The event brought together major stakeholders from Kosovo’s research, policy and higher education communities, including representatives from the National Science Council, the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, and public university leaders. Presentations covered the national research programme in Kosovo as well as international best practices in research commercialisation—as illustrated by Austria’s academic spin-off ecosystem.
Elke Dall, ZSI senior expert, presented the Austrian experience on enabling academic spin-offs and fostering university-business collaboration, sharing both policy frameworks and practical support mechanisms that have shaped Austria’s innovation ecosystem in recent years.
The SHER project, co-implemented by ZSI and other partners, is a multi-year capacity building initiative funded by the Austrian Development Agency. Its goal is to foster a needs-driven, evidence-based, and gender-responsive higher education and research sector in Kosovo aligned with European standards. The project builds on longstanding Austria-Kosovo cooperation and includes direct support to policy actors, universities, and research staff. The event and accompanying activities demonstrate Austria’s and ZSI’s commitment to strengthening innovation capacity in Kosovo and the wider Western Balkans region, sharing Austrian and EU experiences to support sustainable research and innovation ecosystems.
