Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs

The Kosovo ICT Association [STIKK], as of February 1st, 2020 is one of the implementing organisations participating in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme initiated by the European Union. Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a cross-border exchange programme aimed at new or aspiring entrepreneurs, giving them the chance to learn from seasoned and experienced entrepreneurs managing businesses in various sectors of all participating countries of the programme.

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a programme that has been running for over ten years now, with over 14.000 new and host entrepreneurs featuring in the database and over 7.000 successful exchanges realised. The exchanges last from 1 to 6 months during which the new/aspiring entrepreneur gets to spend time with the host entrepreneur in their company and gain first-hand experience and knowledge of running a successful business.

If you see yourself as an aspiring entrepreneur, you just started a new business or if you’ve been running a business for a while and would like to host a young entrepreneur from other countries participating in the programme, please visit www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu for more information on how to become part of the programme and apply for participation. As Kosovo is for the first time eligible to be part of the programme, if you need any assistance with the application process or better understanding the programme, feel free to contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].

XIIth Assembly of STIKK

Prishtina, March 3rd, 2020 – The Kosovo Association of Information and Communication Technology (STIKK) on Tuesday held its annual assembly of the association, the twelfth (XII) of its kind. During the assembly, the results and achievements of STIKK’s activities throughout 2019 were presented in front of the assembly members, as well as, the plans for the upcoming year (2020) where laid out and thoroughly discussed. The plans for 2020 were conceptualized in a way that they are a continuation and re-enforcement of STIKK’s mission which focuses on creating a better ICT business environment, as well as, raise the competitiveness level of local companies in international markets.

We were honored to host the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti, at the assembly, who commenced the assembly with a speech for all the attendees during which Mr. Kurti emphasized the importance of the ICT sector in the economic development of our country and expressed the governments readiness for institutional support in the development of the local ICT sector. In his speech, the Prime Minister highlighted some of the government priorities that at their core are ICT related and include: offering training modules to teachers in order for them to adapt to the latest technological trends and the market demands, the establishment of technology centers with a sustainable and attractive infrastructure for international and local companies, the development of stimulating policies for the support of the ICT industry, with a special focus on start-ups, as well as, implementing international ICT standards for both public institutions and the business sector. Apart from the Prime Minister, STIKK’s XII’th assembly was also attended by special guests Ms. Leonora Kusari – EBRD, Ms. Fjollca Restelica – KODE Project by the World Bank and Mr. Ahmet Jetullahu – REA Prishtina (EU support for the competitiveness of Kosovo’s ICT sector), who presented their projects in front of the assembly members. The projects presented by the special guests are connected to the development of the ICT sector in Kosovo and great opportunities for local ICT companies to participate in their implementation.

After the speeches and presentations by the special guests, the Executive Director of STIKK, Ms. Vjollca Çavolli addressed the attendees by giving out a short presentation with the highlight of the year 2019 and the plans for 2020.

The assembly was concluded with the appointment of the new board members of the association, where after the voting process, the new confirmed board members of the Kosovo ICT Association are: Ms. Donjeta Sahatçiu (President of the Board), Mr. Çelik Nimani (Vice-President of the Board), Mr. Arianit Fazliu, Ms. Zana Budima, Ms. Hana Qerimi, Mr. Astrit Desku, z. Astrit Leti, Mr. Valon Canhasi and Mr. Dardan Velija.

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About STIKK

As a catalyst to the dynamic technology industry, STIKK accelerates growth and progress for the fast-paced economy. it shapes the industry at large. STIKK provides a platform that unites technology leaders to connect and collaborate, and it avidly supports members who push the boundaries to propel technology forward. Since its establishment in 2008, STIKK was able to achieve numerous successes and become one of the leading drivers of the ICT industry and ICT community in Kosovo.

STIKK’s mission is to help create a better ICT business environment by improving standards and educational opportunities, and advocating with the government on behalf of its members to ensure that the sector will attract new business and investment.

Currently, STIKK represents around 90% of the total ICT sector in Kosovo. 

KOSICT – 8TH EDITION

AGILE, EAGER AND READY FOR THE WORLD

KosICT, the annual tech festival organized by STIKK, is rapidly approaching. For its eightth edition, KosICT will be held on the 24th and 25th of October, 2019 in the heart of Prishtina where the main stage will be placed at the historical KINO ARMATA, while the DevStage, Start-Up Fair, Kids Activities and the eSports Tournament will be held at the amphitheater of “Zahir Pajaziti” square.

