On October 17, 2024, the Independent University of Banja Luka hosted a workshop within the project Gender Equality in Academia and Research - 101129408 (GEAR), financed through the Erasmus+ program. This workshop focused on gender balance in the academic and research environment.

The workshop is organized in a combined format, allowing attendance both physically and through online platforms. The event was attended by academic and administrative staff, students of partner higher education institutions, as well as project partners from various institutions, including:

  • University of Maribor, Slovenia
  • Faculty of Management Herceg Novi (UA)
  • Public institution University of Montenegro, Podgorica
  • of the Socio-Economic Center of Montenegro
  • Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Western Balkans Institute, Belgrade, Serbia
  • University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Association of young women "Girlthing" Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Vilniaus Universitetas, Lithuania

The workshop was led by project partners from the University of Maribor, professor dr. Maja Hmelak and assistant professor dr. Eva Kranjec from the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor.

The mentioned event is also supported by the Gender Center - the Center for Gender Equality of the Government of the Republic of Srpska. During the workshop, the representative of the Gender Center, Mrs. Ana Đurić, presented the work of the Gender Center and emphasized the importance of the GEAR project, not only for the institutions that are members of the project team, but also for the wider academic and social community.

The topic of the workshop was "Introduction of gender-sensitive monitoring of the academic career of students and monitoring of the professional career of graduated students - involving students and student services." This topic is essential for improving gender balance in the academic environment and strengthening support for students throughout their education and professional development.

The Faculty of Management Herceg Novi is proud of participating in such initiatives and continuous efforts to promote gender balance and improve the quality of education.