Two Weeks of M.A.R.K.E.T. Officer Impact: Transforming Collaboration in the Polog Region
Over the past two weeks, M.A.R.K.E.T. Officer Shpresa Alija, together with team members of working package 4, has been engaged in a series of meaningful M.A.R.K.E.T. Pop-Up Meetings, strengthening cooperation between SEEU and key partners across the public sector, private industry, and civil society — all within the ChallengeEU framework. These engagements brought together a diverse set of partners who play a crucial role in shaping regional development across several key themes: Local Governance, Digital Transition & Youth Engagement A constructive meeting with the Municipality of Gostivar focused on identifying community challenges and exploring how SEEU students can contribute through digital transition projects, internships, and MakerHathon activities. Regional Planning, Sustainability & Applied Learning Discussions with the Center for Development of the Polog Planning Region (CDPPR) emphasized involving students from Architecture, Environment, Energy, and Economy in hands-on regional development and GIS-based projects, strengthening applied learning experiences. Agri-Food Innovation & Industry–Academia Collaboration Ongoing cooperation with Vezë Sharri continues through digital innovation initiatives, logistics improvements, and applied student engagement within the agri-food sector. Creative Industries, Visual Communication & Project-Based Learning Collaboration with Arberia Design, a leading graphic design and printing company, focused on student internships and project-based learning in graphic design, digital communication, and creative content development. Cold Chain Logistics, Digitalization & Workforce Development Engagement with UniFrigo, a manufacturing company of a cold-chain refrigeration, identified concrete opportunities for internships and digital transformation initiatives aligned with real industry needs. Civil Society Engagement, Well-being & Social Awareness Meeting with Mollëkuqja, a civil society organization, highlighted the need on communication initiatives, awareness campaigns, mental health guest lectures in high schools, and creative student involvement. All of these meetings have been very important in terms of ChallengeEU core mission and contribute to strengthening regional partnerships, creating real-world learning opportunities for students, supporting innovation across sectors, Connecting academia with industry and public institutions “It has been inspiring to see how each partner is eager to collaborate and open new opportunities for our students. These meetings mark an important step towards impactful regional cooperation”, said Shpresa Alija, M.A.R.K.E.T. Officer, SEEU. Thanks to this kind of initiatives SEEU students now have expanded access to meaningful, impactful engagements e.g. MakerHathon preparations with high schools, mental health educational activities, internship pathways and digital transformation projects.
