S&T Country Report - Albania - WBC-INCO Net

favouring international cooperation. The international network, launched its activities
in 2002, and is made up of 75 foreign centres and 73 Italian centres belonging to 18
regions. The Integra Plus is the second working phase of the internationalisation
involving the Integra network, co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and developed by Mondimpresa. Integra Plus intends to promote cooperation
relations between the enterprises of the Mediterranean basin and the Balkan
countries through the knowledge of the Italian productive districts.
Industry/Sector (technology area): Not available
International activities: Participation in several international projects, e.g. Integra
C) Technological and Science Parks
As indicated in the Report on the implementation of the European Charter for Small
Enterprises in Moldova and the countries in the Western Balkans published in 2006
and investigated via the internet research, there are no technology or science parks
in operation in Albania at the time of writing of this report (EC, 2006).
D) Business-start-up Centres/ Technology Incubators
Business incubators are generally defined as special areas for new and young
developing businesses that provide such businesses with premises, infrastructure, a
comprehensive range of services and support that can improve their ability to initiate
and run their operations during the early developmental period. The combination of
features such as physical facilities, focus on start-ups and SMEs, and provision of
“soft” advisory and support services are what distinguish business incubators from
other industrial centers or industrial estates.
There are two Business Incubators in Tirana and Shkodra. These were set-up with
World Bank assistance (Training Enterprise and Employment Fund) and are the
responsibility of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, rather than the institution
responsible for enterprise development, namely the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Energy (METE). The business incubators were subsidized for the first three years of
their operation and are now operating on a self-financing basis, except for their
premises which remained rent-free until 2005. To become members of the business
incubators, all tenants must be start-ups. They can remain as tenants benefiting from
the subsidised rents for a maximum of three years, after which they must pay the full
rental costs.
The subsidized services include office services such as:
• Office services (telephone, fax, receptionist);
• Training (start-your-own-business, improve-your-business, etc.); and
• Legal advice.
As stated in the Enterprise Policy Performance Assessment in 2005, there has been
no progress in the development of business incubators since 2003. No official policy
exists and there is no preparatory work to assess other potential locations for future
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