This time around, the main topic of the KosICT will focus on “OUTSOURCING” and its impact in the development of the local economy, as well as, changes in company structures to adapt to global trends and needs in order to increase competitiveness and the quality of services offered. Over the two days of the conference, numerous speakers, experts and leaders in their respected fields will share, motivate, update and inspire the audience with the latest trends in the ICT industy, new technologies, better understanding and application of current methods and processes and much more. Amongst some of the speakers that will grace the stage of KosICT this year are the likes of Iva Matasich, an experienced keynote speaker regarding business development; Kerry Pearce, the Chief Product Officer and Senior Vice President of Engineering at UberMedia with extensive experience in leading, organizing and motivating teams; Markus Neubauer, the founder and CEO of Silbury Deutschland and an expert in Digital Transformation, Internet of Things, Gamification and more, just to name a few.

During the previous seven editions of the conference, KosICT hosted over 5000 participants from the ICT sector who had the opportunity to hear and learn from experts in the fields like: Digital Transformation, the future of Nearshor- ing/Outsourcing, Entrepreneurship, IoT; Crowd Funding, Open Innovation, amongst many other.

Register to our Information Security courses

Dear Members,

Following the efforts to promote new opportunities for member companies and to expand the scope of services for exports in the future, STIKK offers new training and certification opportunities.

Within STIKK Education, STIKK will organize a one day training on Information Security, with the support of GIZ, Creating Employment Through Export Promotion (CETEP) Project.

This 1-day hands-on course is designed to introduce developers to the inner workings of the Top 10
web threats, how they are exploited, and how to write code that is secure against these threats. Trainers will be: Dr. George Sharkov (National Cybersecurity Coordinator in Bulgaria), Yavor Papazov (Technical Manager in CyResLab), and Martin Georgiev (Computer Networks and CyberSecurity Expert in CyResLab).

The training is free!

This 1-day training will be held on 3 different dates: 12th, 13th and 14th of March 2019, from 9:00 to 17:00.

Please confirm your participation by selecting the date through this link:  https://doodle.com/poll/r6xuggavyuum7mty

Come and certify during the day by ESI CEE !

 

*Participation must be confirmed by March 11, 2019!

** The number of Participants is limited!

XIth Assembly of STIKK

Prishtina, February 28th, 2019 – The Kosovo Association of Information and Communication Technology (STIKK) held the the eleventh (XI) assembly of the association on Thursday, during which the results and achievements of the previous year (2018) were presented and also the plans and activities for 2019 were laid down in front of the assembly members. These plans and activities enforce and continue the mission STIKK set out to accomplish which aims to improve the environment of doing business for the ICT sector in our country.
During the XI’th assembly of the association, representatives from numerous member companies were present, as well as, special guests including Mr. Valdrin Lluka – Minister of Economic Development and Mr. Neil Taylor – Head of EBRD for Kosovo. During his speech Mr. Lluka highlighted the support that the Ministry of Economic Development is offering to the ICT sector in Kosovo, both by promoting the sector, as well as, by making efforts in improving the general conditions of doing business for all the stakeholders in the sector. He emphasised the importance and dedication of the Ministry for the completion of the project for the Technological Park “Tech Park Prishtina“, a project that according to Mr. Lluka is one of the most ambitious projects to be implemented in Kosovo over the last few years and with a great impact on the overall economy of our country. Amongst other points he touched upon in his speech, Mr. Lluka also discussed about a few details regarding an upcoming project the Ministry is supporting, “Smart Villages“, a project that is also financed by the European Union. Following Mr. Lluka, Mr. Taylor discussed about the various forms in which EBRD supports the growth of the ICT sector and the willingness that EBRD has to be one of the financial pillars for the implementation of various projects aiming to improve the infrastructure of the ICT sector in Kosovo. He also noted that he is very impressed with the latest achievements of this sector over the last few years and that he is very confident that the sector will continue its trend of positive growth. Ending his speech, Mr. Taylor congratulated all the members of the assembly for their tireless work during 2018, which is supported by the results achieved during last year.
After the guest speakers speeches, the Executive Director of STIKK Mrs. Vjollca Cavolli presented the report of the work done during 2018, the plans and activities for this year (2019) with an emphasis on the the completion and opening of the Technological Park “Tech Park Prishtina“, a project that is currently in the final stage of implementation. Mrs. Cavolli also informed the assembly regarding the new members joining the association and the long-term plans set in motion.
As the last point of order of the assembly, an independent auditor has been voted by the members that will carry on the auditing process for the period 2019 – 2021.
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About STIKK
As a catalyst to the dynamic technology industry, STIKK accelerates growth and progress for the fast-paced economy. it shapes the industry at large. STIKK provides a platform that unites technology leaders to connect and collaborate, and it avidly supports members who push the boundaries to propel technology forward.Since its establishment in 2008, STIKK was able to achieve numerous successes and become one of the leading drivers of the ICT industry and ICT community in Kosovo.
STIKK’s mission is to help create a better ICT business environment by improving standards and educational opportunities, and advocating with the government on behalf of its members to ensure that the sector will attract new business and investment.
So far, STIKK has 100+ registered members including ICT Companies, ICT Professionals, ICT Students and Academia which represents 90% of the total market in Kosovo.

