Erasmus policy statement

The main goal of the Novi Sad School of Business (NSSB) is to become regionally and internationally recognised institution in educating professionals in the business economics ready to respond to the challenges of modern society and contemporary business environment. This goal is realised by equipping the students with knowledge and skills that are in line with the current needs of the national and international business environment and the labour market. The NSSB has constant, efficient interaction with the social and business environment. It operates according to the market principles of attractiveness and competitiveness and continuously works on improving the conditions for work and study. Other main goals of NSSB are to raise quality through the development and improvement of study programmes following contemporary knowledge trends, European standards and the latest achievements in teaching and science, and through cooperation and exchange of best practices with institutions and organisations in Europe and the rest of the world.

The participation of NSSB in the new Erasmus programme would contribute to the achievement of the goals defined by its internationalisation strategy (link to the strategy: https://www.vps.ns.ac.rs/en/international-affairs/internationalization-strategy/), which, above all, relate to the mobility of students and staff, development of innovative educational programmes and improving existing business practices and processes. Also, the aim is to improve the knowledge, skills and experiences of students and staff by establishing cooperation with higher education institutions, business organisations and international scientific and professional organisations in the region and Europe. The intention is to contribute to the creation of a single European learning environment, to the promotion and reinforcement of European identity within the national framework, as well as to the understanding and acceptance of European cultural heritage and its diversity by applying European standards.

By participating in the above-mentioned activities of the Erasmus programme, NSSB will encourage the realisation of the goals of internationalisation, through the implementation of international and intercultural elements in the teaching process. These processes will enable the inclusion of NSSB in regional and European trends in the field of science, higher education and knowledge transfer. The benefits of the internationalisation process will be obtained through the recognition and voluntary acceptance of values, standards and achievements of foreign institutions on the one hand, and through the presentation of its own system of values and results in various fields to be recognised and accepted worldwide through cooperation with European partners, on the other.

The activities in which the Novi Sad School of Business (NSSB) would like to participate in the new Erasmus programme are in line with its internationalisation strategy, its capacities and resources. With this in mind, NSSB will primarily focus on the following activities:

• Erasmus + Key Action 1 (KA1) – Learning mobility, and
• Erasmus + Key Action 2 (KA2) – Cooperation among organizations and institutions.

The primary activity of NSSB within the Erasmus programme will be the implementation of student and staff mobility programmes with the aim of transferring knowledge, gaining international experience, developing professional competencies, promoting and implementing them. The operational implementation of the mobility programme is the responsibility of the NSSB Office for International Cooperation and Projects , which is in charge of announcing calls for application, selecting candidates, providing support to selected candidates in making travel arrangements (accommodation, visas, insurance and other relevant issues), as well as offering support in assessing the level of personal and professional development achieved during the mobility period. The Office for International Cooperation and Projects of the School is also in charge of preparation and implementation of all the activities related to incoming mobility defined by the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

By participating in KA2 projects, NSSB wishes to encourage modernisation through the development of study programmes, improvement of business practices and processes and the achievement of various forms of cooperation with the higher education sector and society as a whole. Providing institutional support in the preparation and implementation of this part of the programme is the responsibility of the Office for International Cooperation and Projects of the School. As regards the development of study programmes, the priority will be the improvement of the existing, and the development of new curricula, as well as the development and implementation of joint study programmes within strategic partnerships. Concerning the improvement of the business practices and management processes, the intention is to support the development of the effective and efficient administrative processes, as well as the development of centres for providing various types of support to students and employees. Furthermore, through the implementation of KA2 activities, the aim is to contribute to national and regional development by transferring the best European practices in interaction with the education sector and the wider community.

The efficiency of the implementation of Erasmus programme activities, as one of the priorities of the NSSB, aims to make the process of preparation and implementation of all segments of the programme as simple and as efficient as possible with an emphasis on simplifying administrative processes related to student mobility. In this regard, NSSB will support the initiative to introduce a European Student Card (ESC) according to the dynamics proposed by the European Commission. Our Institution intends to ensure all technical and other capacities for full online management of inter-institutional agreements and learning agreements during the year 2021. In addition, during 2022, the NSSB will focus on sending and receiving student nominations and acceptances, and during 2023 on exchanging transcripts of records related to student mobility. During this period, the technical and other necessary capacities will be continuously improved with the aim of extending the ESC initiative to other parts of the Erasmus programme.

By implementing the mobility programme, students will improve their knowledge, skills and competencies through studying and doing internships, and staff through the processes of teaching and professional development, and thus get closer to European standards while modernising the educational process as a whole. The participation of NSSB in other above-mentioned activities of the Erasmus programme, through the development of inter-institutional cooperation and international strategic partnerships with educational institutions and businesses, will ensure the inclusion of NSSB in regional, European and global trends in science, higher education and knowledge transfer. That will help our Institution to achieve its internationalisation goals, to become regionally and internationally recognisable higher education institution for quality and attractiveness of given knowledge and skills in the field of business economics.

Through participation in the Erasmus programme the Novi Sad School of Business (NSSB) expects to encourage the modernisation of study programmes and business practices and contribute to strengthening the European identity and to creating a European learning environment by intensifying the process of implementation of international and intercultural elements in teaching and cooperation projects.

The implementation of student  / staff mobility programmes will encourage and improve the processes of integration of NSSB into the European educational system, contribute to the convergence of European and Serbian educational practice, as well as the promotion of European knowledge within the institution and the wider community. In this context, NSSB will provide strong support to all beneficiaries of mobility programmes in the dissemination of their international experience to encourage as many students / staff as possible to participate in mobility programmes, and understanding and accepting the European cultural heritage. The impact of mobility programmes on achieving internationalisation goals will be evaluated through monitoring the number of signed bilateral and inter-institutional agreements, the number of mobility and other Erasmus project activities undertaken, the number of registered candidates for mobility and participation in other Erasmus projects, as well as through the monitoring of geographical dispersion, language competencies of students / staff and the dynamics of the increasing of the number of courses available in English and other foreign European languages. Having in mind the resources and capacities of NSSB, in the first phase of the programme the focus will be on strengthening regional cooperation through the implementation of mobility with European countries from the immediate environment, while in the second part of the programme the focus will be on mobility with highly developed European countries. By the end of the new Erasmus programme in 2027, it is expected that 10% of the total number of newly enrolled students will participate in a mobility programme (studying, internships, blended learning). Also, it is expected that 15% of the total number of teaching staff (cumulatively observed) will participate in some kind of mobility programme through teaching or other professional development activities, and 10% of the total number of non-teaching staff (cumulatively observed) will participate in the mobility programme designed for professional training.

The realisation of KA2 projects will contribute to the modernisation of NSSB through the development of study programmes, improvement of business processes and the realisation of various forms of cooperation with the higher education sector and society as a whole. In the first phase of the programme, NSSB will focus on joint projects to improve existing and develop new curricula and on capacity building projects, while in the second part of the programme the emphasis will be on the development of joint programmes within strategic partnership framework and on cooperation with business and other relevant entities in order to encourage cross-sector cooperation and regional development. Achieving the goals of internationalisation through the implementation of KA2 programmes will be monitored through the evaluation of the quality of the study programmes and the educational process as well as through monitoring the scope and quality of cooperation with national and foreign educational and other relevant institutions.

NSSB is ready to provide strong institutional support to all participants in the Erasmus programme in order to encourage the sustainability and long-term impact of implemented projects. In this regard, NSSB will enable all users of mobility programmes to promote and apply the acquired knowledge and experience at all levels: students within student organisations at the level of the School and the wider community; staff within teams for the development of study programmes, through educational process and cooperation with enterprises. Furthermore, the results of the implementation of the Erasmus programme, as well as all other activities and events will be promoted on the School’s website, social networks (Facebook, Instagram), and at all events organised solely or partly by NSSB.