The German federal state of Baden-Württemberg delegation visited the University of Sarajevo

The delegation of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg, led by Ms. Petra Olschowski, State Secretary for Science, Research and Art, visited the University of Sarajevo on Friday, 20 April 2018. The delegation met with Rector, Prof. Dr. Rifat Škrijelj, Vice-Rectors, organizational units and the Center for construction and maintenance of the campus representatives. The German delegation consisted of Rectors, Presidents and universities officials, academies, museums and other Baden-Württemberg institutions representatives.
The visit is organized with the aim of gaining insight into the cultural, economic and higher education sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and improving the existing cooperation.

“Your visit occurs at the moment when the University of Sarajevo enters in the process of reformation and full integration in full swing.  It is about circumstances that are filled with challenges, but also with numerous opportunities. Our intention is, as the leadership of the University, to respond t and face challenges by building our academic and organizational capacities, but also to take full advantage of the opportunities that the reform process gives“ said Rector Škrijelj at the meeting organized at the Campus of the University of Sarajevo. He also said that the Campus space represented an exceptional challenge in terms of its daily maintenance and gradual transformation into the urban space of academic infrastructure.
“We deem the Campus and its future as a permanent motivation source for all the efforts we invest in the construction of the University of Sarajevo. In our vision, Campus is the space for a unique social and academic infrastructure blend in whose development, construction and operation we will practically apply the latest scientific and technological achievements, as well as good practices from the region and the world” stressed Rector Škrijelj.

Ms. Petra Olschowski, speaking about the cooperation so far, recalled the project on the Sarajevo Campus “The Power of Open Space”, which included four Universities from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany, and a workshop was held in 2017, which brought together 60 students and teachers.

“The Power of Open Space” is an impressive example of transnational cooperation in science and research” stressed Ms. Olschowski, adding that continuity in cooperation is very significant. She also stated that the overall goal of the delegation from the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg is to expand partnerships in the economy, science and culture, and to find new ways to work together in the future.

The meeting ended with the presentation “Past, Present and Future Campus of the University of Sarajevo” and presentation of the results from the “The Power of Open Space” project.