Eva Schulev-Steindl, rector of BOKU University, described the collaboration as increasingly important in light of Albania’s European Union aspirations and broader efforts to modernise its university system.

“Cooperation between European universities is more important today than ever before,” Schulev-Steindl said in remarks to Albanian media on Monday. “With Albania’s prospect of joining the European Union, this cooperation becomes even more significant.”

She said the joint project between the two institutions had entered its second year of implementation, with reforms focused on modernising academic programmes and increasing student engagement.

Bachelor’s degree programmes have been redesigned from scratch and are already attracting more students, she said, adding that enrolment in programmes restructured in cooperation with BOKU had risen by 20% over the past year.

“That is truly impressive,” Schulev-Steindl said.

According to the Austrian rector, the partnership is helping drive meaningful transformation in higher education while strengthening Albania’s academic ties with European institutions.

“This cooperation is not just an academic project, but an investment in the European future of our students and universities,” she said.

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The programs, designed to meet high academic standards, aim to provide modern and competitive education in agriculture and life sciences.

Ahead of a BOKU mission to Tirana later this month, UBT hosted an informational session for high school graduates, offering insight into study options, academic opportunities, and career prospects.

UBT representatives highlighted the importance of choosing programs aligned with contemporary developments in agriculture and training specialists with European-level skills.

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Speaking at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Anila Denaj said the initiative was part of a long-term government strategy launched four years ago to elevate UBT into a European-standard academic institution.

“Thanks to close collaboration with Professor Hubert Hasenauer and the BOKU team, UBT will offer unified curricula that enhance teaching quality and strengthen scientific research in agronomy, veterinary studies, aquaculture, and rural development,” Denaj said.

Students enrolling this fall will be the first to receive degrees fully harmonized with the Austrian model – preparing them for Albania’s EU integration goals and the national vision 2030.

UBT aims to become a leading regional institution, with a modern campus hosting international lecturers and students for joint academic and research activities. Plans also include the establishment of a Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, a multidisciplinary hub for researchers and students from across the Western Balkans.

“In the spirit of an EU-aligned Albania, the vision is clear: to turn UBT into a top university in the region—where minds from the Balkans and beyond come to teach, learn, and innovate together,” Denaj stated.

Agriculture Minister also announced the creation of a Geoinformation Center for the Western Balkans, further advancing regional collaboration in agricultural research and education.

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Speaking at an event marking the partnership between UBT and BOKU – attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Education and Sports Ogerta Manastirliu, and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Anila Denaj – UBT Rector Fatbardh Sallaku said that the institution he heads is no longer what it was four years ago, but has become a place where young people can build successful careers in fields critical to the future.

Sallaku underlined that the goal was not simply to launch new study programs, but to “mark a turning point for the future of the university, a new generation, and Albania itself.”

He said the partnership with Vienna’s BOKU demonstrates that when academic collaboration is backed by political will, even a university known primarily for agriculture can become a European hub of knowledge and sustainable innovation.

“Everything began that day in Vienna, when Albania’s Prime Minister joined a UBT delegation at BOKU. The foundations of a real partnership were laid – not just on paper, but through genuine collaboration grounded in ambition and humility,” he said. “Today, we have results. We’re not just talking about ideas anymore – we’re offering a new academic platform in cooperation with one of Europe’s top institutions.”

Sallaku called on high school graduates to consider the programs at UBT, describing them as the best investment in their academic and professional future.

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Since April of last year, BOKU university has been engaged through a memorandum of cooperation for the modernization of the Agricultural University of Tirana, a step described by the authorities in the country as a milestone for the transformation and internationalization of Albanian universities.

“Professor Hasenauer is an ardent supporter of the Agricultural University”, emphasized the prime minister.

He assessed that the cooperation project between the two universities has gone well while the country has extraordinary potential.

“You are on the path to EU membership, you are one of the leading countries here in the Western Balkans and you need this integrated or interdisciplinary education because you need rural development. Rural development is about creating income for the people of the area. There are two important issues here: first, not everyone can come to the city and, second, people never want to leave the city or the village but you have to give them the opportunity to create prosperous lives in the regions where they live. This is why I see an extraordinary potential here and of course it all starts with education. But, on the other hand, it also needs support structures or political structures and so on,” Professor Hasenauer said.

The agreement, signed in Vienna in April 2024, paved the way for the reform of the Agricultural University of Tirana according to the standards of the BOKU university of Vienna, one of the best European universities in the field of agricultural development, food and environmental protection.

The aim is to complete the transformation of the Agricultural University in the parameters of the BOKU, to transform it into a center of excellence for the region. The agreement supports the transformation of Agricultural University with funding of about 3 million euros, where through the internationalization program, the Albanian government will finance 1.9 million euros.

The four main objectives of this memorandum are: study programs like European universities; new level of scientific research; knowledge transfer and the transformation of Agricultural University into a center of excellence for the region. /a.gjonaj/ /r.e/ /a.g/p.s./

Agriculture Minister said that the meeting focused on progress of the cooperation project between Tirana Agricultural University and Vienna’s BOKU University, aimed at enhancing education and research programs.

Denaj underlined that by modernizing agricultural education, this international partnership would brings more opportunities for about 6,000 students to be trained as future agriculture professionals.

“Tirana Agricultural University is on the path towards becoming regional excellence centre, which will offer new degree and academic programs according to BOKU University standards,” Agriculture Minister Denaj said.

Tirana Agricultural University has embarked on implementation of the most profound reform ever implemented in a public university in the country designed to change the current architecture of teaching and scientific research programs.

The University will be transformed to meet the standards of Vienna’s University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences by reforming the academic offer scientific research, knowhow and technology transfer, the digitization of the process of teaching, learning and research.

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