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https://www.linkedin.com/school/ubt---university-for-business-and-technology/posts/?feedView=allUBT’s Integrated Strategy 2027 places knowledge, innovation, and social responsibility at the heart of its mission, embodying the university’s Third Mission through impactful, multidimensional engagement. Guided by the principles of science, equity, and shared progress, UBT leads transformative change in Kosovo and beyond by integrating research, sustainability, and inclusive development into all institutional levels. With a growing network of research centers—such as the 5G Innovation Hub, Knowledge Center, RIED Institute, and the Kosovo National SDG Monitoring Centre—UBT promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthens national research infrastructure, and bridges academia with policy-making. Through initiatives like Pro-Academia and free community services (healthcare, counseling, art spaces), UBT makes knowledge, innovation, and wellness accessible to the wider public. UBT’s inclusive scholarship program has tripled funding since 2019, empowering marginalized students, including war-affected families and Ukrainian youth, to access higher education. These efforts promote equity, social mobility, and resilience. Moreover, UBT plays a vital role in crisis response—offering technical support during natural disasters and infrastructure failures—demonstrating humanitarian leadership rooted in practical expertise. Sustainability is embedded in UBT’s operations through the SDG Strategy and Green Campus Action Plan, featuring 370+ concrete measures to reduce environmental impact and support climate goals. Internationally, UBT advances global resilience via responsible media engagement and educational diplomacy. By transforming its campus into a smart, inclusive, and sustainable ecosystem, UBT serves as a living lab for cities of the future. Its integrated model showcases how universities can mobilize knowledge for public good, fostering lasting societal impact. In doing so, UBT exemplifies the power of higher education to catalyze change—locally rooted, globally connected, and future-focused.
Finalist
Engaged University of the Year Award
University for Business and Technology
Finalist Engaged University of the Year Award
University for Business and Technology, Kosovo - Kosovo
"Knowledge in Action: Shaping Tomorrow through Science, Equity, and Shared Progress."
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Summary
Key People
Prof.Dr. Edmond Hajrizi
Rector; Lead Enterpreneur and Innovation Manager
UBT Higher Management,
University for Business and Technology, Kosovo
PhD Cand. Shqiprim Ahmeti
Head of Institute and Lead of Sustainability Operations
UBT Institute for Urban Studies ,
University for Business and Technology, Kosovo
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the leadership of UBT – Higher Education Institution for their unwavering commitment to social responsibility, innovation, and sustainable development. Special thanks to the Rector, Prof. Dr. Edmond Hajrizi, for his visionary leadership in integrating engagement into the university’s strategic mission. We also acknowledge the dedication of UBT’s staff, researchers, and students whose efforts across diverse programs and community initiatives have made this impact possible. Their collective work continues to shape a more inclusive, resilient, and knowledge-driven society.
Images
UBT INNOVATION CAMPUS
UBT Institutional Strategy_SDG
UBT SCHOOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY
UBT EXHIBITIONS
UBT AVR HUB
IMPACT STORY
Impacting lifes
1. Bridging Academia and Governance: SDG Monitoring Centre
Impact Story: UBT established the Kosovo National Monitoring and Evaluation Centre for SDGs, a unique academic-government-UN partnership. This center supports national institutions like the Parliament, Kosovo Agency of Statistics, and the UN in tracking sustainable development progress.
Impact: It strengthens transparency, accountability, and policy-making by integrating academic expertise directly into national governance.
2. Free Public Health Services for Community Well-being
Impact Story: UBT offers free dental care, COVID-19 testing, psychological counseling, and access to sports and cultural facilities to the public.
Impact: Thousands of citizens benefit annually from improved physical, mental, and social well-being, showing UBT’s role in enhancing community health and quality of life.
3. Inclusion in Action: Scholarships for Marginalized Students
Impact Story: The Inclusive Scholarship Program supports students from war-affected families, remote regions (e.g., Presheva, Montenegro), and Ukrainian refugees. Scholarship funds grew from €247,969 in 2019 to €800,000 projected in 2026.
