Project

S3 mapping of Albania (GIZ Albania)

Recently, the Government of Albania has committed to setting up a Smart Specialisation (S3) process in collaboration with the European Commssion's Joint Research Centre, and with support by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

As in the European Union context, smart specialisation in Albania shall aims to boost growth and jobs, by enabling each of Albania's regions to identify and develop its own, particular competitive advantages. In a bottom-up approach, local authorities, academia, business spheres and civil society should work in partnership on the implementation of long-term growth strategies.

On invitation of the Albanian Government, the JRC and the GIZ, Fraunhofer ISI has bid for and been awarded a contract to analytically support this process in the Albanian context.

Objectives

For conceiving and structuring a S3 strategy one of the priorities is an objective analysis of the region/country current situation in terms of research, innovation, industrial structures, skills and human capital, demand, public and private budgets for research and innovation, framework conditions, functioning of the innovation eco-systems.

The analysis will take into account the economic context with a place-based focus complemented by an outward-looking dimension. It will examine the gaps, barriers and potentials for future economic development in a knowledge-intensive perspective, including those that require cooperation with innovation actors in other countries and regions.