Kumbaro Meets Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva as Albania Increases Investments in Innovation

Mirela Kumbaro, the Minister for Education, took part in the Ministerial Meeting on Scientific Research and Innovation for Western Balkan countries, which was held in Montenegro. Discussions at the meeting focused on research infrastructures and artificial intelligence.
In her address, Minister Kumbaro presented Albania’s latest developments in the field of startups, scientific research and innovation to the European Commissioner for the same areas, Ekaterina Zaharieva, as well as to regional counterparts. She highlighted the increase in funds for scientific research, the internationalisation of universities, and the doubling of investments in research infrastructure.
During the bilateral meeting with Commissioner Zaharieva, Albania’s commitment to improving the quality of scientific research, integrating artificial intelligence into pre-university education and collaborating with the academic diaspora was emphasised.
“Through the programmes of the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation, we are paying special attention to both cooperation with the academic diaspora and supporting doctoral studies in priority fields. We have also begun implementing artificial intelligence in pre-university education to create a sustainable chain of AI use in the service of science. We want Albanian universities to become regional centres of development that educate students, create new knowledge, and generate solutions for industry and policymaking,” stated Minister Kumbaro.
Commissioner Zaharieva congratulated Albania on its progress and commitment to using innovation and technology in scientific research, describing this as an important step towards European standards.
In Podgorica, Minister Kumbaro held a meeting with her Montenegrin counterpart, Andjela Jaksic-Stojanovic. They discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in education, research and innovation, how to implement existing agreements and opportunities for joint cross-border projects involving academic mobility and vocational education.