ABOUT THE INCUBATOR
The Scientific and Research Incubator (ZINK) is the first BiH incubator that operates as part of the NIRSA Centre, as a form of scientific and research work of young researches at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. The incubator is registered as a scientific and research organisation in the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme. The Incubator publishes the SOPHOS journal, indexed at three international scientific bases (in the US and in Europe).
Programme
I PROGRAMME PLATFORM OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INCUBATOR
In the developed countries of the EU, at institutes and universities, students, assistants and young researchers are an equal subject not only in education but also in scientific and research activities. The European Community (in the 6th and 7th Framework Programme) set out three new instruments for scientific research: networks of excellence, integrated projects, and scientific and research incubators.
The incubators are a form of organisation of work aimed at assembling and developing scientific and research work and communication between students and young researchers, as well as for connecting them with business entities and public institutions, thus enabling their professional development.
The Scientific and Research Incubator, as a new instrument of scientific research, was established in 2007, with a view to initiating and organising scientific and research activities of students at all years and levels of studies, of assistants and young researchers at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. This incubator will link with all organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that possess the possibility and need employ our experts in their projects and activities.
Activities at the Incubator are based on the principles of creativity and adjustment of the professions in humanities, as well as standards / technologies of the knowledge-based society. Participants are the best students from all departments (at all years and levels of studies that have achieved the best results) and who are engaged as student-researchers, student-undergraduates, student-graduates, and doctoral students at the Incubator.
The manager-mentor organises and is responsible for the work of Incubator. An Incubator coordinator is appointed from the ranks of the teaching assistants. The activities are conducted through consultations, individual research projects (undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral theses), team research projects, and inclusion of participants of the Incubator into the scientific and research projects in BiH and abroad (bilateral cooperation with countries in the region).
1. GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INCUBATOR
1.1. To initiate and develop scientific and research work of students, assistants and young researchers at the University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo does not have a permanent, organised, financed, and scientific and research work conducted in a planned manner, nor does it have a centre for scientific research, work of students, assistants, young researchers and teachers at the University.
It does not have a single scientific research work classification system, a database of bibliographical references and scientific research projects, nor a clearly defined methodology of assessing scientific research work.
In such a situation, the young personnel, students, assistants and young researchers who are about to earn references for their election, as well as references for participation at international projects, suffer the most. That is why the formation of the Scientific and Research Incubator at the University of Sarajevo is a significant contribution to the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo.
1.2. Inclusion in the International Scientific and Research Network
The Scientific and Research Incubator at the Sarajevo Faculty of Philosophy is the first incubator at the University of Sarajevo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This form of work organisation with the students and young researchers is defined in the documents and programmes of the European Community as a new scientific and research instrument, applied at the institutes and universities in the EC countries, and, together with the networks of excellence and integrated projects, it is the most significant form of organisation of the scientific and research work at these institutions.
The first Scientific and Research Incubator will connect with compatible incubators at the European scientific and research institutions in the network of excellence. That will enable students at all levels of studies, assistants, young researchers, to participate in scientific research, projects and EC programmes, to become a respectable and creative intellectual force of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
1.3. Connecting the university-educated personnel through scientific and research work with business organisations and public institutions
The University of Sarajevo and the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo educate a significant number of students for professions that are different from the production-oriented technical intelligence professions characteristic of technical universities, but which are of the highest benefit to the development of the society and social institutions.
Students educated at the humanistic and social sciences and in art academies carry the greatest potential in the development of a knowledge-based society, in understanding such a society and in the lifelong learning process.
Connecting the Incubator with the social institutions and business organisations will enable a creative and dedicated connection between the University, as a base of the young and creative people and the direct users of human resources in our country. From such a relationship and such a connection, interests of students for scientific and research activities in accordance with the needs of the society will be shaped.
2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INCUBATOR
2.1. Guiding students towards development of individual projects
Enabling students to direct and develop their intellectual interest in a certain scientific field through scientific and research work even in the early phases of the studies has proven an example of good practice in the European education. That ends the bad practice of dedicating the majority of time at the university to “studying to pass the exam” as a pedagogical duty, instead of directing the students towards the field of their interest in scientific work at different levels of study.
Individual and team work at the incubator will provide the student-participants an opportunity to develop their intellectual interest in the desired direction, with the assistance of the mentor and experts in a certain field. Passing exams should in that case be a confirmation of quality in a certain field.
2.2. Strengthening of interest for the study programme in its entirety
Strengthening the awareness of students on the importance of approaching the study in its entirety, at all levels: from undergraduate and postgraduate, to post-doctoral studies that can be organised at the University of Sarajevo. Such an approach can only be founded on the basis of a continuity of scientific and research work, not though mere acquisition of a diploma for its own sake.
