Prizren, 29 May, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, and the Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, visited the spaces of the Innovation and Training Park in Prizren. In conversation with the young women and men there, they were informed about the ideas and at the same time the challenges that are being successfully overcome while working with new innovative companies.
“I learned that as a functional and dynamic ecosystem, there are already 47 companies involved and 352 employees, including educational institutions and training providers,” said Prime Minister Kurti, describing the Park as a success story of development, education, progress, creativity and innovation.
Following the development of the ITP from the beginning, he stated that the Government of Kosovo and the German Federal Government have so far contributed 8 million euros for the development of the Park, while another 5 million euros have been promised by the German Government for the period 2026-2029.
The Prime Minister also singled out the green measures recently included by the ITP, in addition to congratulating the achievements in the priority sectors of health, research, development, green energy, creative and cultural industries, as well as information and communication technology.
“I was very pleased that measures are being implemented to reduce the carbon footprint and promote decarbonization, including the installation of photovoltaic panels and energy efficiency systems.”
In the end, ready to hear more about the challenges and lessons during the progress of the ITP, the Prime Minister declared that this park is on a good way to become an example for our other parks that will be able to be built in Kosovo.
The Innovation and Training Park in Prizren opened its doors in May 2020. It is a focal point in the Balkan region for innovation, business and skills development, and a source of innovative and successful ideas. This park is now well on its way to financial self-sustainability, generating income from rentals and services. In 2023, ITP has generated around 400,000 Euros of revenue. In 2024, it is expected to generate 520,000 Euros, while in 2026 ITP is expected to reach the point of financial self-sustainability.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
It is a pleasure to be here today with all of you, as well as with the German ambassador, Jörn Rohde and the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari.
The Government of Kosovo and the German Federal Government have so far contributed 8 million euros to the development of the Park. We are grateful that an additional funding of 5 million euros has been promised by the German Government for the period 2026-2029, to develop the Park as a center of innovation for Kosovo and not only, but also more widely in the region of Southeast Europe.
I am glad to see how much ITP has developed since its establishment, since its inception. I had the pleasure of visiting the joint work space or “Coworking space” as it is called here, where I heard ideas, but at the same time also challenges that are being successfully overcome by teams of young men and women who work together with startups innovative and with whom we had an open and free conversation, which I believe we will continue in this discussion here.
I learned that as a functional and dynamic ecosystem, there are already 47 companies involved and 352 employees, including educational institutions and training providers.
We will support ITP in the future as the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. It is a success story of development, education, progress, creativity and innovation. In particular, it should be noted that we are well on our way to self-sustainability through development. ITP is generating more and more revenue through rentals and services. For 2023, about 400 thousand euros have been generated with a forecast of 520 thousand euros for this year, while in 2026, from the fall, I was told that the point is reached where we will have ITP self-sustainable.
The focus, of course, is on innovation and sustainable development, and let me congratulate you all on the various sectors in which ITP is developing in parallel, such as health, research, development, green energy, creative and cultural industries, as and information and communication technology. I was also very pleased that measures are being implemented to reduce the carbon footprint and promote decarbonization, including the installation of photovoltaic panels and energy efficiency systems.
ITP is also well on its way to becoming an example to others. An example for those who want to come, but also an example for our other parks which can be built in Kosovo and elsewhere. But above all, although I was given the floor first, we are here to listen to you about what challenges you have gone through so far, what lessons we can learn together and how we can help you do more and better.
Thank you very much for the commitment and contribution you make to the workforce, to the country’s economy, and to your company.
Last modified: May 30, 2024