[REOPENING] Request for Expression of Interest for Training Providers: Information Security

STIKK is reopening a public request for Expressions of Interest for training providers. The purpose of this Request for Expression of Interest is to identify qualified training providers to provide 4 basic and 1 advanced trainings for Developers working on Web Security. These interested providers need to have the capacity to develop and deliver classroom trainings including materials, presentations, practical exercises, case studies and group discussions.

All Expressions of Interest must include:

A. Company Background
Provide a brief history of your company/institution, with a list of current trainings, certifications that you have received, and your experience and qualifications with training development services.

B. References
Please attach references including names, organisation, and contact information for three (or more) clients who can provide insights regarding skills, qualification and delivery of requested training services.

Training Providers shall send their Expression of Interest together with all necessary documents until the 1st of february, 2019 at [email protected].

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

03-STIKK-2019 2nd RfEoI – Information Security Training services: https://stikk.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/03-STIKK-2019-2nd-RfEoI-Information-Security-Training-services.pdf

Request for Offers: Audit of Financial Statements for the years 2019-2021

STIKK invites auditing companies to bid for performing the audit services according to IFRS and the policies of ATK, for the financial years from 01.01.2019 until 31.12.2021.

Publication date: 22 January 2019
Closing date: 4 February 2019, time 16:00
Date of notification: latest on 29 February 2019 (After the Meeting of the Assembly, which is scheduled during February 2019)
Contract objective: Service agreement
Contracting authority: Kosovo Association of Information and Communication Technology (STIKK)

In addition to their bid, the interested parties must submit additional required documentation, which is listed in the following:

– Business registration certificate,
– Tax registration certificate,
– Licenses from the competent authorities to perform the duty,
– Reference that showcases similar jobs done,
– CVs of the auditors that will audit.

The bid must contain:

– The general audit plan,
– Proposed timeline (deadline),
– Request for the documents that must be prepared in advance by the NGO,
– Fees of auditors,
– The total amount of the audit (If in any case, the costs do not include or specify the VAT, STIKK will consider VAT as part of the costs).

The bids must be submitted exclusively in a sealed enveloped on the following address “Rexhep Mala 28, Prishtinë, 10000, Republika e Kosovës”.

Request for Offers: Audit of Financial Statements for the years 2019-2021 (Albanian only): https://stikk.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/02-STIKK-2019-ToR-External-Financial-Audit.pdf

Request for Expression of Interest for Training Providers: Information Security

STIKK is opening a public request for Expressions of Interest for training providers. The purpose of this Request for Expression of Interest is to identify qualified training providers to provide 4 basic and 1 advanced trainings for Developers working on Web Security. These interested providers need to have the capacity to develop and deliver classroom trainings including materials, presentations, practical exercises, case studies and group discussions.

All Expressions of Interest must include:

A. Company Background
Provide a brief history of your company/institution, with a list of current trainings, certifications that you have received, and your experience and qualifications with training development services.

B. References
Please attach references including names, organisation, and contact information for three (or more) clients who can provide insights regarding skills, qualification and delivery of requested training services.

Training Providers shall send their Expression of Interest together with all necessary documents until the 24th of January, 2019 at [email protected].

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

01-STIKK-2019 RfEoI – Information Security Training services: https://stikk.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/01-STIKK-2019-RfEoI-Information-Security-Training-services.pdf