Study - Innovation led economic empowrement - EUD - local expert Study - Innovation led economic empowrement - EUD - local expert The purpose of this contribution is to assess the real needs and opportunities that Albania provides for innovative economic empowerement structures. The embassy will need the services and support One local Consultant. The Consultants in cooperation with the Team Leader (hired by GIZ) and a Swedish consultant will make an assessment of the actual situation in Albania regarding innovative start ups and will come up with best solutions. The input from this team will be used for the implementation of the following programme.
The EU has decided to implement component 3 under the indirect management mode, where Member States agencies will implement the programme elaborated in the Action Plan ‘’Eu support to a tourism-led model for Local Economic Development’’. The programe ''Innovation led economic empowerement '' will be funded by IPA 2017/04210/AL/ Tourism action plan. The action plan focuses on implementing and testing innovative (Tourist) led local development model thorugh improving the innovative eco-system and boosting start-ups Creation.
The aim of the action is to provide support to innovative eco-system in Albania by establishing an incubator with a fabrication laboraty (FabLAB) type facility, improving access to finance and acceleration support to innovative start-ups. The aim is also to address the need for a well for linked institutional support infrastructure (academia - industry - government) to promote innovation policy within SMEs, that would underpin and create the right conditions for the entire entrepreneurship eco-system: from a) the fertile terrain for inspired business idea generation (pre-acceleration) ? to b) an acceleration and incubation system enabled to provide access to sustainable business models, a tested and prototyped product/service/process and facilitated funding, including seed capital for early-stage business, to ? c) mentoring for scaling-up and championing best start-ups ready for corporate high-growth.
This innovation eco-system will encompass important elements as cost sharing and strong links and networking with private businesses and operators of key sectors not limited to ICT, but also tourism, construction technologies, agri-food, biotechnology, green economy, etc.; not least, the system will aim at capitalizing on well-educated Albanian diaspora (approx. 15,000 young/middle aged professionals that own Phd or master degree), a good potential for the country bringing innovative ideas, mentoring, networking and boosting research and development capacity. EU har beslutat om indirekt  genomförande  av programmet ‘’EU support to a tourism-led model for Local Economic Development’’ där Tyskland och Sverige (co-partner) utsetts som genomförare. Fokus ligger på att testa olika modeller för innovativ lokal ekonomisk (fokus på turism) utveckling.

Denna insats syfte är att initialt bedöma verkliga behov och möjligheter för innovativa strukturer för ekonomisk utveckling (empowerment) i Albanien.
Ambassaden har därför behov av en internationell konsult som i samarbete med en Team Leader (anställd av GIZ) och en
lokal konsult kommer att göra den efterfrågade studien. Konsultteamets bedömning kommer attanvändas för programgenomförandet.