11.06.2015

ICT Event in Tirana on July 11

On behalf of our partner organization, TURN8, we would like to invite you to an exclusive event for start-up entrepreneurs and innovators. Join us on for Innov-a-thon, a one-day idea pitching event to qualify innovative start-ups and technologies for funding, support and participation in the new TURN8 seed accelerator.

At Innov-a-thon, you will have the opportunity to:

Pitch an idea for one of the TURN8 themesMeet and connect with other creative geniusesForm a team and work together to refine your ideaPitch again at the end to qualify for TURN8 seed accelerator in Dubai

DATE: July 11, 2015
TIME: 10.30AM – 6.00PM
VENUE: Epoka University, Autostrada Tirane-Rinas, km. 12, 1000, Albania

Themes: What type of ideas?

– Web or mobile applications
– e-commerce portals
– Arabic content advancements
– Education and e-learning enhancements
– Sustainable living technologies
– Crowdsourced services
– Social networking innovations
– Healthcare technologies

Learn more about TURN8.
Register for Innov-a-thon here!
For questions or to register by phone, call +9714-319-7645.
Email the TURN8 Innov-a-thon team.
Can’t make it to an Innov-a-thon? You can pitch online!

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03.06.2015

Seminar “International Software Engineering: A Case Study of the Honeywell Experience”

On 3 June, USAID, in cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FECE – UP) and STIKK, organised a seminar on the topic of International Software Engineering.

Prof. Ronalds Birks from Honeywell, and Prof. Shahin Berisha, Software Engineer from the Arizona State University shared their experiences. Globalisation pushed Honeywell from USA to outsource to India, China, Russia and Mexico. Prof. Birks, after working one year in Russia, more than four years in India, and more than five in France, explained how companies which have offices in many different countries in the world are functioning. The company starts working on the project in the USA, in the afternoon the concept is developed in the Czech Republic, the development continues in India, and then goes back to the USA for testing. This efficiency has been developed through years of experience and cooperation, especially with Universities for adjustment of the curriculum with the needs of the labour market.

But success is not the only thing International Software Engineering brings. Besides the language difference and the time zones, a small possibility for face-to-face meetings and difficult process cooperation are challenges that these multi-national projects face. When focusing on Kosovo, Prof. Birks highly valued the level of English and German language knowledge, the geographic position, and the young age of potential employees in the ICT sector.

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30.05.2015

Promoting Youth Employment through Social Partnerships and Cooperation

On 30 May in Mitrovica, PIPS organised a seminar about the project “Promoting Youth Employment through Social Partnerships and Cooperation was held”.

This project aims at facilitating cooperation between local self-governments, business community, education providers and civil society organizations from 6 towns/municipalities in resolving the issue of youth unemployment through exchanging innovative ideas and best practices, as well as engaging in social dialogue and networking at the level of local communities. Municipalities and towns participating in the project are: Nis, Leskovac, Vranje, Mitrovica, Peja and Prizren.

In this seminar presentations of local initiatives, cooperation, and examples of best practice were presented, where participating was also STIKK. Mr. Lorik Mullaademi, Project Manager at STIKK discussed about the practices, achievements and initiatives of the association. For more, find the link to the presentation.

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29.05.2015

TAIEX Expert Mission on Information Society Statistics

On 26 May, under the patronage of the Ministry of Economic Development and the help of the TAIEX Expert Mission, a three-day workshop on the topic of Information Society Statistics has been organised.

The aim of this expert mission was to support the beneficiary in the creation of a statistical system aligned with European and EUROSTAT standards to produce accurate information and communication technology statistics.

The first day summarized topics about EU Legislation concerning Community Statistics on Information Society, the second day was about ICT Statistics for Enterprises and the third day was about ICT Statistics for Households.

In this event, also the working group was formed consisting of STIKK, MED, MPA, Kosovo Statistic Agency and ARKEP, which will responsible for the conception of the survey in the future.

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28.05.2015

Conference “Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Angel Investment Ecosystem in Kosovo”

From May 26-30, a delegation of International Angel Investors visited Tirana, Prishtina and Skopje to observe closely the current entrepreneurship environment in the region and the possibility to invest in entrepreneurial ventures.

