Innovation Transfer Programme (PTI)

What it is

Technology and Innovation Projects are joint projects that arise from cooperation between the community of scientific researchers at higher education institutions and industry and business.

The programme aims to intensify cooperation between business and the scientific research community, through joint grants that address business development problems by means of technology transfer and innovation. It also aims to accelerate the move from the laboratory stage to the pilot stage, making results suitable for commercialisation.

PTI operates on a co-financing basis — a grant from the state budget together with financing from industry and business enterprises — and is administered by the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation through the Directorate of National Programmes, Technology and Innovation Sector. The programme is in line with the strategic priorities of the European Research Area and with the requirements of the country’s European integration.

Objectives

• To support scientific research and innovation in line with the national priorities for economic and social development and with global development trends.
• To drive innovation and technological development through cooperation between higher education institutions and the industry and business community.
• To place scientific research at the centre of solving business problems and of offering alternatives for the country’s development.

Who can apply

The application is made by two parties together:

The first applicant is a higher education institution that, under the legislation in force, carries out scientific research. The project leader must hold at least the academic degree “Doktor” in the relevant field.

The second applicant is a business partner, which must be organised and operate under Albanian legislation on traders and commercial companies, have its registered office and carry out its activity in the territory of the Republic of Albania, state clearly what it gains from the project, and demonstrate the capacity to support it.

The partnership is formalised in a cooperation agreement between the parties, of which the co-financing forms a part. The infrastructure needed for the project is provided by the business as applicant partner.

What it funds

Projects must aim at developing a new product, process or service, or clear improvements to an existing product, process or service, with attractive market potential. The proposal rests on a business plan with clear specifications for the expected results, and contains only activities connected with research and development, excluding the purchase of equipment, reagents and tools.

The project’s objectives must aim at developing innovative products and services, strengthening cooperation between academia and business, and easing the commercialisation of the product — on the basis of research activity that improves the value chain, the product or the service.

Under the PTI 2023-2024 call, co-financing was 70% as a grant from NASRI and 30% from the business, with a maximum of 3,000,000 lekë from NASRI and a duration of two years. These conditions, and the priority fields, are set for each call by decision of the Board and are not a permanent rule.

The application process

The Administration Board approves the opening of the call and the decision is published on the official NASRI website.

The project proposal is prepared according to the Project Application Form for Higher Education–Business Cooperation (Annex 1) and the Financial Proposal Form (Annex 2). The file is submitted by official post in 2 printed copies and 1 digital copy, accompanied by a covering letter from the institution.

Attached to it are the partnership and co-financing agreement with the business, the CV and degree certificate of the project leader, the approval of the head of the institution, the accreditation decision, the tax identification number, the extract from the National Business Centre, confirmation that the business has no outstanding tax or social insurance liabilities, and a description of the partner business’s technical infrastructure.

The process begins with the formal and administrative check by the Technology and Innovation Sector. Proposals that pass it are forwarded to the Expert Committee for substantive and scientific evaluation. The core selection criteria are impact, excellence and the quality and effectiveness of implementation. Following approval by the Administration Board, the successful applicants are notified by official letter and the outcome is also announced on the official website.

Monitoring is carried out every six months by groups established by order of the Director General. At the end, the final report is submitted, with the narrative report, the financial report and photographic and video documentation.