One stop-shop for Kosovo’s digital transformation
The Digital Transformation Center in Kosovo has gained an important momentum: on 24 November, namely around a year after commencing work as a Project, is has transformed itself into a Consortium of Members and Partners. The goal: to become Kosovo’s Digital Innovation Hub as a one-stop shop for topics related to digital ecosystem development.
The Consortium brings together organizations and companies which are in the forefront of digitalization and will provide a synergetic portfolio of offering to further support the country’s digital transformation as a prerequisite for socio-economic development. They are entities of different backgrounds –from professional ICT schools and private higher education institutions to Innovation Centers and High-Tech Solutions companies. This Consortium represents a unique model of organization in Kosovo, a country which is still in its early stages of digital transformation although some progress .
The Digital Transformation Center is located in Innovation and Training Park (ITP) which transformed into an innovation and training campus. Here, 16 entities, like Cacttus, ProCredit Bank Kosova, private colleges UBT and Universum, Makerspace, signed a consortium agreement. By doing so, the Digital Transformation Center, initiated by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is yet achieving another milestone in becoming a collaborative one-stop shop for digital transformation.
Simon Floeth, Head of the GIZ Project to establish the Digital Transformation Center in the ITP, explained the importance of transforming the Center into a Consortium by noting that it has seen the will of serious organizations and companies in Kosovo to unite for a common benefit.
“As a Project, we managed to bring together stakeholder from academia, civil society, public and the private sector in our numerous activities, and the idea of transforming into a consortium came almost naturally. The Park already has a broad offering of services, and we’re making efforts to complement and promote them, with the purpose of making it a thriving and self-sustainable hub in the future”, he said
The portfolio of offerings is based on interconnecting Center’s main pillars: Science and Education, Technology for Business and Digital Entrepreneurship as well as Ecosystem Development. The consortium agreement provides a dedicated collaboration on a broad scale with its main target and beneficiaries . The aim is to help them incorporate digital technologies, processes, and skills into their day-to-day operations. The consortium provides a holistic offering – as well as providing support with access to finance for prototyping and implementation training, among others. Another important aspect is that it will be a registered Digital Innovation Hub, which enables it to apply for specific European Union funds aimed at responding to challenges posed by the digitalization.
One of the members of the Consortium, Makerspace Innovation Center Prizren, which is also a tenant in the ITP Prizren, say they were happy to join the initiative.
“The transformation of the Center into a Digital Innovation Hub through a strong consortium of members & partners will enhance the economic development and modernization of businesses in Prizren region and beyond”, says Enis Qafëleshi, Executive Director of Makerspace IC Prizren, adding that they joined the consortium “with the aim to work with each partner and member to ensure a sustainable development of the Park”.
The Center will be open to more members and partners and to broaden its portfolio of offering in the future.
