Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in The Republic of Albania: Partnership with The Quadruple Helix Actors in Developing the Country Smart Specialization Strategy

In 2017, the Republic of Albania initiated the preparatory process for developing the country’s Smart Specialization Strategy (S3), under the supervision and guidance of the Joint Research Centre. Smart specialization strategy is expected to be of high importance for conquering the country’s socio-economic challenges and simultaneously unlocking its growth potential, by ensuring a better match between the country’s innovation and scientific research efforts with its development potential.

As part of the efforts for developing the country’s smart specialization strategy, in 2021, a group of independent experts carried out the qualitative mapping of the country’s economic, innovation and scientific potential, which contributed to the identification of 6 priority domains:

1. (NACE A): Agriculture, forestry, and fishing (Support activities to agriculture and post-harvest crop activities; Marine aquaculture; Fishing) 
2. (NACE C): Manufacturing (Manufacture of other food products; Casting of metals) 
3. (NACE D): Energy (Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution)
4. (NACE I): Accommodation and support service activities (Other accommodation) 
5. (NACE J): Information and Communication (Satellite telecommunications activities; Other Information technology)
6. (NACE N): Administrative and support service activities (Activities of call centers; Business support services activities)

One of the most distinctive and important features of the smart specialization strategy , is the implementation of bottom-up process, known as the “Entrepreneurial Discovery Process” the purpose of which is to use the collective intelligence of businesses, universities, research centers, civil societies and government bodies to identify the key challenges, opportunities, trends, and policy responses necessary to unleash the full economic, scientific and innovation potential of the identified priority domains. To properly implement this process, Future Center with the support of the interinstitutional working group, Joint Research Center and the POLICY ANSWERS Project (Horizon Europe GA 10105887).aims to organize a series of events that enable, support, and facilitate the active participant of representatives from all dimensions of the quadruple helix to contribute to the development of this strategy.

In accordance with the calendar of activities prepared in collaboration with the interinstitutional working group, in the first phase of the implementation of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in the Republic of Albania, the focus lied on 3 priority domains being 1) Agriculture, 2) Energy and 3) Tourism for which Future Center organized the following events:

• AGROPROCESSING:
• FISHERIES & AQUACULTURE:
• FORESTRY:
• LIVESTOCK:
• AGRITOURISM:
• MOUNTAIN TOURISM:
• MARITIME TOURISM
• HEALTHCARE TOURISM
• RENEWABLE ENERGY
• ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

For more information on the individual events, please see the links below.