Partners and experts with complementary expertise in the field of policy, social dimension and mental health implement the project activities.

INSTITUTE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION (IDE - CROATIA)

The Institute for the development of Education (IDE - Croatia) is a non-profit think-tank that contributes to the development of higher education policy, provides expert support to institutions, connects domestic and international experts and enables individuals in Croatia and Europe to achieve their educational goals. IDE is based in Zagreb (Croatia) and since its launch in 1999, it has succeeded in consolidating its position as the leading Croatian organisation in the field of higher education.

Why participate in the project?

IDE has developed significant expertise on equity and social inclusion in education. IDE has become a leading force in developing the policy agenda for addressing educational inequality and social inclusion in higher education in Croatia and in Europe. IDE issued numerous publications on fostering equitable access to higher education. IDE led the working group that drafted national minimal standards and policy recommendations for ensuring equitable access for students with disabilities in Croatia. IDE made a direct impact on national policy in Croatia by successfully advocating for the development of a National Action Plan for Social Dimension of Higher Education 2018-2021. Since 2018 IDE provides expert services to the Bologna Follow-up Group for the enhancement of social dimension in the European Higher Education Area.

Our role in the project

IDE will contribute to the project through the following activities:

  • Participate as an active member of the Transnational Steering Group

  • Provide guidance and input for the preparation of the four peer-learning activities (PLAs); participate in the PLAs; provide input on the PLA report

  • Provide guidance and input during the different phases (desk research, focus groups, design/revision toolkit, implementation) of the development and testing of the PAGs toolkit and the mental health framework;

  • Lead the development of the ‘Central web portal’

  • Contribute actively to the dissemination and communication activities regarding the PLAR-U-PAGs project, including participation in the final dissemination conference

Our project team

For PLAR-U-PAGs, IDE has nominated staff with vast experience in social dimension and project management:

Ninoslav S. Schmidt

Director - Project associate PLAR-U-PAGs

Ninoslav S. Schmidt is the founder of the IDE, where he served as Executive Director since 1999. He has dedicated his career to the development of higher education policies. His main expertise is in the social dimension of higher education, institutional governance and strategic management of higher education, financing of higher education, and in quality assurance in higher education. He is currently co-chairing the Bologna Follow-up Working Group on Social Dimension for the period 2021-2024. He successfully co-chaired the previous 2018-2020 Bologna Follow-up Advisory Group on Social Dimension that created the strategic document “Principles and Guidelines for Social Dimension” to help 49 countries in the European Higher Education Area improve social dimension policies.

Zvonimir Anić

Project coordinator - Project associate PLAR-U-PAGs

Zvonimir Anić, Ph.D. works as a Project Coordinator at the Institute for the Development of Education since September 2022. He completed a master’s degree in History and Philosophy at the University of Rijeka where he also earned his Ph.D. in philosophy of science in 2022. He was a Fulbright Scholarship grantee in 2020/2021 and spent 9 months at the University of Pittsburgh. He has first-hand experience teaching at the primary, secondary and tertiary level of education as well as being a researcher on several projects funded by the Croatian Science Foundation at the Institute of Philosophy in Zagreb and University of Rijeka. He has published scientific and popular articles in scientific journals and other publications.