SPOTLIGHTS
Digitalising Higher Education in Former Yugoslavian Countries
Digital transformation in higher education is often portrayed as a technical upgrade. In the former Yugoslavian countries, however, it is deeply shaped by historical adaptation, political fragmentation, and structural inequalities, with readiness for advanced digital tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), remaining uneven despite formal membership in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Transformation Under Constraint: Wartime Digital and Academic Networks
Contrary to the belief that digitalisation started only after the conflicts of the 1990s, academic transformation took root even during the wars. As investigated for instance in the Erasmus+-funded project CLOUD HED, underground academic networks, notably the Alternative Academic Educational Network (AAN) – particularly active in wartime Serbia (Régent et al., 2025) –, maintained informal ties with European higher education, keeping elements of Bologna-aligned thinking alive despite the turmoil. At the same time, basic internet access was available and used to maintain communication between students and faculty, providing early, pragmatic exposure to digital connectivity.
This wartime digital engagement resonates with broader patterns observed in e-learning adoption across Europe: when mobility is constrained, as also seen during the COVID19-pandemic, digital methods can become vital enablers of internationalisation at home, fostering virtual collaboration even where physical exchange is limited. The SOS_IB case study of digital simulation practice, for instance, found that digital interventions can bridge gaps between institutions with differing levels of international exposure, supporting both teaching innovation and cross-border engagement.
Post-War Reconstruction: Physical Rebuilding Over Digital Strategy
In the 2000s, resources flowed into physical infrastructure and institutional renewal of post-war structures, while strategic digital development was largely postponed. This prioritisation meant that digital adoption entered higher education piecemeal rather than as an integrated system strategy. At the same time, a significant academic brain drain exacerbated gaps in leadership and capacity that are crucial for guiding sustained digitalisation and innovative pedagogies.
Societal Pressure and Institutional Instability
Digital reform is still shaped by societal and political pressures. In Serbia, protests, university occupations, and strikes have disrupted teaching and research, diverting institutional attention from long-term digital strategies. Across the region, political sensitivities complicate cooperation and mutual recognition of qualifications, undermining the interoperable systems envisioned by EHEA reforms. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnic fragmentation of the higher education landscape reinforces administrative silos, limiting coordinated digital development across entities.
Bologna in Theory, Fragmentation in Practice
Although the countries are members of the EHEA, implementation lags behind policy. Inconsistent application of ECTS, uneven quality assurance, and limited recognition of qualifications across borders hinder the development of interoperable digital platforms that are foundational for student mobility and shared data systems. Research on digital transformation in Bologna contexts highlights the importance of tailored institutional strategies: digital tools must align with pedagogical goals and organisational models to be effective.
Digital Divide and AI Readiness
Across the region, a pronounced digital divide persists in the shape of:
-
Gaps in digital skills among staff and students;
-
Infrastructure shortfalls, especially in rural areas; and
-
Limited system interoperability.
​
These constraints are especially relevant as institutions explore AI applications In systems where student records, quality assurance, and mobility data are still fragmented, AI deployment risks being symbolic rather than transformative. Its effective use requires digital infrastructure, data governance, and pedagogical alignment. Without these foundations, AI risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than transforming learning experiences.
Regional Cooperation and Digital Integration
AI-enabled digital ecosystems thrive on regional cooperation, shared standards, and mobility. Yet political tensions continue to limit joint initiatives, data exchange, and mutual recognition across borders, complicating efforts to build regional digital education infrastructures aligned with European standards.
From Wartime Resilience to Strategic Digital Transformation
The history of higher education in the former Yugoslavian countries reveals a paradox: innovation and digital engagement occurred even under extreme constraints, yet post-war reconstruction did not automatically translate into strategic digital progress. Early digital communications and informal academic networks helped sustain connections, but reconstruction priorities and long-standing fragmentation slowed coherent development of digital strategies and AI readiness.
