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challenge fund
The Challenge Fund is a competitive financing facility which will be used as a means of addressing the issue of access to finance for innovative companies at an early stage of development, as well as for organisations engaged in services to innovative start-ups and promotion of the Albanian innovation system.
The fund builds on the idea that both start-ups and innovation service providers receive capacity building through various forms of technical assistance from GIZ and grants through Swedish Embassy in Tirana.
The Challenge Fund would provide funding to the most promising companies to carry them through the ‘valley of death’ and scale up their innovative businesses.
The Challenge Fund is a competitive financing facility which will be used as a means of addressing the issue of access to finance for Albanian start-ups and innovation support organizations.
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Take the SurveyEU for Innovation aims to strengthen the innovation ecosystem and to boost start-up creation in Albania.
The project will focus in developing three distinct result areas:
• Strengthening the capacity for innovation
• Building linkages within the Albanian innovation ecosystem and internationally
• Funding innovative startups and innovation support providers

She Starts Up: Aneida Bajraktari Bicja – Balkans Capital
When mapping the entrepreneurial eco-system of Albania, one would for sure come across Start-up Grind Tirana – a global start-up community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs, or Start-up Weekend Tirana – one of the world’ s greatest educational movements for entrepreneurs. We are proud to state that Aneida Bajraktari Bicja, entrepreneur/ 40under40/ advisor/ […]

She Starts Up: Lorena Gjana and Esmerina Hidri – KODO Academy
Back in September 2021, thanks to the support of EU for Innovation and Challenge Fund, Kodo Academy launched a pilot programme by opening first classes for new programmers in three technologies: ReactJS, Node.js and Python. The students attending the academy had an opportunity to develop their knowledge in technologies, which have been identified as the […]

She Starts Up: Fabiola Duro – INNVEST
“Innovation knows no limits and now it’s an extraordinary time for it, as technological change and industry disruption seem to be accelerating and linking individuals, organisations, and nations as never before.” – highlighted Fabiola Duro, founder of INNVEST in her interview with EU for Innovation for “She Starts Up”. Since 2017, Fabiola through her initiative – INNVEST – […]

She Starts Up: Flora Krasniqi & Paola Iljazi – Innovation Factory
Innovation Factory (IF) is a cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary unit within POLIS University, that seeks to support researchers, students, young creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses to innovate. In addition to technical expertise and knowledge, through the recently created Makerspace, IF offers the opportunity for digital prototyping and fabrication for start-ups and businesses, with a special focus on […]
Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.


Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.

