Integrated Cross-Sectorial Plan of Tirana-Durres Area

EP3- Develop SMEs and innovation
The metropolitan region represents a primary
profile in the economic development of
enterprises within Albania. It also plays a key
role in the national economy. It is important
that investments be given a priority to boost
competitiveness in the region and ensure
that SMEs play a leading role in achieving
economic growth, by diversifying the range of
export-oriented products and services.
The business environment needs to be
developed to meet the needs of regional
SMEs, by providing a dynamic and stimulating
climate for actors’ interactive engagement.
The first step is to create a climate of trust
and security toward innovation, with mediumterm
and long-term policies for domestic and
foreign companies. The development of the
regional enterprise environment will require
some of the mechanisms to be activated and
made efficient in order to achieve:
1. Specialized training and knowledge on
human resources, as per priority sectors;
2. Development of horizontal and vertical
interaction networks of the economy, to
interact at a global scale;
3. Territorial development organized in the
poles, corridors and areas that support the
interaction of SMEs.
EP3.1- Develop human capacities
Skills and technical knowledge are essential
for SMEs to support and enhance the diversity
of enterprise activities, to develop productivity
levels, and to stimulate and guide innovation
in business ventures. The plan promotes the
establishment and development of specialized
education and employment centres, as
follows:
- Develop specialized employment centres
with focus on development in priority areas
for each municipality.
These centres should closely act with
university programs and courses to
develop SMEs innovation and regional
entrepreneurship. It is suggested that these
centres provide profiled knowledge on
certain market segments. This approach to
expand specialized knowledge should be set
up closely linked with cluster development
frameworks;
- Develop centres and platforms for
vocational training courses, focused on
the development of lifelong knowledge and
skills. They and their development programs
should be closely linked to the SMEs and
entrepreneurship development board. The
role they can play can be more efficient if
there is a cooperation with incubators and
business accelerators;
- Develop regional training platforms on the
areas of green economy, smart economy and
innovation;
- Consult and instruct entrepreneurship,
based on the development of school curricula
with this approach;
- Develop mixed policies, combining funding
and consultations, access to specialists
of strategic sectors in the network of
international professionals;
- Develop programs and projects that
support new generation interconnection
with the global entrepreneurship network
from specialized centres, based on start-up
business models.
EP3.2- Enterprise interaction networks
for innovation
The creation and development of regional
economic agencies should be carried out in
order to create support networks for clusters
and business incubators development,
as well as to enable a connection among
collaborative structures to foster the global
value chain. The aim is to interconnect these
institutions in a network and through common
electronic platforms that will increase the
efficiency of their interaction, based on
regional strategies. Collaboration of these
actors can be guided by a joint regional board,
supported by the Regional SMEs Support
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