On Thursday, April 8, 2021, a new project VIBES (Virtual business skills Empowerment) was launched by the University of Dubrovnik Research Center CREDO. The project is funded under the Erasmus + program of the European Commission. The consortium, led by the University of Dubrovnik, brings together partners from Croatia, Finland, Estonia, Belgium and Switzerland. The first meeting of the project was originally planned to take place in Brussels, but was held online due to Covid 19 restrictions.

The aim of the project is to strengthen students' competences for working in multicultural virtual environments, which are becoming increasingly important in the modern business world. Even before the Covid 19 pandemic, research showed that more than a third of employees in developed economies work in virtual teams. With the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic, the virtual environment has become the only form of work for most companies. However, not enough attention is paid to this group of skills in the educational programs of universities and high schools, and scientific research on this topic is only beginning to emerge.

The project will conduct research among employers in EU member states on the skills required to work in virtual teams. Based on the results, teaching modules for high schools and universities will be developed and included in the curricula of the partner organizations. A virtual collaboration space is planned where teachers can share teaching materials, experiences and ideas to improve and develop the modules. The project outcomes envisage a manual with guidance on how to apply the project outcomes in other interested high schools and universities.

Since its establishment in 2020, six Erasmus+ projects have been awarded to Credo, including two where Credo is the coordinator. In addition to the head of the University of Dubrovnik, the VIBES project consortium consists of LAB University of Applied Sciences, Finland, Estonian Business School, Estonia, Smartworks SME association, Estonia, University of Applied Sciences of Grissons, Switzerland, Institut de Haute Formation aux Politiques Communautaires, Belgium and Economics and Trade School Dubrovnik.

The project leader is Assoc. Prof. Nebojša Stojčić and the team consists of Credo Center researchers, Assoc. Prof. Katija Vojvodić, Assoc. Prof. Perica Vojinić and Assist. Prof. Marija Bečić.

The duration of the project is 24 months and the awarded contract value is EUR 211,105.00.