HERIC Project is placed within the overarching framework of the Government of Montenegro’s   strategies for European integration in the areas of science and research and its Strategy for Higher Education. It will support to Government of Montenegro’s initiatives to ensure that:

• graduates are able to compete successfully on a regional and international level;
• professors at domestic universities are connected to domestic and international research efforts; 
• innovation is central to developing a dynamic and relevant higher education environment; and
• universities and private enterprises engage in and benefit from R&D efforts and technology transfer opportunities.

The objective of the Higher Education and Research for Innovation and Competitiveness Project (HERIC) is to strengthen the quality and relevance of higher education and research in Montenegro through reforming the higher education finance and quality assurance systems and by strengthening research and development capabilities.

There are four components to the project, the first component being higher education finance reforms and implementation of quality assurance norms. This component was designed with the Government of Montenegro (GoM) to support implementation of key higher education finance and quality reforms, specifically the goals identified in the strategy for the development and financing of higher education.

The second component is the human capital development through Internationalization Initiatives. The GoM recognizes that immediate impacts can be achieved by investing in international experiences for students and academic staff. Therefore, the GoM envisions a program where international engagements are supported both through facilitating access to existing internationalization opportunities and promoting foreign study and research in areas of national importance, to maximize absorption of knowledge and technical training provided around the world.

The third component is the establishing a competitive research environment. Finally, the fourth component is the project management and monitoring and evaluation. This component was designed to build capacity within Ministry of Education and Sports of Montenegro (MoES) and Ministry of Science of Montenegro (MoS) to manage the day-today implementation of the HERIC Project, as well as to monitor and evaluate its impact.