Impact: The program broadens access to higher education, fosters equity, and strengthens regional and international solidarity.
4. Rapid Crisis Response: Earthquake and Infrastructure Repair
Impact Story: UBT provided voluntary technical expertise during the 2019 Albania earthquake and the Ibër-Lepenc water channel crisis in Kosovo.
Impact: Helped restore critical infrastructure, protect public health, agriculture, and energy security—free of charge.
5. Pro-Academia: Open Access to Research for All
Impact Story: The Pro-Academia initiative grants free access to 120 laboratories, smart campus infrastructure, and mentorship for students, researchers, artists, and entrepreneurs.
Impact: Democratizes knowledge, fuels cross-sectoral collaboration, and fosters everyday innovation and creativity.
6. 5G Innovation Hub: Fueling Future Industries
Impact Story: UBT launched the 5G Innovation Hub, enabling experimentation with next-generation technologies in sectors like health, energy, and mobility.
Impact: Enhances Kosovo’s innovation ecosystem and provides students and startups with real-world testbed environments.
LEARNINGS
Lessons learned
UBT’s journey illustrates how a university can lead societal transformation by embedding social responsibility, innovation, and sustainability into its core strategy. A key learning is that engagement must be systemic, not episodic. By aligning its Integrated Strategy 2027 with the UN SDGs and structuring efforts across nine dimensions—from free public services to inclusive scholarships and crisis response—UBT ensures that engagement is both scalable and impactful.
Another crucial insight is the power of interdisciplinary collaboration. Initiatives like the SDG Monitoring Centre and Pro-Academia show how bridging academia with governance, industry, and civil society generates solutions that are locally grounded and globally relevant. UBT’s ability to respond quickly in crises also highlights the importance of organizational agility and readiness, built through strong internal coordination and a culture of service.
Leadership Advice:
Lead with real impact. Universities should transcend conventional performance indicators and embrace engagement as a core mission, fully integrated into strategy, structures, and culture. Prioritize inclusive platforms that enable students, faculty, and communities to collaborate, innovate, and solve real-world challenges together.
Embed values like sustainability, equity, and resilience into every layer of institutional planning—from funding decisions to academic programs and research agendas. Make societal contribution a shared responsibility across all departments.
Above all, lead by action. Deliver tangible services alongside education. Foster partnerships over silos, and remain open to feedback, change, and shared learning. Keep returning to the essential question:
Are we mobilizing knowledge to create a more just, sustainable, and inclusive future?
Let that commitment be the compass for transformative leadership.
FUTURE PLANS
What's coming?
Building on the momentum of its Integrated Strategy 2027, UBT will deepen its mission-driven engagement by expanding its research infrastructure, enhancing community impact, and strengthening international collaboration. Future plans focus on scaling successful initiatives such as the SDG Monitoring Centre and Pro-Academia, enabling broader participation in policy development, innovation, and open science.
UBT aims to further integrate sustainability and digital transformation by implementing a fully carbon-neutral campus plan and advancing smart infrastructure across all educational and research facilities. This includes investments in digital twin technologies, real-time monitoring systems, and expanded access to the 5G Innovation Hub.
To promote global resilience and inclusion, UBT will increase targeted scholarships for students from conflict-affected regions, expand its media literacy campaigns, and grow its multilingual content platforms to support informed public discourse. In parallel, it will continue offering free healthcare, counseling, and cultural services to strengthen community well-being.
Internationally, UBT seeks to position itself as a regional hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, hosting summits, living labs, and policy roundtables that connect academia with local governments, industry, and civil society.
Internally, the university will enhance capacity-building through training, incentive structures, and leadership development programs to ensure that engagement is embedded at every level—from student initiatives to senior management.
Through these actions, UBT aims not only to sustain but to amplify its impact, setting a model for how universities can lead systemic change locally and globally.
