Partner Description: Mugla Sıtkı Koçman University (MSKU), founded in 1992 as Mugla University, is a comprehensive and progressive state university situated in Mugla Metropolitan City Area (Aegean Region of Turkey). Since its establishment, MSKU has been in pursuit of quality higher education and research in order to contribute to the sociocultural, scientific, and technological development of Turkey. Currently, MSKU includes 21 faculties, 4 Graduate Schools and 13 vocational schools located in the city center and also in different districts. The university services over 44500 students and employs over 1500 full time academic staff. Students of MSKU receive education and training through modern curriculums in compliance with ECTS, from a young and dynamic team of academics mostly with international backgrounds and approaches. Regional, national, and international research projects are conducted in which students can participate and gain professional and scientific experiences. MSKU participates in EU Programmes as well as other global partnerships and exchange programmes and hosts about 1200 International students from over 60 different countries. MSKU is one of the most important shareholders of the region in terms of producing and spreading the knowledge for both public and private sector. By this memorandum it is emphasized that university- industry relationship as a part of Public-Private Partnership are at the forefront of the university and other shareholders. MSKU always emphasized the importance of this kind of relations for regional development and by the regional SMEs, they are working to transform the values of our region into projects that can be branded. High qualified academic Staff from Fisheries, Science (Biology Department) and Management Faculties as well as Members of the MSKU Project Office will be involved in the project. The staff have all the qualities and skills to coordinate the Project Consortium to achieve the Project goals in the best way.

Partner Description: The University of Palermo (UNIPA) is a consolidated cultural, scientific and teaching presence in central-western Sicily. With 16 Departments, UNIPA covers the most important domains of contemporary scientific and technological knowledge. About 122 courses (first and second cycle) are yearly offered as well as 44 Master and specialization and 23 PhD courses, targeted to the training of specific professional figures, often in cooperation with external institutions and companies - a galaxy which attracted about 10,000 first-year students for academic year. Researchers at UNIPA study every day to find new solutions to the questions posed by nature, science and society. Laboratories are open to the local community, and this represents the first step of collaboration between researchers in the academic world and in the business world taken, basic and applied research is carried out, and young brains are given the chance to turn their intuitions to good account. Successful technological transfer implies the full synergy of innovative technologies, scientific expertise, production systems and processes. Actually, it is necessary to implement a full-fledged system including the “know-how”, production processes, goods, services and organizational and operational skills. The UNIPA Department of Earth and Marine Science (DISTEM) will represent UNIPA in the RiskMan Project and thanks to the large expertise of UNIPA in general and experimental ecology, marine biology, ecology of invasive species, it will be able to cover most of the topics proposed in this project.

Role in The Project: University of Palermo (UNIPA) will be represented by Department of Earth and Marine Science (DISTEM) in the RiskMan Project and thanks to the large expertise of UNIPA in general and experimental ecology, marine biology, ecology of invasive species, it will be able to cover most of the topics proposed in this project. More specifically, UNIPA will lead the WP3 Development - Implementation of Risk Management Model for Western Balkans and will be involved in all the other WP.

Partner Description : The HIO has been established in 1935, thus being the oldest scientific institution in North Macedonia. It is a public institution of a national interest licensed to monitor all three natural lakes in the country as well as other water bodies.  In 2005 the Institute has been accredited for postgraduate studies (according to the Bologna Convention) in the frame of the University St. Kliment Ohridski in Bitola. More than 50 Agreements of collaboration with scientific institutions worldwide have been signed and implemented and more than 1000 sci. publications have been published. The Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid is a public, governmental Institution, thus, it is fully financed by the Government through the Ministry of Science and Education. Besides, the institute is financed through commissions received for providing different competent services (monitoring, analysis) provided to public and private organizations. Finally, the institute is also financed through overhead revenues from international projects. At present HIO employs a total of 30 employees, whereby 16 are scientists and the rest include supporting and administrative staff.

