Innovation, Skills, and Sustainability: Strengthening Kosovo’s Innovation Ecosystem at ITP Prizren

Growing an innovation ecosystem

ITP continued to grow as a dynamic ecosystem for businesses, talent, and institutions. During the year, the park welcomed 14 new tenant companies, expanding into a community of 60 companies operating on site. With an average daily presence of approximately 790 people – including employees, students, visitors, and partners ITP remained a space defined by movement, exchange, and opportunity.

The park hosts a diverse mix of companies working across IT, software development, robotics, creative industries, professional services, and advanced manufacturing. This diversity is one of ITP’s strongest assets, enabling daily interaction between talent, technology, and entrepreneurship. Beyond shared infrastructure, the ecosystem supports collaboration, learning, and organic growth, fostering an environment where innovation is part of everyday work rather than an exception.

Growth was visible not only in numbers, but also in ambition and scale. One of ITP’s early-stage companies expanded from a small team of three employees to more than 150 professionals, demonstrating how local companies can grow rapidly when talent meets the right environment. Across the park, 478 employees are now building products and services for both Kosovo and international markets, underlining the competitiveness of local talent when supported by appropriate infrastructure and networks.

Skills development aligned with market needs

Skills development remained at the core of ITP’s mission in 2025. A total of 1,465 people benefited from trainings hosted at the park, with women representing 56% of participants and men 44%. Training programmes covered a wide spectrum, including digital skills, software development, creative production, AI-supported design, business administration, and technical training.

These programmes responded directly to labour market needs, supporting participants in accessing employment, career transitions, or entrepreneurship, while helping companies connect with skilled talent. In line with its commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity, several training programmes were delivered in Turkish and Bosnian, ensuring access to learning opportunities for Kosovo’s diverse communities.

Flagship initiatives for future-oriented learning

A key milestone in 2025 was the further development of ITP’s Digital Skills Festival, which evolved into a flagship event and a visible benchmark of the park’s role in future-oriented learning. The festival brought together young people, professionals, trainers, companies, and institutions, positioning ITP as a platform where digital skills, innovation, and inclusion intersect in a practical and accessible way.

A platform for dialogue and collaboration

ITP also strengthened its role as a meeting point for ideas, institutions, and collaboration. Over the year, the park hosted 64 events, with an increased focus on larger-scale and strategic formats designed to generate long-term value. These included festivals, startup programmes, policy discussions, and ecosystem dialogues, reinforcing ITP’s function as a neutral platform for dialogue, coordination, and joint action among public institutions, businesses, civil society, and innovators.

Community voices expanding visibility

Community engagement played a key role in amplifying impact. In 2025, journalists, entrepreneurs, content creators, and technology professionals actively supported ITP’s mission by sharing its work through their own networks and perspectives. This collective amplification translated innovation into narratives that resonated with wider audiences, contributing to a digital outreach of up to one million views and strengthening ITP’s visibility as a growing innovation hub in Kosovo and beyond.

Strengthening international cooperation

International engagement was further expanded during the year. ITP participated in an official exchange with the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), European Division, in Bolzano/Bozen, opening new opportunities for learning, benchmarking, and positioning within the European innovation landscape.

Outreach activities in Germany, including information events in Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, strengthened links with the diaspora, business networks, and institutions, creating momentum for future cooperation and investment.

Delivering measurable sustainability results

Sustainability commitments also moved decisively from planning to implementation. In 2025, ITP continued investing in green infrastructure to reduce environmental impact and promote responsible development. With an installed solar capacity of 122.8 kWp, energy generation reached 71.946 MWh in 2023 and 136.906 MWh in 2024.

In total, this represents an estimated reduction of 279.9 tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to approximately 12,840 trees or 43 hectares of forest annually, making sustainability a visible and measurable part of daily operations at the park.

Improving accessibility and arrival experience

In parallel, a new arrival experience began taking shape at ITP. Three modular, energy-efficient guardhouses and an information centre are under construction across the park’s three entrances. Beyond infrastructure improvements, this development reflects a broader transformation – from a site shaped by its past to an open, accessible, and contemporary innovation and technology park aligned with values of transparency and collaboration.

Looking ahead

Through its continued development in 2025, Innovation and Training Park Prizren reaffirmed its role as a place where people grow, businesses thrive, and innovation becomes part of everyday life. The year marked an important step in strengthening Kosovo’s innovation ecosystem – built collectively by tenants, students, partners, institutions, and the wider community.