Supporting the “BH Academic Diaspora Portal” Phase 2 of the project Academic portal of the Bosniac Institute – Adil Zulfikarpašić Foundation

Project location: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo
Project start date: June 2012 - Project end date: September 2013
Project number: 2012-007
Beneficiary: Bosniac Institute

 

"BH Academic Diaspora Portal" is phase 2 of the project "Academic portal of the Bosniac Institute - Adil Zulfikarpašić Foundation". Bosniac Institute started the project Academic Portal of the Bosniac Institute - Adil Zulfikarpašić Foundation (October 2010 to end of 2011), as academic and scholarly network designed to ensure the free flow and exchange of information, consisting of doctoral dissertations and scholarly papers by:
• BH scholars in the diaspora,
• BH scholars living in B&H who defended their scholarly papers abroad,
• Foreign researchers and scholars who have written about B&H.

The Diaspora Portal project has received a grant from the Nando Peretti Foundation, and is designed to resolve 2 main issues:
- Creation of central academic database on multiethnic level. The idea of Diaspora Portal consists of creating a unified and integrated academic production of all BH nationals regardless of ethnic and/or religious affiliation.
- Creation of central academic database for development of science and culture in educational purposes. It includes:
• creation of free flow of information of the products of intellectual work of BH academic research community abroad,
• connection of BH academic research diaspora and academics of similar orientation and origins at home and abroad,
• development of mutual academic projects between BH scholars at home and abroad,
• development of integrated national bibliography of doctoral thesis.

The Diaspora Portal project consists of:
1. Creating a new web portal of Diaspora Portal. The Bosniac Institute developed preliminary or test phase of the Portal. The Portal needs to be upgraded:
• in design (more simple to use, user friendly interface, more functional, similar in design and function with the other related web repositories of doctoral thesis ,
• creating web presentation, users' interface (front-end),
• creating web application that includes data base of registered users and dissertations (back-end),
• auxiliary documentation (users' manual)
2. Promotion of the Diaspora Portal project:
• Promotion of the project in printed and electronic media
• Presentation of the project at the Bosniac Institute
• Design, printing and mailing of the leaflet, poster and invitations
• Organizing a refreshment after presentation
3. Maintenance of the Diaspora Portal project:
• Administering the Diaspora Portal
• Helping users of the Diaspora Portal through e-mail or phone

ACTIVITY 1: Creating a new web design of Diaspora Portal

Description of activity

  1. creating visual identity of web presentation, users and administrative interface
  2. creating web presentation, users’ interface (front-end)
  3. creating web application with registered users and dissertations (back-end)
  4. creating auxiliary documentation (users’ manual)

Implementer

- Project Coordinator       - Firm “Think Tank Consultants d.o.o.”

 

Number of persons

2

Duration of activity

3 months

Budget items

1.1

2.1

ACTIVITY 2: Promotion of Diaspora Portal project

Description of activity

  1. promotion of Diaspora Portal in print and electronic media
  2. promotion through the Newsletter of the Bosniac Institute 
  3. promotion of the project in the Bosniac Institute, including written announcement for media, design, printing and mailing invitations, and organizing refreshment
  4. promotion through leaflets and posters, including design, printing and mailing of leaflets and posters

Implementer

Project Coordinator       

Number of persons

1

Duration of activity

1 month[1]

Budget items

1.1

2.2

 

ACTIVITY 3: Maintenance of Diaspora Portal

Description of activity

  1. administering the Diaspora Portal 
  2. helping users of the Diaspora Portal through e-mail or phone

Implementer

Project Coordinator

Web administrator

Number of persons

2

Duration of activity

12 month

Budget items

1.1

2.3

 



[1] Long term promotion through distribution of leaflets and posters.

The Diaspora Portal project will offer:

Recovering and development of multicultural and multiethnic awareness and spreading idea of reconciliation, understanding and cooperation through science:
• linking BH scholars in the diaspora with scholarly institutions in B&H, exchange of scholarly information between scholars in B&H and the diaspora. BH scholars are already attempting, by means of academic and professional conferences and individual collaboration, to form closer contacts and exchange of information between academic communities at home and abroad. The Diaspora Portal will facilitate and simplify these efforts.
• The Diaspora Portal would be the only project of its kind throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, though in the region, similar project has been developed in Croatia.
• the Diaspora Portal project will encourage development of partnerships with international academic and cultural institutions, which may lead to development of joint projects. Future linking of databases of doctoral dissertations in South-East Europe is to be expected.

2. Development of professional cooperation:
• Cooperation on academic basis between BH scholars in the diaspora of different ethnic affiliation
• Cooperation on academic basis between BH scholars from the diaspora with those in B&H.
• Inter institutional cooperation
• Cooperation between the Bosniac Institute and universities and institutes abroad
• Cooperation between the Bosniac Institute and BH diaspora associations abroad

3. Development of science and education:
• free flow of information, free access to knowledge, enhanced access to scholarship, up-to-date, high quality information with a positive, affirmative impact on the knowledge society and the popularization of scholarship.
• centralization of knowledge and the products of the intellectual work of the BH academic research community abroad, thereby minimizing or eliminating the current dispersal and lack of coherence of scholarship from the diaspora.

The Project will benefit primary users:
• professional institutions, universities, colleges, institutes, academies, BH diaspora associations, libraries and archives
• professionals in the field of information science who work in academic and research institutions (librarians and archivists).
The Project will benefit end-users:
• BH academics in the diaspora and in B&H
• Scholars, students of undergraduate and postgraduate studies (both master and doctoral)
• Professors and lecturers at the universities
• Journalists and other researchers and professionals


think global, act local
you are here: Home  > Projects:  Charity or Europe  (or Both)  > 2012-007  > Project Description