Role in The Project: Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid will be a Programme Country Institution in the RiskMan Project. The role of the institution will be to support the Partner Countries of Western Balkan in completion of activities in the field of monitoring and research and also the public education during and also after the Project. In details, the support of the Staff of Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid will focus on assistance in the development of a Strategy and Plan for monitoring of NN and invasive species in Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa (shared with the Partner Countries). Moreover, they will assist the other Partner Countries through the organization of workshops for citizens, education and training of teachers, operators of fish farm, representatives of municipalities, ministries and other national and local institutions in Balkan Countries. They will be involved in all the WPs.

Partner Description : EKOMENLOG Ohrid has been established in 2015. Although it is considered as still young CSO, the association has been founded by people who are professionals in the environmental field for almost two decades and in the field of ecosystem services for five years. The idea behind the establishment of this Association has been to assist local and central government in proper registration of environmental issues and to provide support, cooperation and initiatives for finding out solutions for the respective problems and issues. The mission of the association is: “initiating of commitment and public awareness for the fight for the protection of the environment from natural and anthropogenic pollutants, through individual and collective change of humans` awareness and information of the population through continued monitoring and management of the issues in the environmental field. We believe that every individual has the right of healthy and clean environment, while our ultimate goal is exactly that - enabling of healthy and clean environment for us and for future generations.”. 

Role in The Project: The Association of Ecology, Ekomenlog Ohrid will be involved in all the WPs as a Programme Country Institution in the RiskMan Project. Their specific role will be to support the Partner Countries of Western Balkan in the capacity building project for establishment of a Citizen science network for monitoring and collection of data and for improving the possibilities for public awareness increase of the general public, higher education students and the operators of fish farms in the Balkan region. Moreover, they will have a crucial role in the implementation of the online platform summarizing the status of NN species occurrence on Partner Countries. This platform will be one of the outcomes of the project and will be accessible both to stakeholders and the public participation. The platform will be further updated with the results of the following steps and it will be open access.

Partner Description: The University of Zagreb (UNIZG) is the flagship educational institution in the country with 31 faculties, 3 art academies and various university centres and departments. As a comprehensive public Central European university, UNIZG offers education programmes in all scientific fields (arts, biomedicine, biotechnology, engineering, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences) and a broad spectrum of courses at all study levels, from undergraduate to postgraduate for more than 70,000 students. The University excels not only in teaching, but also in research, contributing with over 50 percent to the annual research output of Croatia. Being one of the constituent units of UNIZG, the Faculty of Agriculture (FAZ) is participating within the project proposal as Programme Country organisation. FAZ founded in 1919, is the oldest and the leading institution of higher education in the field of agriculture in Croatia, occupying an important position within the country's educational, scientific and research system. The FAZ organization is based on 28 departments with 457 members of the staff and 7 experimental stations. The FAZ teachers and researchers are involved in implementation of basic, development and applied research projects, and actively participating in professional collaboration. Prolific professional collaboration has been established with different clients (institutions, state administration, business sector), and the FAZ researchers have participated in international development and applied research projects. Academic staff at the Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife management and special Zoology is involved in teaching marine and freshwater Aquaculture, Biodiversity, basic zoology, aquatic ecology and Ichthyology mainly related to marine and freshwater invasions. Also, several projects related to freshwater invasions are currently on going.

Role in The Project: UNIZG will participate within the Project Proposal as Programme Country organisation represented by Faculty of Agriculture (FAZ). UNIZG will lead the WP1- Preparation, Reviewing and Analysing Existing European practices and will be involved in all the WPs. UNIZG will collaborate with all Partner institutions, the Consortium and all the stakeholders through workshops, seminars and meetings.

Partner Description: The general mission of this Albanian Center (acronym: ACEPSD) is represented by finding solutions for biodiversity conservation and harmonizing the life protection to the sustainable socio-economic development of the Albanian rural and urban communities. Goals:1. Minimizing and reducing the effects of industrialization in rivers, lakes, lagoons and seas (like hydrocarbon, marine and river litters etc.); 2. Protecting the endangered species in rivers, lakes and seas (fish, mammals, reptiles etc.) and pushing the aquaculture and fisheries activities on the sustainable direction; 3. Strengthening the protection of the endangered habitats by building partnerships with local and governmental authorities, and international organizations, sensitizing the nearby present communities and strict monitoring of protected areas on land and seas; 4. Boosting the economic and social development in rural and urban areas through the implementation of initiatives related to vocational training, environment protection, small scale agriculture, artisanal fisheries and sustainable aquaculture in a healthy environment; 5. Supporting the scientific research on important environmental issues, which are related to climatic changes, agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and environmental sciences.

Role in The Project: As a Partner Country Institution, the role of ACEPSD on RiskMan Project will be to collaborate with the other Partner and Programme organizations toward the implementation of the Project. Specifically, ACEPSD will lead WP2 (Preparation- Identify the current status of NN species in Western Balkan) assisted by AUT and ALB-ADRIATICO. ACEPSD will also have a crucial role in the organization of the workshop and meetings with related stakeholders (fishers, aquaculture employees, representatives of public and private institutions) in Albania for discussion and communication of the findings and possible development of actions which would result in enhancement of the state; and dissemination of the Project results.

Partner Description : “Alb-Adriatico2013” ltd was founded in 18.04.2013. Its activity is based on growing and selling fresh fish of aquaculture, represented mainly by sea bream and sea bass. Since the beginning of the company, it has improved and transformed into one of the biggest aquaculture companies in Albania. Furthermore, all the activities performed in this company are in accordance with all the updated European standards, both in the sea and in land. Our staff members have many years of experience in the field of fish farming and marketing, and they are highly qualified based on all aspects of the work. We have implemented all the necessary new technologies in order to maximize the quality of our fish, and at the same time to minimize the impact on the environment Our farm is located in the bay of Vlora, on the peninsula of Karaburun, only 3 km north to the ancient town of Orik. The location is one of the best in the Albanian cost. Due to the vast area of the bay, the conditions are similar to the open sea with excellent parameters – high oxygen levels and ideal temperatures, alongside the protection provided by the bay and keeping the cages and the fish safe.

Role in The Project: The staff of the Partner Country Institution Alb-Adriatico 2013 will be involved in all the activities of the Project. Together with the Associate partners Hatko and Halder, they will represent the fisheries/aquaculture sector working together to the NGOs and academic world toward the implementation of a Management Plan in accordance with the need of the sector. They will assist the AUT on data providing related to aquaculture and the interactions with the NN species during the WP2 by installing all the monitoring equipment close the farm to collect data to find correlations between climate change and the abundance/presence of NN aquatic species. They staff of Alb-Adriatico 2013 will collaborate to the workshops organizations the divers and technicians will assist the AUT and ACEPSE during WP4 (Development) providing all the specimens during the training workshops and research purposes by doing all the relative analyses in the laboratory of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries.

Partner Description: Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT) was founded in 1951. AUT is the unique centre for undergraduate and graduate studies, scientific research, training and extension in the area of agriculture, food and environment. AUT is among the largest sector academic institutions in Albania - it includes 310 academic staff. Currently, the number of enrolled students is about 15,000. AUT offers research and education at various levels: Bachelor, Master and PhD in various fields like animal production; horticulture; aquaculture and fisheries; environment sciences; integrated rural development; marketing; finance etc – which are the main focus fields for the development in Albania as well as for the western Balkans. AUT offers a wide range of services through its numerous offices and other support units including the Office for Studies and Students, University Library, Experimental and Didactic Economy, Aquaculture and Didactic Economy Lab in Tapiza, the Plant Protection Lab, Institute for Plant Genetic Resources, the Food Research Centre, the Wood Processing Workshop, University’s Veterinary Clinic and Botanical Garden. AUT is increasingly considered as a leading academic and research institution including rural development in Western Balkans – training scholars and experts from the region, eg. Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro as well as collaborating with other neighbouring countries, thanks to the immense support provided by the EU, German government or USAID funded projects. AUT has signed many bilateral agreements with partner institutions involved also in Erasmus+ Programmes (KA1). As the number of students and graduates has increased, one of the priorities is building stronger bridges with the labour market.

Role in The Project : Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT) will be a Partner Country Institution within the RiskMan Project. AUT’ staff, with their competences and experience, will greatly contribute to the development of new optional courses with applying the best practices from EU existing programs (WP4 – Development- Reforming of the Current Curriculum). The involved academic staff will actively participate in all WPs and co-lead the WP2 (Preparation “Identify the current status of NN species in the Western Balkan”) together with ACEPSD giving their professional contribution during entire project lifetime. All available data from Albania regarding NN species distribution and appearance will be provided for database and Risk management model preparation. At the same time AUT will assist in the region for representatives of municipalities, ministries and other national and local institutions.

Partner Description: The University of Sarajevo is a sizeable and complex organisation carrying out the noble mission ofeducating able, creative and internationally competent staff in all areas of interest for Bosnia and Herzegovina through teaching and research. Staff are expected to address the challenges of modern economy in the European and global political, economic, social and cultural context. The University is committed to remain an autonomous academic community of teachers, researchers, artists and students incorporated into the international university and academic community and trends. The University continually invests efforts in strengthening its role as a responsible institution within its social community, and to ensure the role of the recognizable centre for scientific and artistic work, bringing together teams of domestic and international experts and artists around projects relevant to the domestic, regional, and wider social context and environment. The organization and activities of the University of Sarajevo, as a public higher education institution in the Sarajevo Canton, are prescribed by the Framework Law on Higher Education of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Law on Higher Education in the Sarajevo Canton and the University’s Statute. The University of Sarajevo is comprised of twenty-five Faculties, three Academies and five research Institutes with the status of full members, internally organized within six Science/Arts Groups from the fields of: Social sciences, Humanities, Medical sciences, Natural, mathematical and bio-technical sciences, Technical Sciences, and Arts.

Role in The Project: The University of Sarajevo (UNISA) will be a Partner Country Institution within the RiskMan Project. UNISA will be represented by the Ichthyology and Fishing Center and the Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. UNISA will lead the WP6 Quality plan and will participate in all the activities planned within the Project. UNISA will also have a crucial role in the organization of the workshop and meetings with related stakeholders (fishers, aquaculture employees, representatives of public and private institutions) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All available data from Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding NN species distribution and appearance will be provided for the organization of database and platform (WP2) and the implementation of the Risk management model (WP3).

Partner Description : The University of Montenegro (UoM), founded on 1974 in Podgorica, is the oldest and largest higher education, scientific and artistic institutions in Montenegro. UoM is comprised of 19 faculties and 2 scientific institutes, with more than 20000 students. The headquarters and main campus of UoM is in Podgorica, with other campuses located in 8 other Montenegrin cities. The values of the UoM lie in academic excellence, autonomy, creativity and the freedom to create, as well as support for teachers, researchers and students in an effort to raise their profile among the national and international public in the areas of their profession. The UoM is organized according to the principles of the Bologna Declaration. This, as well as numerous agreements and programmes in which the University takes part, enables mobility without barriers in the EHEA for students, teachers and administrative staff. The UoM has signed 141 bilateral agreements on cooperation with universities from 39 countries worldwide. Studies are organized at the level of Undergraduate, Masters and Doctoral studies, model 3+2+3. The University is continuously engaged in the restructuring and modernising of all study programmes and their harmonisation with modern achievements and the labour market needs. For years the UoM has participated in the EU funded projects, either as a partner or coordinating institution. The projects tackled various issues related to higher education reform and harmonization with the EHEA through curricula reform or introduction of new study programmes, through capacity building and structural reforms introducing new instruments, procedures and systems pertaining to lifelong learning, learning outcomes, cooperation with the society and the business community, development of research capacities, development of services for students with disabilities, etc.

Role in The Project: The University of Montenegro (UoM) will be a Partner Country Institution within the RiskMan Project. UoM will be represented by the Institute of Marine Biology (Kotor) and Faculty of Science and Mathematics. UoM will lead the WP7 Dissemination and Exploitation – Dissemination activities and will participate in all the other WP activities planned within the Project. UNISA will also have a crucial role in the organization of the workshop and all the meetings with related stakeholders (fishers, aquaculture employees, representatives of public and private institutions) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All available data from Montenegro regarding NN species distribution and appearance will be provided for the organization of database and platform (WP2) and the implementation of the Risk management model (WP3). University staff with their competences and experience will greatly contribute to the development of new courses with applying the best practices from EU existing programs.

Partner Description : iSea is a Not-for-profit non-governmental organization, founded in 2016. The overall aim of iSea is to preserve, protect and restore the precious and unique heritage of the natural aquatic environment. The organization activities focus on the following four pillars: alien/invasive species, aquatic litter, the relation between humans and aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. iSea bases its activities on different tools varying from scientific research to citizen science and environmental education and awareness, in order to achieve its goals concerning the protection of aquatic ecosystems through the sensitization of the state, managers and public opinion, to take action when and where is a necessity, the information on the negative impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems and the promotion of sustainable development, based on technical expertise and striving for social, economic, and environmental welfare. iSea’s personnel and colleagues vary from marine biologists, to specialists in environmental management and educators with the aim to shed light on the foremost issues affecting our oceans and propose alternatives for a sustainable future. The expanded network of iSea collaborators includes University Departments, Mediterranean organisations, local associations and research institutes. The funding sources of iSea mainly come from European and Greek Ministry funds, private foundations and corporates in the contexts of Corporate Social Responsibility. Currently, iSea numbers 5 full time and 3 external employees and 20 trained volunteers who are actively involved in different activities. Environmental education activities of iSea focus on enriching the knowledge of the public on marine environment and develop pro environmental attitudes through school visits, educational events and projects implemented throughout Greece.

Role in The Project: The NGO iSea will be involved as a Programme Country Institution in the RiskMan Project. The specific role of iSea will be to lead the WP 5 (Development - Development of Tailored Course for Different Target Groups), organize the Tailored courses for refugees in Greece and the meeting that will take care in Thessaloniki with and the Consortium staff and related stakeholders (fishers, aquaculture employees, representatives of public and private institutions). In addition, iSea will be involved in all the other WP in order to support the close Partner Countries of Western Balkan in the capacity building project for establishment of a Citizen science network for monitoring and collection of data on NN aquatic species. Together with Ekomenlog, iSea will have a crucial role in the implementation of the online platform summarizing the status of NN species occurrence on Partner Countries.

Partner Description : The history of the University of Bihać began in 1997 when it was established. It has seven member units, 7 Faculties (Technical Faculty, Faculty of Pedagogy, Faculty of Law, Biotechnical Faculty, Islamic Faculty of Pedagogy, Faculty of Economy and Faculty of Health Studies. The University has ca. 3500 students, The UNBI has over 100 agreements on cooperation including Inter-institutional agreements of different mobility programs. University of Bihać became integrated in 2010. It has fully established Office for Academic and Student Affairs and established Research and International Relations Office. Teaching and administrative staff is making great efforts in ensuring proper conditions for high quality work in education and research. Through these basic activities, the University of Bihać contributes to the economic and cultural development of the region; it provides the necessary qualified human resources. The academic community of the University has recognized the importance of promoting and encouraging establishment of academic cooperation with foreign universities and similar institutions, participating in various national and international projects, as well as in exchange programs. The University of Bihać defined its commitment to the field of international cooperation in the “Strategic Development Plan for the University of Bihać for the period 2011 - 2015"under the sections as follows: "European dimension of the University of Bihać ","Internationalization of the University" and "Joint doctoral studies". Operational plan of the International Relations Office at the University of Bihać for 2015/2016 well included all the internationalization elements in line with the “Strategic Development Plan for the University of Bihać for the period 2011 - 2015" and "Strategic Development Trends in Higer Education in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2012-2022". In 2017, UNBI Senate adopted Development Strategy of University of Bihać 2017-2022 where the whole section 3 deals with the modernization of the curricula at the University of Bihać aligned with the Job market needs in the country. In 2018, UNBI Senate adopted Internationalization Strategy of the University of Bihać 2018-2023 in which curricula modernization and innovation has been given priority along with other strategic goals.

