An Inter-Institutional Visit between Partners of the Erasmus + "RiskMan" Project Underway
Consortium of the Erasmus+ Project "RiskMan - Educational Capacity Strengthening for Risk Management of Non-native Aquatic Species in Western Balkans" (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro), financed by the European Commission within the Erasmus+ program, is currently implementing one of the most significant inter-institutional visit between partners. In order to finalize the project as well as possible, prepare final reports and disseminate project results, the project consortium organized the so-called "RiskMan Balkan Tour". The Balkan tour started with meetings in Kotor in the period from August 22 to 23, 2022. The partners were presented with the results achieved so far in Montenegro, which relate to the preparation and accreditation of three new elective courses for masters studies at the University of Montenegro, which mostly relate to the subject of invasive and foreign aquatic species. A visit to shellfish and fish farms and a specialized sales center for products from the fisheries and mariculture sector was organized for the project partners.
The second meeting was organized in Tirana (Albania), where the project partners visited the Faculty of Agriculture, which is one of the partners in the project. The Balkan tour continued in Ohrid (North Macedonia) in the period from August 26 to 28, 2022. The partners had the opportunity to visit the Hydrobiological Institute and the Galičica National Park. Currently, the last planned part of the Balkan tour is being realized in Thessaloniki (Greece, from 29.08.-01.09.2022), with the presence of all project partners and the meeting of the Project Steering Committee.
The Montenegrin team, led by Dr. Ana Pešić, presented previous work of the Institute of Marine Biology on this project, as well as work carried out by the Faculty of Biology from Podgorica, with whom this project is jointly implemented at national level. Greatest contribution of this project is through possibility of masters specialization on subject of foreign and invasive aquatic species, that is, on the issue of analysis and risk assessment of the impact of these species on aquatic ecosystems.