Second Academic Diaspora Forum Concludes in Prishtina: Building Bridges Between Kosovo and Its Global Academic Community
Turning goodwill into lasting partnership was the aim at the heart of the second Academic Diaspora Forum, which closed today after two days of dialogue, networking, and field visits.
In cooperation with GIZ, The University of Prishtina hosted diaspora academics, ambassadors and diplomatic representatives, university leadership, researchers, development partners, and private sector representatives, building on the first Forum and the establishment of the Center for Advanced Studies (CAS).
Initially, as a joint initiative of the University of Prishtina and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, the Forum brought together diaspora academics, ambassadors and diplomatic representatives, university leadership, researchers, development partners, and private sector representatives. GIZ supported the Forum for the second time, contributing with in-house technical expertise on migration and diaspora cooperation, and building on the momentum of the first edition and the establishment of the Center for Advanced Studies (CAS), which has since taken shape as the University's host for migration and diaspora topics.
GIZ has supported the event as part of its ongoing commitment to diaspora engagement and knowledge transfer, through its own in-house technical expertise on migration and diaspora cooperation.
Day 1: Concept Handover
The Forum opened at the Small Hall of the National Library of Kosovo with welcome remarks from Prof. Dr. Arben Hajrullahu, Rector of the University of Prishtina, alongside representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora and GIZ .
The morning's clearest milestone followed shortly after: a joint presentation by Krenare Loxhaj of GIZ and Gentrit Berisha of CAS, laying out the Forum's findings alongside a concept note for institutionalizing diaspora engagement within the University of Prishtina. Developed in-house by GIZ, drawing on years of migration and diaspora expertise, the concept goes beyond diaspora engagement alone. It aims to advance interdisciplinary research, foster meaningful engagement with the academic diaspora, facilitate knowledge exchange and innovation, and support evidence-based policies that contribute to Kosovo's development. It was presented not as a finished product but as a foundation for the University to take forward on its own terms.
"We expect our Center for Advanced Studies to be functional, providing facilities and scholarships for prospect scholars.’ Said Gentrit Berisha the Center for Advanced Studies.
The rest of the day treated academic and economic diplomacy as two sides of the same question. A keynote session with Prof. Dr. Fetah Podvorica and Prof. Dr. Kreshnik Hoti was followed by roundtables on cooperation between the University and the academic diaspora, the diaspora as a diplomatic asset, financing scientific research in Kosovo, and the proposed University of Prishtina Foundation to support research. Two panels closed the day, one bringing together diaspora academics to discuss strategies for closer cooperation with the University of Prishtina, and the other looking at the experience of Albanian students abroad navigating career paths and questions of diplomacy. Across every session, the same idea kept surfacing: the diaspora is not on the periphery of Kosovo's academic and economic development, it is one of its most underused engines.
Day 2: Seeing the Model at Work
If day one was about the concept, day two was about the proof. The Forum traveled from Prishtina to the Innovation and Training Park (ITP) in Prizren, stopping along the way for a networking lunch.
At ITP Prizren, participants will be welcomed with an introduction to its role as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, skills development, and business growth in Kosovo. Following the presentation, they will tour selected facilities and visit several organizations and businesses based at ITP, gaining first-hand insight into the diverse ecosystem operating on site. The visit will showcase how collaboration between public institutions, international partners, businesses, and innovators contributes to fostering economic development, talent, and innovation in Kosovo.
For many participants, the visit was a first close look at what diaspora-driven investment can build on the ground. "By creating this unique single point of contact, they’ve built an ecosystem where the diaspora can seamlessly support emerging startups, foster strategic partnerships, and drive sustainable business growth.’’ Said Venet Osmani, Professor of Clinical AI and Machine Learning at the Queen Mary University of London.
The visit reinforced a simple point: the same diaspora engaged in academic dialogue is also a driving force behind new businesses, jobs, and expertise taking root across Kosovo.
What Comes Next
The Forum will be judged less by their own agenda than by what follows. Participants pointed to concrete next steps, joint research, academic mobility, and institutional partnerships with diaspora-linked universities abroad, but the more consequential outcome may be the concept note itself, now formally in the University's hands. When adopted, it will provide Kosovo with a standing institutional home for diaspora engagement – ensuring sustainability of diaspora engagement.
GIZ will stay engaged in that next phase, supporting documentation of the Forum's outcomes and continuing to work alongside the University as the concept moves from proposal toward implementation.
