Objectives:

1. To offer effective solutions multi-level governance related to security threats in the targeted sectors of education, food and health
2. To increase international cooperation and transdisciplinarity integrating natural, social and health sciences in a humanities context, and transcending their traditional boundaries of new coming HEIs in the region on topics of common interest through open dialogue, exchange of good practices and inclusive learning
3. Improved knowledge of teachers and HEI management staff on security management practices in HEIs
4. Creating Security management policy frameworks
5. Creating Security protocols for staff and students, as well as Health safety standards & procedures at Universities
6. Handbook for public professions on discourse analysis in public and media space

Activities:

• SWOT analyses
• Regional scientific conference (May 2025)
• Teacher ToT training
• Organization of transdisciplinary student and NGOs hackathons
• 2 national exchange workshops on evidence-based policies and information and interdisciplinary security research with focus on cyber and physical security, health and food security aspects and their interconnectedness
• Webinar on the role of HE in security-related discourse analysis in public and media space
• Organization of regional webinar for media representatives on discourse analysis and security issues
• Organization of a regional webinar for public administration transdisciplinary character of security threats on national and local level and institutional resilience and preparedness
• Organization of 4 national thematic roundtables on Whole society approach to security and good governance
• CPD training for public administration on transdisciplinary character of security threats on national and local level and institutional resilience and preparedness

Higher education field on the project is represented by 6 HEIs that come from different scientific domains, namely security and diplomacy, political sciences, health and psychology, ICT, food and agriculture. Four of those higher education institutions come from Western Balkan countries which are not associated with the Programme, namely from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and these HEIs are the focus of project activities and interventions. The two-remaining partner HEIs come from Estonia and Serbia (a Western Balkan country associated with the Programme). In addition to higher education institutions, the project also involves two organisations from the non-government domain, and the fields they are involved in are social innovation, cyber security, civic engagement, social inclusion, and social and economic policy. In addition to full consortium members, the project also involves three associate members, i.e. three media houses from B&H and Montenegro: Radio-television of the Tuzla Canton, Radio-television of the Republic of Srpska and Radio-television of Montenegro. The project will directly involve 48 teaching staff members from HEIs in B&H and Montenegro, additional16 teaching staff members from HEIs in B&H and Montenegro to go through ToT (Training of Trainers) activities, 16 members of the non-teaching staff (minimum 1 financial officer, 1 legal officer, 1 student service officer per institution) from HEIs in B&H and Montenegro, 16 members of HEIs management from HEIs in B&H and Montenegro (minimum 1 financial officer, 1 legal officer, 1 student service officer per institution), 150 students from HEIs in B&H and Montenegro, 120 stakeholders from state institutions, nongovernment bodies and local self-government institutions, and 30 media and media representatives. TRUST is planned to last for 36 months (3 years). Bearing in mind the set specific objectives, the length and the requested budget, project activities have been devised in a manner which would render them objective, achievable and cost-effective while at the same time benefiting all those who have the need of the planned outputs.