Outsourcing Journal

Independent ICT service business insights since 2010

Home BusinessStrategy and management Building a tech innovation ecosystem in the heart of the Balkans

The Innovation and Training Park in Prizren, Kosovo focuses on what makes tech innovation possible and creates different perspectives on entrepreneurship and in particular the environment for IT and business process services companies. 

ITP is aligning science and talent development in IT with private sector needs focusing on the so-called quadruple of innovation: government, industry, academia and civil society.

The combination of Co-working space, digital transformation center, offices space, start-up and dedicated incubation services, business development, events and many other initiatives and services offers an immense potential for innovative and creative companies and those that seek to transform traditional business models. In addition, it is a unique value proposition for international IT companies and innovative organizations.

Unique infrastructure and strategic position in the Balkan region

ITP Prizren has a strategic location in the Balkan region, being only 40 minutes away from the country’s airport in Pristina and additionally close to the airports in Kukes and Tirana, Albania and Skopje, North Macedonia. The park has an astonishing infrastructure, occupying an area of about 40 ha with more than 50 buildings and vacant plots for expansion and new facilities.

ITP’s activities and initiatives 

The Innovation and Training Park is host of the largest private university in Kosovo with more than 2,000 students. ITP also cooperats with Prizren’s public university “Ukshin Hoti” which has 4,500 students in 6 faculties, including computer sciences. 

There are also private VET and digital solution providers like Makerspace Prizren or the Center for Digital Excellence by Kosovo’s Ministry of Economy, including training and 3D modeling and printing facilities.

ITP Prizren has also been hosting the latest “DebConf22” Conference organized by The Debian Project and its local partner “Free Libre Open Source Software Kosova” (FLOSSK), as well as an International Summer School Prizren, hosting and interacting with students and professors from more than 40 countries worldwide.

With those activities and features we are especially addressing the need of IT and innovation companies that seek access to highly capable tech talent and want to extend their workforce and diversify their location strategy.

A German- Kosovar Development Initiative

The ITP Prizren is an initiative under the umbrella of the Kosovar-German Development Cooperation. An ITP association with equal membership (per statute) of Kosovo and German representatives governs the park, while it is manager by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). This ensures a wide network of local and international partners ranging from government institutions through business associations (e.g. German-Kosovar Business Association) to institutions from the educational sector. It provides access to excellent inwestor support services and a local network that is essential to install operations effectively and in a timely manner.

Who is ITP for?

The short answer is: compatibility, conditions, talent pools and opportunities. But let me elaborate. 

ITP is connecting with ICT service delivery companies, innovation and research focused organizations, business process service companies, educators and other stakeholders, benefitting from a digital innovation driven ecosystem and access to talent, which provides a context for continuous innovation.

„We feel a great compatibility and we feel to be able to provide a very unique value, bridging the need for talent and answering to the evolving location strategies of growing ICT service companies and multi-national service delivery operations.“ said Hans-Juergen Cassens, the Head of the Innovation and Training Park Prizren.

Also the conditions in Kosovo in terms of labor and operation cost, plus the favorable taxation with a 10% corporate tax rate and a pro-business stance make Kosovo today a very viable choice as IT services delivery location. The fact that ITP is managed by a German-Kosovar team of experts adds investment security and a long-term perspective to the development of the Innovation and Training Park Prizren.

Visit ITP’s website for more information and contacts at: https://itp-prizren.com

1.9K views