As part of the Erasmus+ staff mobility programme within the European University Alliance UNIC, Mr. Colman Quain, College Manager at University College Cork (UCC), visited the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, on 28 and 29 May 2025. During his stay in Zagreb, Mr. Quain participated in a series of meetings with academic and administrative staff, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the two institutions in the areas of student and staff mobility, joint academic initiatives, and the exchange of good practices in governance and quality assurance.
The visit began with a meeting at the Office for International Cooperation and Projects, where Mr. Quain was welcomed by Vice-Dean for International and Inter-institutional Cooperation and Quality Management, Prof. Iris Goldner Lang, Ph.D., and political scientist Martina Batistić, univ. spec. The discussion focused on existing and future forms of academic cooperation and mobility within the UNIC initiative, as well as the possibility of establishing an Erasmus+ inter-institutional agreement between UCC and the Faculty of Law.
The next meeting of Mr. Quain was with Vice-Dean for Science, Innovations, Knowledge Transfer and Lifelong Learning, Prof. Elizabeta Ivičević Karas, Ph.D., who presented the concept of doctoral studies at the Faculty of Law. They also explored potential avenues for collaboration in thematic fields of mutual interest such as environmental law, children’s rights and family law, European integration, human rights, sports law, and AI regulation.
At the Department of Administrative Sciences, Mr. Quain held a meeting with Prof. Goranka Lalić Novak, Ph.D., Executive Leader of the European University of Post-Industrial Cities – UNIC for the University of Zagreb. In the context of ongoing cooperation within the UNIC alliance, Prof. Lalić Novak highlighted the importance of European university alliances and the strategic role of UNIC as a key EU initiative for strengthening international collaboration and innovation in higher education.
Assoc. Prof. Zoran Burić, Ph.D., from the Department of Criminal Procedure Law, exchanged insights with Mr. Quain regarding the implementation of new courses in the law curriculum and the challenges related to EU law application in criminal procedural contexts. They also discussed practical approaches to legal education, including moot courts and clinical legal training.
The final meeting was held with Ms. Marija Križanec, mag. iur., Head of the Office for Quality Assurance and E-Learning, and Ms. Tihana Tolić, educ. phil. et mag. educ. croat., from the Student Mobility Service. They provided Mr. Quain with a detailed overview of the Faculty’s procedures and practices in curriculum development, quality assurance, and student support for both incoming and outgoing mobility.
Mr. Quain expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and the Faculty’s openness to dialogue and collaboration. He particularly emphasised the shared commitment to internationalisation and the continuous enhancement of higher education quality, in line with the values of the UNIC alliance.
