ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT

FOR THE PERIOD 2014-2020
FOR THE PERIOD 2021-2027
 

ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT FOR THE PERIOD 2014-2020

The University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies (UCIPS) carries out academic programs at undergraduate and graduate (master and doctoral) levels in the field of social sciences (undergraduate, master and doctoral studies of criminal investigation), sciences and mathematics (undergraduate, master and doctoral studies of informatics and computer science) and technical and technological sciences (undergraduate, master and doctoral studies of forensic engineering). The UCIPS has inherited a long tradition of higher police education in the Republic of Serbia since 1921, and since 2006 it has been devoted to the Bologna process. Also, the UCIPS is dedicated to and strategically aims at development and spreading of international cooperation in the field of higher police education and scientific and research work and it invests efforts to establish and nurture cooperation with similar higher education and scientific institutions both in the EU countries and other countries such as the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey, China, and so on. The UCIPS cooperates with these institutions based on cooperation agreements which regulate cooperation in the field of educational activity, mobility and science and research. The UCIPS has a mission to develop and improve higher police education, as well as relevant scientific disciplines within the field of criminal investigation, informatics and forensic engineering, promoting democratic values and professionalism of policing, as well as scientific rationale of modern crime control. Participation in Erasmus plus program is an integral part of the strategy of the institution in the field of international cooperation development. The UCIPS coordinated one Erasmus+ project (IMPRESS). Erasmus+ programs in which the University takes part have encouraged and sped up the development in the direction of introduction and improvement of mobility of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as strengthening of institutional capacities and international scientific cooperation. In the forthcoming period the University will make efforts to achieve participation in all key activities of the Erasmus+ program, including particularly the KA2 programs - Strategic Partnerships, Knowledge Alliances and Capacity Building Projects in higher police education.

Since its foundation the UCIPS is strategically devoted to empowering the connection between police education and policing, as well as scientific research in the field of criminal investigation, police and security sciences. Accordingly, the University is particularly interested in contributing both to improvement of the national higher police education and creation of added value for the European space of police education, in other words to constant spreading and improvement of cooperation and connecting with the European countries in defining educational policies in the field of police education. In that regard, the UCIPS makes efforts within the framework of Erasmus+ programs to develop strategic partnerships, the alliances of knowledge and the programmes of mobility of students and staff with similar institutions of higher police education and relevant scientific institutions, the priority being (but not exclusively) the institutions in the EU, or in the European territory.

The UCIPS expects to benefit from mobility and cooperation with the institutions of higher police education, as well as other institutions which deal with education in the field of security in the EU countries, as well as other countries, which will in turn help it to improve its education system, curricula, scientific research, as well as make it become more open and capable to provide students with knowledge and expertise needed to respond adequately to crime and other security challenges. The University is devoted to improving police education, the result of which would be better efficiency and effectiveness of policing in a diverse and quickly changing society and it keeps facing new risks and security challenges, with growing expectation at the same time for the police to improve preventive and proactive work and the relationship with the citizens, as well as protection of crime victims. With regard to this, it is important to use the existing comparative experiences and scientific knowledge in order to improve curricula of higher police education, to improve high-level digital competences, capacity for problem-solving, ‘learning to learn’ skills as well as police officers’ social skills. Developing the curricula in the field of informatics and computer science, as well as forensic engineering, the University responds to the growing needs of the labour market of many European countries for graduates in technology and engineering. The University will make the most of Erasmus programme to improve staff mobility and to strengthen cooperation with other higher police education institutions across the Europe, as well as to incorporate comparative experience in making the police education system more inclusive for students of ethnic minorities, especially Roma. Cooperation with partner institutions under Erasmus+ programme is also expected to improve doctoral curricula, enabling students to develop research skills, critical thinking and creativity, as well as abilities to apply new knowledge and skills (including cyber security skills) in crime control practices. The University intends to further develop research-based teaching and support of interdisciplinary education and research, in order to make higher education in criminal investigation, forensic engineering and informatics more effective and efficient, as well as to firmly secure development of evidence-based policing.

 

ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT FOR THE PERIOD 2021-2027

The University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies is a high-education institution which belongs to the unified system of higher education of the Republic of Serbia. At the same time, it is the only independent institution of higher education which has been established for the requirements of higher police education. Therefore, this is a unique model of higher police education, which is based on all laws and standards of the higher education in the Republic of Serbia but which has many specific and special characteristics in comparison with other institutions of higher education.

