News

The University of Pristina, the Municipality of Pristina and the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, established the Triple Helix Model of Innovation!

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UPCO Cluster is a non-profit organization specialized in promoting new technologies, innovation and entrepreneurship and providing services for the economy and education in Kosovo.

UPCO Custer was established by the University of Pristina, the Municipality of Pristina and the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, as a structured collaboration based on the Triple Helix Model of Innovation.

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UPCO aims to implement development projects based on knowledge and new technologies, all with the resources and information that can be found within the 3 co-founding institutions, stated Ms. Efka Heder, ALLED2 team leader.

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ALLED2 held the event dedicated to this model where the following participated: the representative from the EU office in Kosovo, Johannes Madsen, Minister of Education, Science, Technology, Innovation Ms. Arbërie Nagavci, Dr. Ardian Gola, Chairman of the Assembly Committee for Education, Science, Technology, Innovation, Culture and Sports, Prof. Dr. Ivan Stefanic European Innovation Council, Prof.Dr.Ass Luljeta Plakolli, UP Acting Rector, Ms. Donjeta Sahatçiu, Deputy Major of the Municipality of Pristina as well as from BIOCENTAR Dr.SC. Marija Lovric.

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The Deputy Mayor of Pristina, Donjeta Sahatciu emphasized that “with the opening of UPCO Cluster as the first institute in Kosovo, it affects the union of academia, industry and local government, also the green and digital agenda of the capital can only be implemented with strategic and structured cooperation between industry (local private sector) and academia (with scientific research and training). Many new opportunities are opening up.
Thank you to the team at ALLED2 for the unstoppable commitment these 3 years despite the pandemic and numerous changes in governing mandates. Thanks to the European Union in Kosovo and the Austrian Development Agency for the support.

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“It is a special pleasure to be part of this official launch of the triple helix model in Kosovo where three very important collaborators are part of this organization, so it is about the Municipality of Pristina, the University of Pristina and the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, this form collaboration is innovation in itself. With these projects, Kosovo is gradually becoming part of an unstoppable innovation process, and otherwise we cannot be part of the global trends of economic growth and comprehensive social development.”

About the importance of the “triple spiral” Prof.Dr. Ass Luljeta Plakolli also stated: “The University of Pristina should definitely be the leader of these developments and contemporary trends by undertaking initiatives for the application of the “triple spiral” in practice. also as a triangle of knowledge. The UPCO Cluster Institute was established by the University of Pristina, the Municipality of Pristina and the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo as a structured cooperation based on the triangle of knowledge and aims to implement development projects based on knowledge and new technologies, in the service of the development of three co-founding institutions, academic units, vocational training education institutions, industry and the smart city.

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The selected model is based on trends and examples in European Union countries and is adapted to the needs of the University of Pristina, the characteristics of the socio-economic environment in Kosovo and represents a step forward in Kosovo’s journey towards European union.”

“We thank the ALLED2 team led by Mr. Efka Heder who have done an excellent job for the realization of this project and of course our partners: the Chamber of Commerce, the Municipality of Pristina and the University of Pristina.

“This is a process which was first started with an analysis and request coming from local institutions, at that time from the University of Pristina.
At that time, the University of Pristina did not have the technique and expertise to immediately know where it will come out and how it will be designed, but it had a visionary thinking, where it asked to work together and build a new approach in terms of building cooperation through partnerships based on the triangle of knowledge-Academy-Industry-Government.
Of course, ADA and EU have responded very positively and with the greatest desire to address these needs and these requests of the University of Prishtina, which in one way or another, from experience and tradition, best represents academic knowledge in country level. This model was initiated and adapted to the needs of the UP, trends and examples in the countries of the European Union and the characteristics of the socio-economic environment in Kosovo and represents a step forward in Kosovo’s journey towards the EU. And I am happy that together with my colleagues from ALLED2 we managed to develop this innovative approach for the first time in Kosovo”, added Dr. Anton Gojani, Coordinator for Quality Assurance and Higher Education at ALLED2.

An important part of this project has been to help the University of Pristina, i.e. transform it into an entrepreneurial university”, emphasized Prof. Dr. Bajram Berisha.

“From the analysis of the situation, the main conclusions were drawn which can be summarized in the contest of this event that we are promoting today and which are the problem of the connection of education and training with the labor market as well as the need for a closer cooperation well between education and businesses. One of the main findings was that the University of Pristina, in addition to academic units, organization in academic units, also has other structures such as institutes and centers, and if it is carefully analyzed in the founding acts in the relevant regulations, it is emphasized with what we are promoting today”, said Prof. Dr. Avdulla Alija, project expert.

Joining the forces of the three co-founders creates extraordinary advantages for the three institutions one by one, as well as an uninterrupted opportunity to lead joint development projects, gathering in one place the institutional and intellectual heritage of the three.

In the city of Pristina, UPCO promotes the best European practices for sustainable development towards smart cities. This enables Pristina to be a leader in addressing the challenges of growing urbanization and sustainable development.

UPCO will also contribute to businesses, through the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, continuing to align education with the labor market and supporting entrepreneurs with infrastructure, in the service of the development of the country’s economy.

This structured cooperation of the three founding partners of the UPCO Cluster is a big step forward towards smart specialization and Industry 4.0, supporting Kosovo’s integration agenda in the European Union.

The ALLED2 project is financed by the European Union and co-financed by the Austrian Development Agency as well as implemented by the Austrian Development Union.