After decades of service as a military base, the former KFOR (Kosovo Force) field camp at Prizren has undergone a remarkable transformation. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and with cofinancing from the Government of Kosovo, GIZ and its local partners have converted this former Bundeswehr base into the Innovation and Training Park (ITP). Since its launch in 2019, ITP Prizren has become an important centre for innovation, economic growth and expertise.
On a mission: new horizons
How a barracks in Kosovo became an attractive centre for business and training: we visit the Innovation and Training Park (ITP) Prizren. With GIZ support, it has become one of the most important hubs for innovation in the Western Balkans.
Text and photos: Vjosa Çerkini
What do a high-tech company, a cultural initiative, a university and public-benefit digital enthusiasts have in common? They all need a creative network, high-speed internet, suitable premises and sound infrastructure. Who would have thought, then, that all this was to be found in a former barracks? akzente visited tenants at the Innovation and Training Park (ITP) Prizren. Since 2019, the former military base has been redeveloped into an impressive location for start-ups, training and civic participation.
The location for innovation in Kosovo
Click on the crosses to find out more about the tenants at the Innovation and Training Park Prizren.
Mustafa Balje
‘The opening of a regional studio in Prizren represents a huge success for our station, the city and the mission of the Innovation and Training Park.’
Enis Qafëleshi
‘We’ve seen the demand and are bringing digital jobs to our country. That makes us a perfect fit for the ITP and vice versa.’
Valmir Hoxha
from Aria Tech appreciates the networks and contacts that the ITP offers
Vatra Abrashi
from the Autostrada Biennale cultural initiative is enthusiastic about finding space for culture and education at the ITP
Edmond Hajrizi
Rector of the University of Business and Technology (UBT), is attracted by the ITP's links with Germany
INIT
The extensive site on the outskirts of Prizren has undergone an astonishing transformation. Someone who has seen this at first hand is Mustafa Balje. The long-serving reporter for public broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) remembers it from a time when residents of Prizren were not allowed to enter the site and even journalists were rarely allowed in. ‘There was always something secretive about it,’ he remembers.
The isolated military base was founded by the Ottoman army and later served as a camp for the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). Most recently it housed German soldiers, stationed there as part of the multinational Kosovo Force (KFOR). Between 1999 and 2018, thousands of German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) personnel defended the peace in and around Prizren.
The Bundeswehr handed the military base back to the Kosovan civilian authorities in the second half of 2018. The German and Kosovan governments jointly agreed to redevelop the site’s dozens of buildings as a business location. Their aim was and remains to strengthen the Kosovan economy and tackle the issue of unemployment facing young people in particular.
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, GIZ commissioned feasibility studies and laid the foundations for the Innovation and Training Park (ITP) Prizren. GIZ was responsible for managing the ITP until the end of 2024. It is now in the hands of a Kosovan management team, which continues to work closely with the GIZ team led by project manager Hans-Jürgen Cassens. ‘We are convinced that development of ITP Prizren into one of the leading technology and innovation parks in the Balkans will also attract multinational IT companies and service providers,’ says Cassens with confidence.
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Vjosa Çerkini
‘A symbol of Kosovo’s transformation’
Lulëzon Jagxhiu, digital advisor to Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, on the German-Kosovar cooperation at the Innovation and Training Park in Prizren.
To the Interview
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Vjosa Çerkini
Today, the ITP is seen as an example of the successful redevelopment of former Bundeswehr properties outside Germany. 53 companies, educational institutions and civic or creative initiatives have now taken up residence – including the regional studios of public broadcaster RTK. This has enabled Mustafa Balje and his team to fulfil their mandate to provide information more effectively: ‘Working conditions here are exceptional. Thanks to this, we can achieve the same media quality in Kosovo as in the countries of Western Europe.’ Representing the different population groups in Kosovo, the journalists also provide media skills training for young people and make use of the innovative ITP network.
A creative environment and sound infrastructure
This is something valued by Valmir Hoxha too. He is the co-founder and co-owner of Aria Tech, a company that develops products such as industrial robots. As a native of Prizren, Hoxha followed development of the ITP at first hand. When his company expanded and was looking for suitable premises, he chose the Innovation and Training Park – the decisive factor being: ‘The infrastructure is outstanding.’ Aria Tech has been based at the ITP since late 2023; ‘since then, we’ve experienced exponential growth,’ says the young entrepreneur. Other key factors have been the park’s dynamic environment featuring numerous events, the contacts and its location – not least for international orders.
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Vjosa Çerkini
The ITP offers Valmir Hoxha from Aria Tech the perfect location to manufacture mechanical and electrical parts after planning high-tech projects.
The ITP is well connected
A motorway connects Prizren, Kosovo’s second largest city, to the capital Pristina and Skopje in North Macedonia. Pristina International Airport is just under 40 minutes from the ITP. The Adriatic ports of Durrës in Albania, Bar in Montenegro and Thessaloniki in Greece are easily accessible in two and a half and five hours respectively.
If the ITP’s location is one attraction, well-trained young people are another. The ITP places a focus on vocational and academic education, for example in its collaboration with the University for Business and Technology (UBT), which relocated its Prizren campus to the ITP in 2020. 2,000 students are currently enrolled there. ‘We’ve managed to attract foreign investors to Kosovo thanks to our development of a skilled labour force in the country,’ says UBT founder Edmond Hajrizi.
The university was one of the ITP’s first tenants and Hajrizi was involved in advanced development of the ITP from an early stage. ‘Competent management by GIZ and its experts has given me the confidence of knowing I have a genuine dialogue partner with whom I can develop exactly what I’ve been working on for 20 years: sustainable development for Kosovo,’ explains Professor Hajrizi. Like many others in the ITP, he knows he’s in the right place at the right time.
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enterprises, educational institutions and civic or creative initiatives have now taken up residence in the ITP.