Research project Generic skills development within the AI-supported teaching and learning ecosystem (GenSKAI) started

22. 10. 2026. / Project

On Monday, October 19, 2026, the kick-off meeting for the project "Generic skills development within the AI-supported teaching and learning ecosystem – GenSKAI" was held at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Organization and Informatics. This is a research project (UIP-2026-5184) funded by the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) and led by Assoc. Prof. Katarina Pažur Aničić, Ph. D.

The overall objective of the project Generic skills development within the AI-supported teaching and learning ecosystem (GenSKAI) is to research and advance the development of generic skills within AI-supported teaching and learning (TL) ecosystems in higher education. The project aims to better align the education of future digital services professionals with evolving labour market needs, through the achievement of the following specific project objectives:

O1: Identify and categorize different teaching methods that foster the development of student generic/soft skills
O2: Identify employers' needs for generic skills in the digital service sector.
O3: Identify how HEIs across Europe support generic skills development through AI-supported TL approaches.
O4: Develop validated strategic framework for generic skills development within the AI-supported TL ecosystem.
O5: Create guidelines for educators to implement generic skills development, supported with the knowledge base on generic skills for the AI assistant in the learning design tool.

The project will be implemented in the period from October 5, 2026, to October 4, 2029, with a total budget of EUR 95,461.50.

In addition to the project leader, Assoc. Prof. Katarina Pažur Aničić, Ph. D., the project team includes Asst. Prof. Dino Vlahek, Ph.D.; Snježana Križanić, Ph.D Socio.; Marija Kuštelega, M.Inf.; Tara Nikolić, Univ.M.Inf., and Matej Mihaljević, M.Inf. Furthermore, the project involves external collaborators: Full Prof. Blaženka Divjak, Ph.D., and Assoc. Prof. Goran Hajdin, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Organization and Informatics at the University of Zagreb; Asst. Prof. Alenka Baggia, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences at the University of Maribor; and Full Prof. Dušan Barać, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences at the University of Belgrade.

At the kick-off meeting, the project objectives, planned activities, projected financial costs, and the timeline for the entire project were presented. Particular emphasis was placed on the activities, and the results to be achieved upon the completion of each activity, as well as on the scientific contribution of those results.