The Conference took place on May 28, 2015 from 11am, at Innovation Centre Kosovo, organised by the Kosovo Business Angels Network in Kosovo (KOSBAN), Crimson Capital and ICK.

Participants: Norwegian Ambassador to Kosovo, Mr. Jan Braathu, Turkish Ambassador to Kosovo, Mrs. Songul Ozan, Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Hykmete Bajrami, Vice-President of European Trade Association for Business Angels (EBAN), Mr. Baybars Altuntas, KIESA Director, Mr. Besian Mustafa, etc. Furthermore, the STIKK Board President, Mr. Shkumbin Brestovci, held a presentation on “Innovation in ICT in Kosovo”.

Facebook event & agenda: https://www.facebook.com/events/850179735058525/

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27.05.2015

Discussion on methodology for study on skill needs of the labour market

On 27 May, the UNDP office in Prishtina organised a discussion on methodology for study on skill needs of the labour market. Associations and companies from six different sectors participated: ICT, metal processing, textile, tourism, timber and trade.

Participants discussed what possibilities each sector offers, what the key themes and issues are, and how those will be addressed in the future.

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25.05.2015

The South-East Europe IT Network signed a Memorandum of Understanding

On 22 May in Sarajevo, members of the SEE IT Network (ICT Clusters) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the goal of which is to jointly promote cooperation and networking in the region for the mutual benefit of exchanging experiences, improving knowledge, and thus developing business opportunities of a broader range.

You can find more about the MOU here: www.stikk-ks.org/fileadmin/PDF/MOU_-_SEE_IT_Network.pdf

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22.05.2015

South-East Europe Information Technology Conference

On 22 and 23 May in Sarajevo, the South-East Europe Information Technology (SEE IT) Conference was held. This conference gathered ICT clusters and associations, companies from those which have just been established to those with decades of experience in the ICT sector, and companies from other industry sectors that use ICT technologies in their business.

Amongst the panelists and participants we the Executive Director of STIKK, Mrs. Vjollca Çavolli, and Founding and Managing Partner of CACTTUS, Mr. Driton Hapçiu.

The main goal of the conference is to create an effective environment for two days where companies can interact and trade freely for SEE and EU target markets’ mutual benefit. Participating countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey.

This conference has been made possible by the USAID Partnership for Innovation (PI) project from BiH, together with the USAID REG project and the GIZ Open Regional Fund for Foreign Trade Promotion.

You can find the conference program and more information on this link: seeit.ba/program/.

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18.05.2015

MED launches the Information Technology and Innovation fund

Cooperation which started in 2014 between the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) and STIKK the result of which is the National IT Strategy. The IT and Innovation fund, as part of the strategy, has been a recommendation from STIKK, which the Minister of the MED, Mr. Blerand Stavileci, has taken into consideration in order to support new and growing companies, based on public-private cooperation concept.

The Fund would address key problems and obstacles in accessing finances, whereas the Government will allocate an investment fund of 2 million Euro. This investment fund will be support with 2 million Euro from donors, and would additionally stimulate 2 million Euro investment from the private sector, and so achieve a total of 6 million Euro.

The Fund would offer access to finances for new and growing companies with main focus on ICT, the amount of which will be from 20,000 – 500,000 Euro.

For more information, visit: mzhe.rks-gov.net

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18.05.2015

Girls in the Technology Sector

Technology sector offers huge employment opportunities, especially for girls, but this sector has not been seen up to now as attractive in this part of the population. The Norwegian Embassy in Prishtina has funded a project that aims to increase the participation of Kosovo women in IT. Currently, the gender composition of employees in the information technology sector is 80% male and 20% female.

On May 15th, KS-Kosova organised a conference on the issue of women in IT, where a project on this subject was presented. This project focuses on early educational level of women, secondary education that will increase the employment of women in the ICT sector, and strengthen the position of women in the Kosovo economy.

Besides the Norwegian Ambassador, the KS-Kosova had the honor of hosting many important guests during the conference, such as the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Mr. Arban Abrashi, STIKK Executive Director, Mrs. Vjollca Çavolli, and other important key-players of the ICT sector.

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