Albania’s National Strategy for Scientific Research, Technology, and Innovation (2023–2030)

The National Strategy for Scientific Research, Technology, and Innovation (2023–2030) is a comprehensive plan aiming to enhance Albania’s scientific and technological landscape. It sets out a roadmap for fostering research, advancing technological development, and promoting innovation while ensuring alignment with European frameworks and global sustainable development goals. The strategy is a mid-term policy document covering eight years, designed to create a solid foundation for integrating research with education, industry, and public administration.

This strategy stems from Albania’s commitment to the National Development and Integration Strategy (2022–2030) and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It emphasises building a robust ecosystem that supports innovation as a driver of economic and social progress.

The strategic vision focuses on addressing key challenges in scientific research and innovation. Albania’s recent participation in international programs, particularly Horizon Europe, has demonstrated improvements but also highlighted weaknesses, such as limited private-sector involvement and insufficient investment in research infrastructure.

The strategy defines three overarching policy goals:

• Strengthen the regulatory and infrastructural framework to improve research quality and ethical standards.
• Foster collaboration between academia, industry, and government through initiatives like the Quadruple Helix Model.
• Promote STEM education and digital skills integration into the educational system, encouraging practical research projects.

Each of these goals is supported by specific objectives and actions. For example, the first policy goal focuses on enhancing the legal and institutional frameworks to ensure that research meets quality and ethical standards. It also emphasises improving Albania’s ability to participate in international research programs through better infrastructure and resources.

The second goal addresses the need to promote collaborative research and innovation. This includes initiatives to create strong links between higher education institutions, businesses, and public institutions. The Quadruple Helix Model serves as a central framework for facilitating multistakeholder partnerships, fostering technology transfer, and encouraging industry-academia collaboration.

The third goal targets education reform, focusing on integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education into primary and secondary schools. This also includes promoting digital literacy and involving youth in research and innovation initiatives.

Implementation of the strategy is overseen by the Ministry of Education and Sports, in coordination with key agencies such as the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation (AKKSHI). The institutional framework is designed to ensure alignment across sectors, with contributions from various governmental and non-governmental organisations.

The accompanying action plan breaks down the strategy into measurable tasks, timelines, and budgets. It outlines the responsibilities of individual institutions while ensuring financial support through a mix of national and international funding sources. To monitor progress, the strategy establishes key performance indicators, enabling regular evaluation of results and ensuring accountability.

Challenges include increasing the private sector’s role in research, improving statistical systems for tracking research impacts, and fostering more substantial international collaborations. The strategy addresses these by proposing targeted investments in infrastructure and human resources, as well as initiatives to raise awareness of the benefits of scientific research and innovation.