Bilateral Programmes

What it is

The bilateral programmes finance joint research projects between Albanian research groups and those of partner countries, in implementation of intergovernmental agreements on scientific and technological cooperation.

They are administered by the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation through the Directorate of International Programmes, Bilateral Relations Sector, always in cooperation with the counterpart agency of the partner country.

The current strategic partners are Kosovo, Austria, Italy and Türkiye.

Objectives

The primary purpose of these programmes, conceived as seed financing, is to build bridges of inter-institutional cooperation. The projects mobilise partnerships between Albanian and foreign higher education institutions, giving researchers the experience they need to form successful consortia and then to draw on European Union funds of greater impact — such as Horizon Europe, assistance programmes such as IPA, and networking programmes such as COST and CEEPUS.

Specifically, the bilateral calls aim at:

• encouraging scientific and technological cooperation through researcher mobility;
• exchanging knowledge between the research groups of the two countries;
• building lasting institutional partnerships and internationalising Albanian research.

The priority fields of the calls are set in the joint guides agreed with the counterpart side, following the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3): Information Technologies, Health, Agriculture and Environment.

Who can apply

Under the Albania–Türkiye 2026-2028 call, the right to propose projects belongs to any scientific researcher holding the academic degree “Doktor”, employed at a public or private institution that has scientific research set out in its statute.

The following restrictions apply:

• The project leader may submit only one application per call; where several are submitted, the first registered with NASRI is the one considered.
• Re-application to new calls is permitted only if the previous grant was successfully completed and the final reports were submitted properly and on time.
• Proposals are disqualified where the leader or a project member is the head of the applicant institution or part of NASRI’s Expert Evaluation Committees.

What it funds

The financing covers:

• Researcher mobility — travel, daily allowances, accommodation and transport within and outside the country.
• Publications — fees for publishing scientific articles, scientific publications, ISBN/ISSN charges, documents prepared for the conferences foreseen in the project, presentation posters and scientific translations.
• Administrative expenditure — kits, reagents and the like.

Other items, such as equipment, may be covered by third parties, provided any such support is clearly declared in the documentation. All expenditure is made in accordance with the legislation in force on the state budget.

Under the Albania–Türkiye 2026-2028 call, projects run for two years and financing goes up to €10,000 per year, or a maximum of €20,000 in total per project. The financial conditions are set for each call, in agreement with the counterpart side.

The application process

Each call is announced jointly by the two responsible agencies, on the basis of a Joint Guide agreed in advance. The documentation is submitted to both agencies at the same time, each according to its own requirements.

The application package for the Albanian side, under the Albania–Türkiye 2026-2028 call, contains:

• the Project Proposal Form in Albanian (Annex 1) and in English (Annex 1A), 2 copies of each;
• the Financing Plan (Annex 2) and the Activity Calendar (Annex 3), 2 copies of each;
• the Declaration of Commitment (Annex 9), 1 copy;
• the CVs in English of both project leaders, 2 copies of each;
• the covering letter signed and stamped by the head of the applicant institution;
• one electronic copy (CD/USB) with all the documentation.

The physical file is submitted by post or in person at NASRI’s Registry Office, in a sealed envelope marked with the relevant call.

Proposals are evaluated under the systems approved in each state. The list of recommended proposals is approved by the Joint Committee of the two countries. Final approval for the Albanian side is given by the NASRI Administration Board, and the signing of the contract marks the official start of implementation.

The calls, the accompanying documents and the deadlines are published only at www.nasri.gov.al.