Activities and Output:

In the first session of the activity , a brief presentation was made on the “Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in The Republic of Albania: Partnership with The Quadruple Helix Actors in Developing the Country Smart Specialization Strategy “ project, including:

1. The purpose of the smart specialization strategy
2. The outcome of the mapping process conducted in 2021
3. The role of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process

As for the second session, it was dedicated entirely to understanding the participants perspective on the on the key strengths and weaknesses attributed to the Albanian Agro-processing sector, the relevance of innovation and scientific research in boosting this sector’s performance and the primary factor impeding its growth.In this session, a number of favorable environmental conditions that indicate the sector's potential in Albania were highlighted, along with a number of factors that impede its development, such as unfavorable demographic trends, land fragmentation, and a lack of domestic professionals capable of supporting the digital transition in this sector, among others.

The third and the least session of the activity, was entirely devoted to understanding the strategic objectives and measures required to overcome the challenges identified within this sector, during which representatives from the quadruple helix highlighted a number of government incentives that should be presented to support the digital and green transition of this sector. Particularly, one of the most frequently discussed subjects was the need to create the capabilities necessary to meet labor market demands and sustain the digital transition in this area by expanding collaboration between albanian universities and private sector.

Members of the Panel

• Mrs. Albana Tole: Deputy Minister for Education and Sports and Head Member of the Inter-Institutional Working Group for the Smart Specialization Strategy
• Mr. Arben Shkodra: Secretary General of Albania Manufacturing Union (AMU), Member of the Inter-Institutional Working Group for the Smart Specialization Strategy and moderator of the event
• Prof. Dr. Kapllan Sulaj: Dean of the Faculty of "Biotechnology and Food" at "Agriculture University of Tirana "
• Prof. Asoc. Anila Kopali: Lecturer in the department of “Agriculture Technology” at "Agriculture University of Tirana

Event organizers

This activity was organized by Future Center in collaboration with Inter-Institution Working Group, Albanian Agriculture Council (KASH) and Albanian Manufacturing Union (AMU), and the support of the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) and the POLICY ANSWERS Project (Horizon Europe GA 10105887).