The main objective of the "VIRTUS – Virtual Academic Information Service: Scholarships.info" project is to promote the importance of scholarships as a factor that contributes to raising academic mobility and the level of democratization of Croatian higher education. By providing a source of financing for individuals in higher education, scholarships create a more open access to higher education, thus making it more democratic. At the same time, scholarships help increase the mobility of students, teachers and researchers and make for the creation of higher quality programs in higher education. All of the above-mentioned characteristics of the VIRTUS project are in line with the main objectives of the Bologna process.
In line with its main objective, the first major outcome of the VIRTUS project is the creation of a centralized information service in the form of a national web portal, www.stipendije.info (English translation: www.scholarships.info), which is to serve as an information reference point on scholarship programs open to Croatian citizens. The portal aims to serve everyone interested in applying for a scholarship program, as well as institutions in Croatia involved in higher education in Croatia and abroad, especially those offering scholarship programs.
The second major outcome of the VIRTUS project is the international conference (Scholarships.info: The Role of Scholarships In Raising Academic Mobility), which is to take place in Osijek, Croatia, on September 29-30, 2005.
The conference objectives are as follows:
- to present and promote the Internet portal www.stipendije.info
- to provide a professional development opportunity for higher education professionals, aimed at the use of information technologies in education and educational advising
- to promote the importance of the involvement of all sectors, as well as inter-sector cooperation, in the creation and administration of scholarship programs
The expected outcomes of the VIRTUS project will contribute to structural improvements within the following areas of Croatia's system of higher education:
- providing a more open access to information on scholarship programs available to Croatian citizens
- increasing the cooperation between Croatian universities and the public, civil and corporate sector
- improving the international cooperation of Croatian universities with institutions involved in higher education in other countries
The VIRTUS project is financed through the TEMPUS SCM program of the European Commission. The project is coordinated by Institute for the Development of Education, with the following Croatian partners:
- J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek
- University of Dubrovnik
- University of Rijeka
- University of Split
- University of Zadar
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration
as well as the following EU partner institutions:
- CNOUS - Centre National des Oeuvres Universitaires et Scolaires, France
- Politecnico di Milano (METID Centre), Italy
- Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
The VIRTUS project started in September 2004, ending in October 2005. After the project is finalized, Institute for the Development of Education will remain in charge of further maintenance and upgrade of the www.stipendije.info web portal.