On September 16th, the EU4Innovation project organised an Info Session on the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) in partnership with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy (MoIE) and the National Agency of Information Society (NAIS). DEP started its implementation in December 2023, after the international agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Republic of Albania was signed, and the two implementing institutions are MoIE and NAIS.
The event gathered 70 participants from the ICT private sector, public and private universities and public agencies such as the State Agency of Innovation and Excellence, Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA), Start-Up Albania, State Authority for Geospatial Information, and others.
The deputy minister, Ms. Enkelejda Muçaj, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, introduced the participants to this programme’s benefits to the Albanian ecosystem. She highlighted that DEP is a powerhouse of opportunities for Albania to accelerate the economic recovery and shape the digital transformation of our economy, benefiting everyone, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Director of Innovation and e-Gov Promotion from the National Agency of Information Society, Ms. Romina Kostani informed the audience about the Digital Decade Target related to Skills, Government, Business and Infrastructure. With Ms Irena Malolli, the Director of Policies and Development Strategies for Telecommunications and Posts from MoIE, they explained the key Specific Objectives of DEP, which Albania has adhered to in the agreement and is eligible to benefit from funds from the EU.
The Info Session was a brainstorming session in which participants posed several questions related to the DEP’s open calls for applications and expressed the intention to apply to a few of them. EU4Innovation proudly supports the MoIE and NAIS by providing technical assistance and expertise with the implementation of DEP to both of them and to all the applicants who are committed to benefiting from the DEP’s open calls.