2.3. Connecting study programmes and scientific and research programmes
Quality of an interactive study of the Incubator’s participants involved in individual and joint scientific and research projects is significantly higher than the quality of the studies at isolated subjects. The experience of the European community has been that the majority of students, assistants and young researchers participating in incubators become in the majority of cases future university professors, experts, professionals and associates at the scientific and research institutes.
A stronger and more purposeful connection of the study programmes (undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral) with the scientific and research programmes through projects in the country and abroad ensures a safer and faster fulfilment of the university duties, acquiring references and involvement of the researcher into a global scientific and research division of work.
II PROGRAMME OF INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INCUBATOR
1. Individual scientific and research projects (undergraduate, master’s and doctoral thesis) are an important form of engagement of the Incubator participants. These projects are conducted under the supervision of the manager-mentor.
2. Individual consultations with mentors, experts and associates of the Incubator that will be organised for the participants in accordance with their areas of interest and for the purpose of realisation of their individual project.
3. Proseminar explications are aimed at giving Incubator participants the experience of presenting their own research in a form that is functionally pedagogical.
4. Undergraduate explications are aimed to ensure the preceding or control evaluation of the Incubator members’ work, before it becomes a completed document for the final diploma paper committee.
5. Postgraduate explications are aimed to provide a presentation and a critical evaluation of the projects conducted by students at postgraduate studies.
6. Doctoral explications are aimed at enabling the doctoral students to present the concept of their thesis, to expose their work to evaluation within the scientific field in the respective areas of study.
7. Visits to the scientific and research institutes in the country and abroad need to be available to the Incubator participants, so that they enter the network of excellence or participate at the integrated projects.
8. Participation at symposia and conferences is aimed to enable the Incubator participants the presentation of their scientific and research work in the presence of competent researchers.
III PROGRAMME OF JOINT ACTIVITIES AT THE SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INCUBATOR
1. Team projects in which students and young researchers can apply as project leaders or project team members.
2. Team consultations are a form of interactive engagement of the Incubator participants during which it is possible to observe some aspects of interdisciplinary traits of a research project, as well as to open new possibilities for application of the consortium of the research method.
3. Sessions of the Incubator are aimed at presenting a periodical overview of activities, assessment of certain phases of project realisation, and to reach an agreement on participation in new projects.
4. Announcing the results of scientific and research work is of the ultimate significance for the Incubator, for in that way students, assistants and young researchers are able to achieve public, critical evaluation of their work and to acquire the necessary references for their future activities.
5. Participation of the Incubator participants in scientific and research projects in BiH and abroad.
IV THE FUTURE OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND RESEARCH INCUBATOR
1. Inclusion of the Incubator into the Centre for Scientific Research at the Faculty of Philosophy
In accordance with Articles 87-94 of the Rules of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, governing scientific research and expert activities of students, teachers and associates at departments and at the Faculty, the Faculty’s Teaching Council and the Managing Board have the commitment to facilitate the organisation of scientific and expert work at the faculty and to provide conditions for scientific and expert work of teachers, associates and students. Article 90 of the Rules provides for the establishment of the Centre for Scientific and Research Work at the Faculty.
The first Scientific and Research Incubator that was founded at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo will be included into the NIRSA Centre the moment it is formed and will act within the Centre with its programme activities.
It is possible to form the Centre for Scientific and Research Activities at the faculty (NIRSA) as a network of scientific and research incubators formed at the faculty’s departments, or as a network of institutes for scientific and research activities if the incubators become organisations or institutes for scientific and research activities at the departments.
2. Inclusion of incubators into a network of scientific and research incubators in the European community and in the world
The first scientific and research incubator established at the Faculty of Philosophy will be included into a network of scientific and research incubators in the neighbouring countries and in the countries of the European Community through a directly-established cooperation with the institutes and the universities where the incubators have already been established and are operating.
In that way, participants of the first Scientific and Research Incubator will come into contact with researchers in the same field in a wider environment and will also be given an opportunity to establish criteria of standards and competences in the scientific and research work on the basis of which they need to participate in the creation of a knowledge-based society.
3. Inclusion of young researchers into networks of excellence and into integrated projects
Through cooperation with scientific and research incubators in countries in the region and the European Community, the first Scientific and Research Incubator at the Sarajevo Faculty of Philosophy shall be included into the excellence networks that are formed within the 6th and the 7th Framework Programme as a partner scientific-research institution, on topics designated for humanities and social sciences.