The mobility of human capital within and from the Western Balkans when innovation stops brain drain

OBCT and CeSPI completed a study financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation with the objective to examine how innovative companies and innovation hubs/innovation incubators in the Western Balkans can positively contribute to local social-economic development and ultimately reduce the brain drain of skilled youth. The starting hypothesis is that reinforced conditions of entrepreneurial-innovative development in the Western Balkans can contribute to increasing employment opportunities and retaining youth talents and innovative ideas.
The methodology includes a desk literature and a qualitative mapping, realized with 14 interviews with different players in Serbia, Albania and Kosovo. This pilot study presents limitations due to the difficulty to engage for-profit operators and the limited number of case studies involved. Moreover, addressing “Innovation and Brain Drain” in the Western Balkans obviously depends on the specificities of each country, economy, sector and existing clusters/districts.

Curated by: Anna Ferro, Francesco Martino, Serena Epis 

Language: Italian