The foundations for transformation exist, some laid even amid adversity. The task now is to convert this legacy of resilience into a coherent, inclusive, and future-oriented digital higher education ecosystem that aligns values, policy, and technology for learners and societies alike.
​
Whether digitalisation becomes a driver of convergence or another layer of fragmentation will depend on the ability to turn past resilience into coordinated, regionally embedded, and European-aligned digital strategies.
Balancing Ethics and Innovation:
How AI Is Reshaping Higher Ed in Southeastern Europe
Southeastern European Widening Countries face the dual challenge of advancing digital transformation while aligning their higher education systems with European policies and standards. The DEEPEN project provides an in-depth analysis of how Widening Countries address these challenges.
As part of the DEEPEN project, leading higher education experts from the Western Balkans - Prof. Marjan Milošević (University of Kragujevac, Serbia), Prof. Dr. Festim Halili (University of Tetova, North Macedonia), Dr. Edita Bucinca (Kosovo Education Center, Kosovo), Irina Geanta (Executive Agency for Higher Education, Romania), and Prof. Vlad Vuković (Metropolitan University, Serbia) shared their views on challenges and opportunities of digital transformation in their institutions and national research sectors.
The experts highlighted that, while universities in the region are becoming central actors for digital skills, innovation, and capacity building (e.g., Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo), many institutions still lack structured university wide digitalization frameworks. As a result, digitalization progress often remains project-based and is dependent on external funding.
Risks of AI Adoption
Digital transformation and AI offer major opportunities, but they can reinforce existing challenges when structural conditions are missing. The DEEPEN experts identified several risk areas:
-
Digital inequalities:
Kosovo, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina show disparities in digital infrastructure between urban and rural regions. Experts stressed that AI technologies may widen this gap when access and skills remain unevenly distributed. -
Inequality between higher education institutions:
In countries such as Albania, North Macedonia, or Serbia, clear differences exist between digital frontrunners and lagging institutions. The absence of overarching institutional strategies can lead to fragmented development paths. -
Lack of digital competence and organizational learning:
Many universities do not adequately prepare faculty and staff for AI-related change. Without systematic organizational learning, risks arise from skill mismatch, lack of acceptance, skills loss, and job insecurity. -
Regulatory and governance gaps:
Almost all studied countries point to missing ethics standards, data protection rules, or systematic governance structures for AI in higher education. -
Declining trust and lack of transparency:
DEEPEN shows that Serbia, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina suffer from institutional trust deficits that may deepen through the deployment of opaque AI systems. -
Risks of political or economic manipulation:
DEEPEN sees that AI-generated content may be used for political or economic influence weakening the political systems of the countries considered.
​
Progress and Remaining Gaps
The DEEPEN analysis shows that universities are making progress in deploying AI-supported educational technologies and digital administration tools:
-
Individualized learning platforms have been developed especially in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, where new digital systems (e.g., Shkollat.org, university-level e-learning tools) support personalized learning pathways.
-
Digital skills development and lifelong learning are key priorities in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where national strategies, digital-skills programs, and EU-funded reforms aim to prepare educators and students for AI.
Despite these advances persistent systemic gaps remain:
-
missing system-wide digitalization strategies that connect teaching, research, governance, and ethics;
-
insufficient research capacities in AI and data-driven governance;
-
lack of institutional learning mechanisms and sustainable forms of regional cooperation
The Way Forward
Given the diverse digital trajectories across countries, the region must rely on cooperation, strategic coordination, and learning institutions. DEEPEN identifies the following priorities:
-
developing institutional digitalization strategies tailored to each institution’s capacities;
-
fostering organizational learning and adaptive governance;
-
aligning national digitalization and higher education policies with EU standards;
-
building collaborative networks for knowledge co-creation and innovation on equal terms.
Ultimately, Southeastern Europe’s higher education systems have made important strides in regard to digitalization, but continued progress depends on strategic coordination, robust governance, and a shared commitment to digital inclusion.