The new paradigms of electricity grids and markets require that staff employed in electrical energy related jobs as well as electricity end users are properly educated and trained. The electrical engineering curricula in WBC, formed to serve the conventional model of one large scale power grid, owned and operated by one company, need to adapt. ELEMEND is designed to facilitate electrical engineering curricula in WBC to be competitive through teaching and training in smart gird and microgrid technologies and electricity markets. Courses at the BSc level and a MSc programme will be developed; academic and technical staff will be trained; new ICT tools, such as e-learning platforms and gamified content combined with blended learning, will be used; an internship programme will be put in place for the most motivated of the ELEMEND students; a University - enterprise network will be created within the project, around the core group of the ELEMEND industrial partners. The ELEMEND laboratories will be accessible to all partners and are expected to attract research funding while ELEMEND graduates are expected to have increased employability rates and play a leading role in their field. The student projects carried out in ELEMEND labs in the third project year will focus on real‐life problems and are expected to attract the interest of relevant stakeholders. Outputs, such as the e‐learning courses, the gamified applications, the virtual labs, the new courses and Master’s programme are expected to engage new students and relevant target groups after the lifetime of the project as well as enhance public’s awareness.
Electrical Energy Markets and Engineering Education (ELEMEND) is a project focusing on the Modernization of electrical engineering curricula in Western Balkan countries HEIs with respect to the paradigm shift in electricity grids (smart grid) and markets. The project serves the regional priorities set by WB countries with respect to: a) the learning and teaching tools and methods: (i) ELEMEND offers the introduction of and training in innovative teaching methods such as e-learning, gamified learning, blended learning and microlearning (ii) the online ELEMEND platform hosts online courses and laboratories and is key for the sustainability of the project’s outcomes b) the university-enterprise cooperation and employability of graduates: key elements of the ELEMEND project are (i) the internship programme currently put in place in WB countries and (ii) the university – enterprise ELEMEND network supported by the participating industrial partners. The national priorities of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo, the participating WB countries in the project, include the regional priorities outlined above as well as emphasis on quality assurance processes. The national priorities of Serbia do not include Engineering and Engineering trades but a) interdisciplinary areas which the ELEMEND project serves by definition since it addresses ICT, power engineering and markets and b) the development of R&I capacities which ELEMEND serves through the training and teaching in smart grid/microgrid technologies and electricity markets.ELEMEND addresses the need for capacity building in engineering teaching staff and students at the BSc and MSc level, through: 1. The modernization of existing BSc engineering curricula at partner country HEIs by introducing new courses or reshaping existing courses in BSc level (6 courses in WBC HEIs) 2. The introduction of new Master programmes (120 ECTS / 60 ECTS) in smart grids at WBC universities involved in the project 3. The introduction of ICT based teaching methods – microlearning, gamified content and course content for e-learning platforms that will be used in the teaching process 4. The training of teaching staff in all partner country HEIsFurthermore, ELEMEND addresses the upgrading of the teaching infrastructure placing emphasis on laboratory and project work. Virtual laboratory work is enabled via the ELEMEND platform. The acquisition of modern equipment by all partners allowed the launch of smart grid laboratories which are connected via the ELEMEND platform as well.ELEMEND also supports the creation of the University - Enterprise cooperation through the active involvement of companies in the project in the shaping of the course material and content. The cooperation was further forged through the 30 days student internships in local companies in the field of smart grids. So, the project is directly addressed to the academic staff at the Engineering faculties (Electrical or ICT), BSc and MSc students and SME employers in the sector of Electrical Engineering but is also inherently interdisciplinary since the study of electricity markets is an indispensable component.The pooling of resources via the ELEMEND project, facilitates the introduction of intelligent microgrid technologies in the consortium HEI’s and acts as a multiplier of the existing advantages in the region of Western Balkans namely, the relatively small geographic distance, common language, common culture, common history and compatible education systems.