Project rationale
This project is categorised as an information and dissemination project because its main purpose is to offer to the three participating Croatian universities a broad overview of the different approaches of EU partner institutions to the conceptualisation, strategic management and implementation of staff development. Each of the EU partner institutions is recognised as a centre of excellence within their countries as well as EHEA and offers examples of best policies and practices in the area of staff development. The experiences and new concepts developed through the project will be disseminated across university constituents through training visits, initial seminar, sample training seminars held at each Croatian partner university and through the presentation of policy documents at the UNESCO Chair web site. The possibilities for developing specific infrastructure, resources and responsibilities will be addressed bearing in mind different traditions and organisational modes of the three Croatian universities. The project would give opportunity to the beneficiary institutions to discuss new information from their specific perspectives thus enabling them to adopt the most appropriate approach to the conceptualisation of the staff development model for their institution. The project should be also perceived as a useful tool for the empowerment of decision makers and potential staff developers to promote the concept of strategic staff development as part of quality assurance system. It would also make possible the exploration of common interests with EU partners that might serve as the basis for future networking and cooperation in this area.

Resources - inputs:
Staff costs:
- Two part-time secretaries for 1 year at grant applicant and coordinator institutions
- Project co-ordination at each institution, developing and drafting documents
- Lecturers and trainers fees

Accommodation and travel costs:
- 8 lecturers (one 3-day seminar - 5 days including travel)
- 3 trainers from EU partner institutions (1 trainer per one of the three 2-day sample training seminars - 4 days including preparation and travel)
- 12 participants from Croatian Universities that are not hosting the sample training seminar (2 per University per seminar)
- 30 participants from Croatia in the Dubrovnik seminar (10 participants per each university)

Material expenses:
- Printing and distribution costs, preparation of e-materials
- Bank costs
- Access to the internet

The assumptions for the success of the project are:
- New legislation obliging the introduction of internal quality assurance system, previous TEMPUS projects developing quality assurance system
- Emphasis of the concepts of life long learning and professional development as a key to the development of quality culture at institutions of higher education
- Commitment of top management to the idea of Continuous Professional Development; positive experience with some experimental training programmes offered by outside teams and organisations, tradition of medical school in Continuous Professional Development of their academic staff.

The risks for the success of the project are:
Widely spread traditional view of academic teaching, lack of clearly articulated policy in the area of staff development, financial restrictions concerning the organisational infrastructure and limitations of human resources to provide relevant programs and their implementation.