What about Blue Boost
The overall project objective of improving the basic conditions for bridging the gap between the 3 helixes of the Adriatic-Ionian maritime clusters between research/Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), users/SMEs and institutions/SMEs through innovative approaches seems to be feasible in the regional context and both contracting authority and key experts have the necessary experiences and expertise enabling the achievement of the overall project goal. This project was co-funded by European Regional Development Fund. Results to be achieved as well seem to be feasible and in full compliance with national and local development strategies and blue economy growth potentials of Albania. Although Albania lacks a well-designed framework to regulate Blue Growth activities and despite the facts that its potential remains underused and misused, yet Blue sectors MSMEs/Start-ups remain relatively aware of growth potentials and well-designed initiatives can hugely benefit to a wide-ranging awareness-raising of innovation centrality within challenging local and global economic context.
UET Centre has been contracted for the following activities:
Capacity building of SMEs – Rethinking of the market beyond own business border: techniques to acquire capacity to think or re-think its own business strategy and cope with new market space at transnational level.
- New Design and development for the Product/Service: creative ability applied to products development aiming at stimulating participant capacity to create an idea, testing new innovation chances offered by user-centric design, co-creation, co-production, rapid prototyping, etc.
- Improving Blue innovation in Albania
o January 2019 (4 days) – preparatory meetings with local SMEs in Shëngjin, Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë.
o February 2019 (4 days) – Organize 3 (three) Blue Labs (in total) in the pilot project areas of Shëngjin, Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë
o February 2019 (4 days) – Organization of 3 Scenario Workshops in the pilot project areas of Shëngjin, Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë