International student exchange with HafenCity University Hamburg has officially started today at the Rectorate of the University of Sarajevo, within the framework of the Circular Business Models and Enabling Urban Infrastructures in Sarajevo program.
The beginning of the exchange was made official with the addresses of prof. Dr. Tarik Zaimović, rector of the University of Sarajevo, prof. Dr. Dušanke Bošković, Minister of Science, Higher Education and Youth of the Sarajevo Canton, Mr. Arend Müller, First Secretary and Head of the Department for Economic Affairs and Development of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ms. Felicitas Siek, Coordinator of the Climate and Energy Cluster for the Western Balkans, who spoke on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The joint messages emphasized strong support for international cooperation and highlighted the important role of universities in responding to global challenges through education, partnerships and knowledge exchange. The importance of GIZ, which played a key role in initiating and co-financing this academic exchange, was particularly highlighted.
Students Ajla Smajlović, student representative of the University of Sarajevo, and Lena Seybold, student representative of HafenCity University of Hamburg, addressed the gathering, and spoke on behalf of their colleagues about the importance of exchanges as a space for learning, exchanging perspectives and building lasting professional and interpersonal relationships.
Words of gratitude are addressed to the professors who provided academic leadership and practical implementation of the program on both sides: Henning Wilts, Jakub Galuszki, Ljiljan Veselinović and Jasmina Mangafić, whose involvement was key to the successful preparation and implementation of this exchange.
The exchange is organized by the newly established Office for Climate Change and Sustainability of the University of Sarajevo, as the University’s central institutional platform for climate resilience, sustainable development and green transition, strategically aligned with the EU Green Deal and its agenda for the Western Balkans.
The program lasts five days and is designed as a bilateral model of academic cooperation, bringing together students and professors of the University of Sarajevo and HafenCity University of Hamburg through joint academic work, field visits and knowledge exchange on sustainable development, circular economy and contemporary urban challenges.
The exchange is realized with the financial support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the co-financing and long-term support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), with the aim of strengthening international academic cooperation and developing capacities for a sustainable and green transition in the region.
During their stay in Sarajevo, program participants, in addition to academic activities, will have the opportunity to learn about local policies of sustainable development, urban practices and institutional approaches to the green transition, according to the UNSA press release.
