TIRANA, April 23 /ATA/ – A Regional Innovation Centre of the EIT Raw Materials, an Innovation Community within the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, was officially launched in the central Albanian city of Elbasan on Tuesday.
The Centre, the only of its kind in the Western Balkans, will act as a hub to catalyze innovation, education and business creation in the raw materials for Albania and the wider region.
The Regional Innovation Centre aims to promote research in the mineral sector and will play a critical role in modernizing the extractive and processing industries related to raw materials, including introducing green technologies and expanding Albania’s primary resource offerings to the European market.
The Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, who attended the launch ceremony, said in her remarks that the centre would revitalize one of Albania’s most important sectors, namely the mineral industry.
Balluku underlined that mineral sector has been a top priority for the Albanian government and other European governments in the context of the global situation in the wake of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
“The Regional Innovation Centre in Albania, being a hub for innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices, marks a major step forward in transforming our raw materials sector, and reinforces our commitment to aligning with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Given that the Raw Material sector is part of the Growth plan priorities for the Western Balkans, this initiative contributes substantially to the regional development and positions Albania strategically within the EU value chain,” Balluku said.
“The Regional Innovation Centre of the EIT Raw Materials will mark a major step in development of Albania’s mineral industry. The Centre is the only hub of its kind in the Western Balkans and we would like to appreciate our colleagues in the European Union, who choose Albania,” she said.
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