The Institute of Computer Technologies and Engineering (ICTE), as one of the organizational units at the Faculty, strives to foster and develop the curriculum, the scientific as well as the applied activities in the field of computer technologies and engineering including computer, information and communications engineering.
Currently, the staff employed at the Institute includes: Associate prof. Marija Kalendar, Ph.D – Head of the department, Prof. Aristotel Tentov, Ph.D. – Head of the Faculty Laboratory for Automatic Data Processing (FLADP), Assistant prof. Danijela Efnuseva, Ph.D., Assistant prof. Daniel Denkovski, Ph.D., Assistant prof. Hristijan Gjoreski, Ph.D., Assistant prof. Goran Jakimovski, Ph.D., Teaching and research assistant Ana Colakoska, MSc. (Ph.D. Student), and demonstrators Bojana Velickosvska and Emilija Kizevska (Master students).
The ICTE department has been founded as result of the FEEIT development in the 60 years of its existence. The ICTE is dating back to the academic 1971/1972, when the Department for Electronics and Technical Cybernetics was established. It is at this time that the first PC IBM 1130 was obtained at the Faculty, and the Laboratory for Data Processing was established. In addition, for the first time the curriculum included programming and digital calculating machines. Since the foundation of the Faculty for Electrical and Technical Engineering in 1977, Computer Science and Information Technology (IT) have been fostered within the frame of the Institute of Electronics.
The real development of the ICTE begins with the launch of the Department that was redesigned into an Institute of Computer and Information Technology (ICIT) back in the early 1980s. First subjects that were fostered are: Computer architecture and Networks, System Software, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Processing and Database Processing. Later, in the early 1990s, the Institute staff was significantly increased. The ICTI existed as such until 2011, when some of its staff transferred to the newly founded Faculty for Computer Science and Engineering (FCSE). Ever since, the Institute resumes its existence as an Institute of Computer Technologies and Engineering (ICTE) within the Faculty for Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (FEEIT). In addition, the ICTE is widely focused on the engineering component of computer technologies in all of its segments.
Also, the first educators at the department creating the computer study basics at the ICTE include: prof. A. Granarov, Ph.D, prof. D. Davcev, Ph.D., prof. S. Bozinovski, Ph.D., and prof. D. Mihajlov, Ph.D. Back in the 90s, the staff at the Institute was significantly increased with the following professors: prof. Z. Zogravski, Ph.D (in memoriam), prof. K. Goseva, Ph.D., prof. A. Tentov, Ph.D., prof. S. Leskovska, Ph.D., and prof. G. Stojanov. Some of them continued their careers in the United States whereas others went to Europe. In 2000, the Institute was extended with new staff and collaborators, and in 2011 some of them transferred to the Faculty for Computer Science and Engineering (FCSE). In addition, the remaining staff at the ICTE who continued to develop the Institute are as follows: Prof. A. Tentov, Ph. D., Assoc. Prof. M. Kalendar, Ph D., Assist. prof. S. Veleva, Ph.D., and Assist. prof. D. Efnusheva, Ph.D. Other collaborators joined the Institute: Assist. Prof. Goran Jakimovski, Ph.D., Teach. Assist. Maja Malenko, MSc, Teaching. Assist. Goce Dokoski MSc, and Demonstrator Saska Gjorgjievska, MSc.. In 2016, the Institute has been enlarged with: Assist. Prof. D, Denkovski, Ph.D., Assist. Prof. H.Gjoreski as well as Teaching assistant Ana Colakoska, MSc.
This Institute is responsible for teaching many Computer Engineering subjects for the Computer Technologies and Engineering bachelor curriculum, as well as other courses in the bachelor studies at the FEEIT, (20 courses from the winter term and 23 courses from the summer term). Main areas covered by the CTE curriculum include: Computer Architecture and Networks, Computer and Communications Systems, Algorithms and Data Structures, Computer and Communications Security issues, Computer Hardware Design and Microprocessors, Databases and Data mining, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Systems and Networks, Machine Learning, Information and Mobile Systems, Operating Systems, Wireless, Mobile and Sensor Networks, Web Applications and Services.
The Institute is responsible for three study programs in the second (Master) cycle of study. Dedicated Computer Systems, Computer Networks – Internet of Things, the program Internet and Mobile Services and Applications (joint program with the Institute of Telecommunications). Additionally, the Institute is responsible for the first Double Degree Study Program at FEEIT thought in English, Dedicated Embedded Computer Systems and IоТ with the possibility for earning Double Master Degree Certificates, organized in co-operation with Anhalt University, Germany.
With regards to the third (PhD) cycle of study, the Institute is responsible for a series of courses at the study programs: Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies and Metrology.
In the course of the past few decades, the ICTE has a prolific publishing activity with many Study materials, Books, Laboratory Practicum workbooks as well as e-study materials including assignment books, manuals for laboratory exercises and the like.
One of the main goals of the ICTE is the development of scientific research in broad areas of computer, information and communications engineering. Throughout the years, the Institute has coordinated many national and international projects. Some of the most important ones over the past 10 years include: VISION, 2010 – 2015, ERC Grant with University of L’Aquila, Italy, Activity recognition on mobile phones, HUAWEI&Univ. of Sussex, 2016 –; IHP – FEEIT Joint Research Initiative, 2016, DFG Grant with IHP and Cottbus University, Germany.
Since its foundation, ICTE members have published their scientific research in many scientific anthologies, international conferences, as well as in many international magazines. In the recent 10 years, the Institute has published well above 40 scientific papers at national conference, more than 150 scientific papers at international conferences and well above 50 scientific papers in international impact factor scientific journals.
ICTE members are also active with regards to copyrights in terms of their innovations, including one international patent application obtained in Great Britain, one at the European Patent Office and two authorized patents obtained in Slovenia.
Also, our members have played an active role at Program Committees at both national and international conferences, such as: ETAI, IEEE-EUROCON, ICAIIT, SLAIS, ICT – Innov., EAI FABULOUS, IEEE BMSB, CogART. They have participated actively in the work of the Macedonian Unit of IEEE.
Nowadays, the Institute is a respectable entity in our national community, since it has developed important applications for the needs of the local economy. In addition, the following applicative commercial projects have been developed in the past ten years: ‘BigDAF’ developed currently with ‘IskraTel.’, ‘DataScience’ in cooperation with ‘GrabIT’, ‘CRM software’ for ‘Cushman & Wakefield / FORTON’, consulting projects with companies like ‘ELEM’, IT companies, etc. With regards to its applicative projects activities the Institute is responsible for coordination of the Microsoft Imagine Academy and represents an authorized Certiport training centre, which has been active at FEEIT since 2019. In addition,Prof. Tentov is actively engaged and responsible for the development of the Faculty Laboratory for Digital Data Processing (FLDDP), which provides laboratories for student exercises for the entire FEEIT.
The members of ICTE have received several State and individual awards and acknowledgements. In addition, professors Grnarov and Tentov received the ’11th of October’ State award. Associate Prof. M. Kalendar was among the first to receive the prestigious ‘Engineering Ring’ State award granted in 2002 by the Institute of Engineering and under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Macedonia. Assistant professors D.Denkovski and H.Gjoreski received ‘The Best Youth Scientist’ in 2015 and 2016 respectively, presented by the President of the Republic of Macedonia. Also, members of our Institute were presented with a few awards for best research papers at international conferences as well as awards at international competitions in the field of research. Assistant professor H. Gjoreski was part of the team who received the first award at the International Competition for Activity Recognition in Spain in 2013. Also, assistant professor D. Denkovski was part of the team which received two awards for best platforms at DySPAN Conference (2011 and 2015).
