Digital Innovation Unit

ongoing

The Digital InDigitalisation capabilities start with education and skill development, preparing talent for the digital age aligned with EU Digital Programme. Since 2020, we have trained 2000+ ICT specialists in programming, hence digital skills are essential for understanding and effectively adopting new technologies. Without these skills, SMEs may struggle to identify which digital tools and solutions are most beneficial for their specific business needs. . At the same time, globally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is forecasted to automate 60-70% of work activities, and 6 in 10 workers will require retraining before 2027 (WEF’s Future of Jobs). Digitalisation holds a great importance for countries like Albania, acting as a catalyst for economic growth, innovation, and regional competitiveness. By adopting digital technologies, Albania can diversify its economy, improve access to EU and global markets, and trigger entrepreneurship. As an example, while 70+ countries are actively pursuing AI initiatives, Albania still lags behind and faces significant challenges in fostering AI adoption and building AI expertise regionally (OECD AI, 2023). The scarcity of local AI experts, rise of emigration and unemployment, and traditional education are some of the major roadblocks in the region. Our objective is to establish the Digital Innovation Unit, a leading-edge hub in Albania for fostering digital transformation. The hub will provide entrepreneurs, startups, and SME-s with digitalisation services, tech training, networking opportunities, and a dedicated space to test their ideas. This access is not just theoretical; businesses can practically engage with technologies, see demonstrations and understand how they can be integrated into their organisation through teams of expertise in AI, Cybersecurity, Programming, DataScience, Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Animation, Robotics and custom software solutions in companies to increase their efficiency, resources and profitability.