First SEA-EU International Week Held at the University of Split with Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme Halfway there? Reaching the Goal of 50% Mobility
From 5 to 9 May 2025, the University of Split hosted the first International SEA-EU Week, which also included an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) entitled “Halfway there? Reaching the Goal of 50% Mobility”. The event was organised by the Department for International Cooperation, the SEA-EU Office and the University Department of Professional Studies of the University of Split.
The majority of the program was held at the University Department of Professional Studies, bringing together 87 participants from 47 institutions from 27 countries in Europe and the world (Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Chile, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Georgia, Indonesia, Italy, Canada, Kosovo, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Poland, Portugal, USA, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine) to exchange experiences, explore best practices and strengthen partnerships in the field of international education and mobility.
The program began with welcoming speeches by Prof. Dr. Zoran Đogaš, Vice-Rector for International and Community Relations, and Dr. Petar Pepur, Head of the University Department of Professional Studies. One of the key moments was the presentation of the idea for a framework for measuring mobility, which would include both physical mobility and virtual exchanges. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Goran Ćorluka presented the SEA-EU Alliance’s joint undergraduate joint study programme in English in the field of sustainable blue economy (SeaBlue). Ana Ćosić, Head of the Department for International Cooperation, moderated a panel on trends in types of Erasmus+ student and staff mobility, with panelists Miriam Iglesias (University of Cádiz), Filipe Delaga (University of Algarve), Sandra Wiik (University of Nord), Sibylle Möbius (Technical University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim) and Federico Visbal Zuluaga (University of ESIC). The day ended with a short Croatian language course given by Zrinka Koludrović, mag. educ. philol. croat. et mag. educ. philol. angl., and a cultural tour of the city of Split.
Tuesday was dedicated to workshops aimed at promoting cooperation in an intercultural and inclusive environment. Parallel workshops on resilience at work were given by prof. dr. sc. Darko Hren and Antonia Peroš, mag. psych. This was followed by parallel workshops on the topic of intercultural communication (PhD Silvana Tokić), approaches to solving complex problems (Assoc. Prof. Senka Borovac Zekan), strategies for communication between generations (Mario Dadić, Mag. oec.) and the basics of artificial intelligence, including the use of ChatGPT (PhD Arijana Burazin Mišura). After the workshops, a session on inclusive communication was held, led by Prof. Viktorija Car, Ph.D., with the participation of students Marijeta Babik and Rita Ančić, and then Assoc. Prof. Ivana Jadrić presented socially useful learning through the activities of the Society Hub SEA-EU.
On Wednesday, St. Domnius Day was celebrated, during which the participants of the International Week had the opportunity to learn about the cultural and historical heritage and traditional customs of Split. Participation in the celebration of the City Day was organized, which concluded with a traditional tombola.
On Thursday, the program continued with the topics of institutional cooperation and exchange of good practices related to the organization of Erasmus+ combined intensive programs and international weeks. Ana Ćosić presented the practice of the University of Split regarding the guidelines for the organization of the aforementioned programs, while Prof. Dr. Sc. Nediljka Vukojević-Medvidović presented an example of good practice of the Faculty of Chemical Technology in Split in organizing the BIP “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through Chemistry, Chemical, and Food Technology” held from 7 to 11 April 2025. Interesting examples of practice were also presented by representatives of foreign universities: Miriam Iglesias (University of Cádiz), Prof. Edvardas Juchnevićius (University of Gdańsk), Prof. Anabela Fernandes Guedes (Viseu Polytechnic Institute), Francesca Mizzi Caruana (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology), E. Gisela Vidal Villasur (University of Florida in Valencia), Øystein Strømsnes (Nord University). The day concluded with a discussion on how much such initiatives contribute to achieving the ambitious goal of 50% student and staff mobility.
The final day was held at the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences (MediLS). Participants were given a link to the program evaluation and a discussion focused on future international activities. Certificates of participation were awarded, officially concluding the event.
In addition to the BIP, the International Week also offered a teaching activity in which 23 professors from 18 foreign institutions participated, teaching at 7 faculties of the University of Split (FESB, Faculty of Economics, University Department of Professional Studies, Faculty of Kinesiology, University Department of Health Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Academy of Arts).
The International Week in Split not only stimulated a significant dialogue on the challenges of mobility, but also contributed to intercultural understanding and inclusiveness with a rich program, further emphasizing the common ambition to strengthen the number, but also the quality of mobility at the global level.
Offering a diverse program through lectures, workshops and panels and taking into account the different profiles of participants (teaching and non-teaching staff), the event recorded a significant success, which was confirmed by the participant evaluation questionnaire. In addition, care was taken to balance the working part of the program and social/cultural content in order to provide sufficient opportunities for networking while at the same time getting to know local traditions and customs. The participation of colleagues from partner countries who had the opportunity to learn about internships at European universities brought exceptional added value to the event, thus achieving an impact in transferring knowledge and experience of the European educational area beyond the borders of the EU. As they themselves said, it was useful for colleagues from program countries to learn more about internships at institutions outside the EU. Numerous contacts were made that will certainly result in new collaborations through the Erasmus+ KA131 and KA171 programs, the synergy of which was strengthened precisely by the organization of this BIP and the International Week.