The Smart Specialisation process in *Kosovo, promotional event on the role of Higher Education

News article |

The Strategic Planning Office of the Government of Kosovo, formal body in charge of the Smart Specialisation Strategy under the Prime Minister Office, held the event “Smart Specialisation in Kosovo” on the 7th of July 2021.

The meeting was co-organized by the HERAS+ project and the agenda included the participation of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), which has been collaborating with the government of Kosovo on the design of Smart Specialisation Strategies implementations. In addition to the promotion of the Smart Specialisation approach, the meeting sought to encourage a debate on the role of Higher Education Institutions in supporting research and innovation policies and to introduce the e-Platform for Smart Specialisation in Kosovo, which was developed in cooperation with HERAS+ project. 

Additionally, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the results obtained from the Smart Specialisation related activities carried out in collaboration with the JRC in the last months. More specifically, JRC international expert Hugo Hollanders presented the initial outcomes obtained from the quantitative mapping of the economic, innovative and scientific potential of the country. The analysis, to be finalized by the end of summer, is meant to draw the first analytical step toward the selection of the priority areas for Smart Specialisation. The results will be later on, complemented by interviews and surveys during the qualitative mapping phase. Several stakeholders participated in the event by encouraging an attention-grabbing debate that made the meeting a successful initiative.

 

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence