TAM Report / Albania - entrepreneurship

GENERAL INFORMATION

TAM title: Building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem in Albania

Type of Event: Seminar

Modality: Presential

Location: Faculty of Foreign Languages – University of Tirana 

Country: Albania

Dates: 4-5 Avril 2024

Participants: The seminar gathered around 30 participants, including representatives from higher education institutions, businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, policymakers, students, and delegates from European and national authorities across Albania.

THEMES COVERED

• University–industry collaboration and the role of higher education in fostering innovation.
• Tourism and hospitality as emerging sectors for entrepreneurship.
• Blue Economy initiatives and stakeholder collaboration (ALMARS project).
• Micro-credits and business clustering for supporting SMEs.
• Student–business partnerships and promotion of student innovation.
• Presentation of best practices and European perspectives in entrepreneurship education.

KEY OUTCOMES

During the workshop, participants:

• Gained a clearer grasp of how universities, businesses, and administrations can function as interconnected actors within a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Learned about successful entrepreneurship education models and innovation ecosystems across Europe and beyond.
• Identified new opportunities for joint projects, internships, and knowledge exchange.

• Recognized gaps such as limited integration among stakeholders, insufficient case-based learning, and the need for sustained institutional support—insights that can guide future initiatives.

   

OVERVIEW

The two-day national seminar focused on developing sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems and promoting the transition of Albanian universities toward a more entrepreneurial and collaborative model. It aimed to strengthen partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and businesses while sharing European and local best practices linking education, innovation, and economic development.

The event gathered higher education experts, lecturers, business representatives, and policymakers from across Albania and Europe. Discussions emphasized international cooperation, sustainability, and the role of HEIs in supporting entrepreneurship through research, innovation, and closer collaboration with industry.

Key sessions addressed micro-credentials, Blue Economy initiatives, and university–business partnerships as drivers of employability and growth. Student participation was central, with presentations of innovative ideas and a competition rewarding the best entrepreneurial projects.

Overall, the seminar highlighted Albania’s growing potential in research, entrepreneurship, and innovation while underlining the need for stronger integration between academia, business, and policymakers to build a resilient and future-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystem.

THE FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY

Title of the activity: Roundtable on Advancing micro-credentials in Albania’s Higher Education System

Dates: 29 October 2024

Audience: 30 representatives from higher education institutions, industry representatives, policymakers, professionals, vice/rectors, vice/deans for academic and curricula, students etc.

Description: The follow-up activity was organized as a roundtable workshop bringing together representatives from higher education institutions, businesses, and professionals from various sectors. The discussion focused on the implementation of micro-credentials in the higher education system, aiming to help individuals adapt their knowledge and skills to the evolving needs of the labour market.

The roundtable served as a call to the Ministry of Education to integrate the micro-credentials initiative into the National Strategy for Higher Education 2030. Participants emphasized that this reform could significantly influence Albania’s education system, boost economic growth, and support professional development across multiple sectors.

ENHANCING IMPACT: PROPOSED NEXT STEPS

• Strengthen collaboration with businesses to identify training needs, particularly in tourism and other key sectors, and ensure alignment between academic offerings and labour market demands.
• Map professional skills in demand to guide the development of targeted training and upskilling opportunities.
• Collaborate with academic staff to design and implement short-term, flexible micro-credential modulesaddressing specific workforce needs.
• Promote strategic collaborations within and between universities, as well as with industry leaders, to build strong ties among ecosystem members and create synergies for innovation and growth.
• Integrate entrepreneurship education into both curricular and extracurricular activities to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and strengthen ecosystem culture.
• Establish an Innovation Hub to serve as a central platform for collaboration, resource sharing, and support of innovative projects across sectors.
• Encourage active business participation in micro-credential initiatives and ecosystem-building projects to ensure sustainability and real-world impact.

RESOURCES AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL

• Theodoraki, C., Dana, L. P., and Caputo, A. (2022). Building Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Holistic Approach. Journal of Business Research, 140, 346–360. [Online]. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296321008134?via%3Dihub

• Theodoraki, C., and Catanzaro, A. (2022). Widening the Borders of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem through the International Lens.The Journal of Technology Transfer, 47, 383–406. [Online]. Open access.

• Theodoraki, C., Messeghem, K., and Audretsch, D. B. (2022). The Effectiveness of Incubators’ Co-opetition Strategy in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Empirical Evidence from France. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 64(4), 1781–1794. doi:10.1109/TEM.2020.3034476. [Online]. Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9268967

• Theodoraki, C. (2020). A Holistic Approach to Incubator Strategies in the Entrepreneurial Support Ecosystem. M@n@gement, 23(4), 13–27. [Online]. Available at: https://management-aims.com/index.php/mgmt/article/view/4412

• Theodoraki, C., and Messeghem, K., Rice, M. P. (2018). A Social Capital Approach to the Development of Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: An Explorative Study. Small Business Economics, 51(1), 153–170. [Online]. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11187-017-9924-0

• Theodoraki, C., and Messeghem, K. (2017). Exploring the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Field of Entrepreneurial Support: A Multi-Level Approach. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 31(1), 47–66. [Online]. Available at: https://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=83847

• Huggins, R., Kitagawa, F., Prokop, D., Theodoraki, C., and Thompson, P. (2024). Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Cities and Regions: Emergence, Evolution, and Future. Oxford University Press.

• Delanoë-Gueguen, S., and Theodoraki, C. (2021). From Incubator to Full Internal Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystem: The Example of TBS. In Innovation in Global Entrepreneurship Education: Teaching Entrepreneurship in Practice, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK – Northampton, MA, USA, 18–31.

• FNEGE Media. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Cities and Regions. [Online video]. Available on YouTube.

• International Council for Small Business (ICSB). Understanding Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. April 2, 2020. ICSB Resiliency Award 2020. [Online].

• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). Webinar: Micro-Credentials and the Role of External Quality Assurance. [Online].

• European Project MICROBOL. (2021). Micro-Credentials Linked to the Bologna Key Commitments. [Online].