The University consists of three departments: the Department of Criminal Investigation, within which the academic programs are realized in the field of social sciences and humanities; the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, within which the academic programs are realized in the field of natural sciences, and the Department of Forensic Engineering, within which the academic programs are realized in the field of technical and technological sciences. Each department carries out the accredited study programs of undergraduate, master and doctoral studies, while the Department of Criminal Investigation carries out specialist academic studies as well. The University has also accredited and carries out a master program in the field of interdisciplinary-multidisciplinary-transdisciplinary (IMT) studies. Therefore, the mission of the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies is to provide, develop and improve higher police education, as well as relevant scientific disciplines in the fields of criminal investigation, information science, forensic engineering and security studies, promoting democratic values and professionalism of police work, as well as scientific foundation of contemporary crime control.

The attitude of the University is that development and improvement of higher police education is impossible without the developed international cooperation, in other words without networking among European countries in defining educational policies in the field of police education. Accordingly, the University is particularly interested in giving its contribution to improve national higher police education and create added value for European space of police education, as well as to actively participate in constant spreading and improvement of cooperation and connecting of European countries in defining educational policies in the field of police education. In these activities the University will rely to the maximum on its membership in the Association of European Police Colleges (54 institutions), but also on the confirmed cooperation with 27 institutions of higher police education in the territories of Europe and Asia. In the period from 2021-2027, the University will make efforts to double the number of institutions with which it will cooperate internationally, first of all by signing cooperation agreements, and then through exchange of other contents in the field of education and science.

Participation in the Erasmus plus program makes an integral part of the institutional strategy of development and strengthening of its own educational and scientific institutional capacities, but also of developing international cooperation. The University was a successful partner within the consortium of one Erasmus plus project (NatRisk, 2016‒2020), and it was the coordinator of another Erasmus plus project (IMPRESS, 2017‒2021). The University has understood the purpose of participation in the Erasmus plus program and has knowingly, legally and successfully accepted the European standards and good practice. This has encouraged the development of the area and activities of international cooperation, but also adoption of internal documents which the University did not have earlier. The results include: new job positions and new duties (Prorector for international and inter-institutional cooperation, academic coordinator for ECTS student mobility; administrative coordinator for ECTS student mobility; Commission for realization of the University student mobility program, international cooperation and administration coordinators; adoption of new documents and acts (The Rulebook on Mobility, Strategy of Mobility, Strategy of Education Internationalization, as well as action plans for their implementation), but also the introduction of new chapters and general standards in other general documents of the University (the Statute, the Annual Work Plan of the University, Financial plan, etc.).

Furthermore, the University has managed to establish new international contacts within the European Union, to gain its first international experience and provide for the first mobility of students, teachers and other employees. The University has chosen the international mobility to be one of the central pivots of international cooperation in the field of higher police education and scientific and research work, without which there is no development and progress. This is why planning, monitoring and improvement of academic mobility is also covered by all bodies, organizational units and services of the University in addition to the Prorector for international cooperation and the already mentioned newly formed bodies and their respective duties. In order for the exchange to be made easier, the Rulebooks on exchange of the staff and students and the acknowledgment of ECTS points have been adopted in order to regulate, conduct and ensure international exchange.

General acts of the University as well as transparency and availability of all relevant information within special Erasmus chapter at the webpage will continue to ensure that the selection for mobility is conducted in a transparent manner with equal opportunities for all potential participants, without discrimination based on gender, ethnic or social background, religion or belief, political or other opinion, belonging to a national minority, property, age or sexual orientation. Additional efforts will be made for the selection of students, teaching and non-teaching staff for mobility to be organized in a fair, clear, consistent and documented manner and that each individual is treated equally. The University will continue with the practice of full acknowledgment of successful completion of student mobility for learning, internship or research, through acknowledgment of ECTS points acquired during the mobility period. Successfully completed activities of students will be acknowledged through academic acknowledgment of mobility period, through acknowledgment of passed exams (ECTS points) as the results which the students achieved during exchange, as well as through acknowledgment of optional activities, registering them into the Diploma transcript. The University will provide for the students participating in mobility the access to the University Library, as well as to all teaching and non-teaching contents available to domestic students. Based on the annual report of mobility realization, the University will continue to challenge and improve the conditions and mechanisms to create assumptions for even better quality academic mobility. Using the results of internal monitoring of international mobility and cooperation, the University will ensure continuous updating and improvement of quality of international mobility, study and research and other international activities.

