The launching meeting of the project "Increasing research capacities in Kosovo - Nanoparticles in the Environment and Medical Research - NanoKos" was held today at the Faculty of Medicine. This project is financed by the European Union in the amount of 1 million euros. UP, in the project coordinated by Professor Armond Daci, is a joint partner with the King's College in London (leader), the University of Milan, and the University of Parma.
During this meeting, the general aspects of the project were presented, including its goals, partners' perspectives, and approaches to its implementation.
Rector Qerim Qerimi opened the meeting, welcoming the attendees. "UP will benefit a lot from this project, which aims to increase research capacities, provide a modern environment and equipment for research, facilitate the exchange of students and staff, for joint training, provide grants for performance and other forms of support," said the rector. He added that UP has recently raised the fund to support scientific research and is working with full dedication in simulating young people for research, also offering scholarships for doctoral students and raising the capacities of laboratories.
The dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Suzana Manxhuka-Kerliu, also spoke about the importance of this project and emphasized that this faculty is one of the most attractive academic units for young people. "This project also helps us achieve the main objectives of our faculty, which, among others, are: internationalization and the development of research capacities, thus remaining as a point of reference for excellence, high quality of studies, and clinical practice, she said.'
The representatives of the institutions also expressed their support for the project. The Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, said that the ministry he represents is extremely interested in contributing to the development of capacities in the field of nanoparticles so that this reflects in an overall improvement of the situation in the environment. The importance of this project and the support in its implementation was emphasized by the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Edona Maloku-Berdyna, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Diaspora, Mrs. Liza Gashi.
The ambassador of Italy in Kosovo, His Excellency Antonello de Riu, and the head of the sector for cooperation from the EU office in Kosovo, Johannes Madsen, also addressed the importance of this project.
Meanwhile, the team of project coordinators from the partner universities, consisting of Driton Vllasaliu, from the King's College in London, Guissepe Danilo Norata and Giagiacomo Beretta from the University of Milan, Michele Miragoli from the University of Parma and Armond Daci from the University of Prishtina, presented the project in front of the attendees. They emphasized that this project is expected to raise the laboratory research skills of Kosovar researchers, increase the number of partnerships with European universities, advance the managerial and administrative skills of the UP staff, build modern infrastructure for research, and involve students and all study levels in research.
After this meeting, a workshop was held with professors and students, during which the calls and opportunities within the project were presented in more detail.