Deepening the vision for building the triple helix and operationalizing the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship – UNI NOVA
"Haxhi Zeka" University in Peja (UHZ), in partnership with FERD - Dukagjini Regional Economic Forum, also supported by the SHER project, is in the final phase of preparing the Third Scientific and Professional Conference, which is expected to be held in early December 2025. This conference comes as a continuation of a professional cycle initiated by UHZ and FERD, which aims to build a new culture of cooperation between academia, the private sector and state institutions, thus advancing the modern concept of the Triple Helix as a functional model for regional development, innovation and socio-economic transformation.
For the third edition, the strategic focus of the conference will be dedicated to the role, tasks and responsibilities expected of state, central and local institutions, with an emphasis on ministries, development agencies and municipalities of the Dukagjini region, in the process of building, supporting and operationalizing the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship - UNI NOVA, which has already been established by UHZ as a separate legal and economic entity, dedicated to start-ups, business incubators, knowledge transfer, technology and inter-university spin-offs.
The conference is expected to be attended by representatives of state institutions, heads of chambers of commerce, technology and innovation experts, university professors, private sector leaders, as well as participants from the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. The invited speakers will enrich the debate with their technical and practical expertise, offering realistic recommendations and applicable models for the sustainable functioning of UNI NOVA as a modern center oriented towards:
- startups and academic entrepreneurship,
- business incubation and acceleration,
- technology and knowledge transfer,
- participation in international projects and competitive funds,
- liaison with industry and local and central development policies.
UHZ and UNI NOVA remain strongly committed to orienting themselves towards the philosophy of the entrepreneurial university, a model that is not limited to the production of diplomas, but creates new developmental values for the labor market, the regional economy, the business sector and the community. This ambition is based on the principle that a modern, 21st century university must be a producer of ideas, solutions, innovation and new enterprises, transforming itself from a traditional teaching institution into an economic, social, technological and strategic actor.
Through this conference, UHZ, FERD and UNI NOVA aim to launch a permanent inter-institutional communication and planning platform, to create an innovation development ecosystem, which will position Dukagjini as a new center of economic, academic and technological development in Kosovo.
“The triple helix is not just a concept – it is a development philosophy, it is a new way of thinking and acting. And Peja, through UHZ and its partners, is building this model with measured but sure steps.”