University Metropolitan Tirana has been selected as an official partner in the newly launched Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project titled Grounded Ecological Transition for the Mediterranean (GET-MED). With a total budget of €768,626 and a planned duration of 36 months, the project aims to advance sustainable urban and territorial development across the Mediterranean through transformative academic innovation and interregional collaboration. GET-MED introduces a pioneering approach known as
GET (Grounded + Ecological + Transition), which focuses on promoting pro-green urbanism and climate-sensitive territorial regeneration.
The project addresses common challenges in the South Mediterranean (Egypt and Morocco) and the Western Balkans (Albania and Montenegro), such as the limited effectiveness in implementing global sustainability policies, the fragmentation and lack of coordination in local planning efforts, and the slow responsiveness of higher education systems in preparing graduates for real-world development and environmental challenges. The project brings together a diverse consortium of ten institutions, including three European and seven non-European universities, alongside non-governmental organizations and stakeholders involved in education, urban planning, and environmental sustainability. Through this partnership, GET-MED seeks to create an interdisciplinary and context-sensitive model of education that is both academically robust and practically applicable.
As a partner institution, UMT will contribute significantly to the design, testing, and implementation of innovative academic curricula focused on green transition. These curricula will be co-developed and piloted in collaboration with partner institutions and will integrate both theoretical frameworks and practical methodologies that reflect local cultures, ecosystems, and socio-economic conditions. UMT will also support the training of academic staff through hands-on seminars held in Europe, and will participate in regional workshops designed to adapt and contextualize the educational content to local realities.
One of the flagship results of the project will be the establishment of interdisciplinary GET Labs in non-EU partner countries, including Albania. These labs will serve as collaborative platforms where academic institutions, local authorities, community members, and practitioners come together to co-create solutions for sustainable development. The GET Labs aim to bridge the gap between academia and society by offering a flexible, practice-oriented, and inclusive educational space.
Participation in the GET-MED project marks an important milestone in UMT’s internationalization journey and strengthens its commitment to addressing global challenges through education, research, and community engagement. By fostering educational innovation, regional cooperation, and a green mindset among students and educators, UMT is contributing to the shared vision of a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable Mediterranean future.
