreed to reinforce communication and dissemination efforts, recognising that visibility and sharing of best practices are key to expanding the project’s impact beyond its duration.
A growing community of practice
The SuProM journey continues — one training, one collaboration, and one idea at a time — helping universities across the Western Balkans and the EU develop the skills to manage change, build partnerships, and create impact through European projects.
About SuProM
SuProM – Sustainability project management in Balkan HEIs is funded by Erasmus+ KA2 – Capacity building in the field of higher education (2021-2027).
Partners
- University of Ljubljana (Slovenia, coordinator)
- Università degli Studi di Palermo (Italy)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- UNIMED (Italy)
- Aleksandër Xhuvani University of Elbasan (Albania)
- Ismail Qemali University of Vlorë (Albania)
- “Fan S. Noli” University (Albania)
- University of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- University of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
For further information
Read more on the project fact sheet.
Contact Caterina Impastato, caterina.impastato@cesie.org.