Role in The Project: The University of Bihać (UNBI) will be a Partner Country Institution within the RiskMan Project. UNBI will be represented by the Faculty od Biotecnology. UNBI will participate in all the activities planned within the Project. UNBI will also have a crucial role in the organization of the workshop and meetings with related stakeholders (fishers, aquaculture employees, representatives of public and private institutions) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All available data from Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding NN species distribution and appearance will be provided for the organization of database and platform (WP2) and the implementation of the Risk management model (WP3)

Partner Description: University College of Business (UCB) as a non-public higher education institution began to provide its service in the Albanian higher education system in the academic year 2011-2012. UCB was founded pursuant to Law No. 9741, of 21.05.2007 “On higher education in the Republic of Albania (LHE)” and operates according to the DCM No. 651, of 14.09.2011 “On the licensing of the Professional Business Academy” as a higher education institution. Following the Order of the Minister of Education and Science (MES) No. 3, of 05.01.2012, this institution has been granted with the license for the initiation of the teaching, research, and academic process of the study programs in compliance with the granted license, by initiating its academic activity since the beginning of the academic year 2011-2012, in its both faculties (Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Law). The institutional accreditation of UCB was made following the Order No. 557, of 16.11.2012 “On the institutional accreditation of University College of Business” issued by MES.  Currently, the University College of Business offers three different degrees: a) a 2-year vocational higher education degree; b) an undergraduate Bachelor degree and; c) a Master degree (MSc and MP). 2 vocational degrees in Administrative and Technical field, divided in six profiles as Senior Administrative, Senior Accounting, Senior Legal, Computer Network Technician, Electrical Network Technician, Motor Network Technician. 6 undergraduate degrees in Law, Business Law, Finance and Accounting, Business Administration, Bank and Financial Institutions, Business Informatics. 11 master degrees, specifically Professional Masters degree and Masters of Science, in Criminal Law, the Civil and Commercial Law, Finance, Accounting, Management, Public Administration, Audit Accounting, Marketing Management. UCB is accredited also by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) with a team consisting of UK and Albanian reviewers. For the 4th year in a row, QAA has ranked university’s bachelor and Masters programs among the 10 nation’s best HEIs in Albania. UCB values the importance of growing and the need of continues investment in the capacity building of the institution itself and specifically of vocational study programmes, in the following: Improvement of current curricula and curriculum design of new programs that will be launched in the coming academic years; Continuous training of academic staff; Providing students with better opportunities and experiences in studying and practicing in European universities; Investments in all three laboratories and other new ones, according to our needs today and in the future, identified with the most up-to-date complementary equipment and developments in the labour market today.

Role in The Project: The UCB will assist the Project Consortium to reinforce the Institutional Partnerships within the scientific world and the Public and Private Sectors about the Risk Management for NN species in the Partner Countries. They will work to increase the opportunities for the students and to strengthen the attractiveness of graduates according to the local labour market needs. UCB will be involved in Wp1 (Preparation), WP4 (Development), WP6, Quality, WP7 (Dissemination) and WP8 (Management).