Therefore, the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies is aware of the significance and necessity of participation in the Erasmus plus programs for the topicality of study programs, as well as justification of existence, attractiveness and competitiveness within national and European space of higher education and science. It is therefore the vision of the University to continue to participate in the Erasmus plus program in order to continue adopting new standards of higher education in the European Union, i.e. to develop and strengthen additionally the organizational units for international cooperation in terms of staff, to provide expert training for the staff in charge of the international cooperation, to improve continuously internal acts and procedures of international cooperation, to develop strategic partnerships additionally, to create new alliances of knowledge, to achieve new programs of mobility of students and staff with similar institutions of higher education, police officers and related educational-scientific institutions in the EU. In the forthcoming period the University will make efforts to participate in all key activities of the Erasmus plus program, including particularly the K2 programs - Strategic Partnerships, Knowledge Alliances and Capacity Building Projects in higher police education. This will inevitably improve the process of paper publishing of the University teaching staff, both independently and in co-authorship with European authors, in international proceedings and monographs, and primarily in reference international scientific journals.

More specifically, by participating in the Erasmus plus program in the period from 2021 to 2027, the University will considerably improve the cooperation with institutions of higher education of police officers as well as other institutions dealing with education in the field of security in the EU countries, but in other countries as well. This will improve curricula, scientific and research work and transfer of knowledge and practical skills, so that the University will become open for education, training and acquisition of competences by which the graduate students would adequately respond to crime and other contemporary security threats and challenges. This will provide for further development, strengthening and improvement of our awareness on the need to expand knowledge and skills of both national and international students, gain life experience through learning about various cultures and customs and create and expand international friendship. By gaining international knowledge personal progress of participants in the mobility will be made easier. The awareness will develop on the necessity to cooperate, network and exchange knowledge and skills in pedagogical, scientific, and organisational and other fields with the European experts. Visibility, appropriateness and practical applicability will be encouraged of the results of mobility and internationalization of education. Any type of discrimination will not be tolerated in the activities of mobility and internationalization of knowledge. The policy of non-discrimination will continue to develop through various types of additional support to both incoming and outgoing students, as well as to the students from various social environments and for ethnic minority members.

The University will take advantage of the Erasmus plus program to integrate comparative European experience through improved mobility of its staff and through strengthened cooperation with other institutions of higher police education. This will provide for the police education system to offer knowledge which will ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness of policing in multicultural and increasingly dynamic and globalized society, which faces new risks and security challenges. At the same time, based on international experience adopted, there will be more comprehensive response to growing expectations of the public for the police to improve preventive and proactive activities and relationship with citizens, as well as to protect crime victims more efficiently. This is all why the University is ready to accept new comparative experiences and scientific knowledge developed by partner institutions in Europe, and thus improve its study programs, capability of problem-solving, “learning to learn” skills, as well as social skills of the future police officers. Modernized curricula and study programs will be based on experience, research and analysis of the EU projects, and adapted to the needs of the modern police and other subjects which prevent and suppress contemporary crime. Thus, in addition to improvement of professional qualities, there will be achieved a higher quality of basic (such as digital, social and ecological) and transversal skills and competences, such as specific problem solving through team work.

Participation in the Erasmus plus programs will also have influence on strengthening of overall capacities of the institution through material and technical investment into infrastructure, primarily into facilities, classrooms, library, laboratories and training grounds. Through implementation of programs for systematic monitoring of mobility, electronic data base will be developed for more efficient monitoring and evaluation of the results of outgoing and incoming mobility students and staff. By development and improvement of study programs in the field of information and computer sciences, as well as forensic engineering, there will be more efficient response to the growing needs of the European labour market for graduate engineers of technology and computer science.

It is particularly expected that the cooperation with partner institutions within the Erasmus plus program will improve doctoral studies at the University, providing the students with the possibility to develop their research skills, critical thinking and creativity, as well as the capabilities to apply new knowledge and skills in crime control, especially security skills in cyber space.

It is the intention of the University to continue to develop research-based teaching and to support interdisciplinary education and research in order for the higher education in the fields of criminal investigation, forensic engineering and information science to be more efficient and more effective, as well as to resolutely provide for the development of policing based on evidence and honouring of all universal democratic values.