Within the scope of the first work package WP1 of the project, this publication tries to give an overview of the different approaches to handle financial management in the partner institutions of the countries participating in the project.
In three study visits the approaches of Austria, Germany and Spain were introduced and discussed, including the political backgrounds, the relation between government and Higher Education Institutions and the decision structures within the Institutions. All these surrounding conditions influence the manner of how financial management is handled at the partner institutions. The analysis of these practises at the partner Institutions therefore will be an important basis for the further development of project steps as well as for the identification of best practises that might be usable in the Kosovar Higher Education System.
The observations made in the kick-off meeting lead to the fact, that general discussions about the status-quo and the specification of the meaning of autonomy and accountability in general should be a part of all upcoming consortium meetings. This strategic work is covered by WP4, which aims to the development of a ‘White Paper’ for a Financial Model for the Kosovo Public HE system.
As the main objective of the project is to strengthen the financial autonomy of the Higher Education Institutions in Kosova, an essential part to achieve this goal is to enable the responsible persons within the institutions to cope with the daily tasks regarding financial management.
Key requirements could be identified that might be the basis of the software infrastructure improvement:
An ambitious project means continuous management. FH Campus Wien as project coordinator appoint a project manager to establish reporting procedures and internal templates. Each partner shall keep documentation & prepare reports. Furthermore the task of the FH Campus Wien include maintaining documentation, managing resources, reporting and preparing the meetings of the Project Management Board as well as in cooperation with the Quality Boad chairperson for the Quality Board.
FAITH is the acronym of Increasing the Financial Autonomy and accountabIlity at public Higher education institutions in Kosova. The project concept was conceived with sufficient scope to target real needs gaps identified, without being un-attainable. It is quite obvious that public HEIs in Kosovo are seeking to become more flexible, autonomous and transparent with regards the Financial Management (FM) of their institutions.
