Since January 2019, Kosovo has been going through an exciting phase of innovation. This is focussed on the development of the digital economy agenda and is funded by the World Bank via the project Kode. The project director Agim Kukaj (KODE PIU) from the Ministry of Economic Development in Kosovo is collating resources to build capabilities and pave the innovation path in the region. With this prospective in mind, a one-day workshop was held in Pristina on 15 October 2019 to learn about the process involved in the creation of a functioning Kosovo NREN; a crucial component needed to enable innovation in the country.
Approximately 50 participants from a variety of government, academic and research institutions attended the workshop. During the event a Trust & Identity (T&I) GÉANT project activity representative Miroslav Milinović from theUniversity Computing Centre, University of Zagreb, partner of CARNET (Croatian NREN) and Goran Škvarč, acting in Kosovo as consultant for the KODE project, presented the portfolio of T&I services available via GÉANT. Special focus was on eduroam and eduGAIN services, and how to deploy T&I services for the academic community. Some interest was also on mobility-related applications as a way to bring closer the diasporic Kosovar academic body and students on exchange programmes.
The conversation led to discuss the importance of cooperation across institutions, crucial to establish an identity Federation, and the debate was also about the need for professional support from the GÉANT Association.
Lastly the workshop continued with an open discussion. Clarifications from speakers as well as KODE PIU focussed on additional procedures needed to establishing an NREN and connecting it to GÉANT. The workshop overran by two hours, we take it as a sign of commitment for further developments!
