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PROGRAMS

Engaging Diaspora Professionals

about the program

Transferring and exchanging knowledge and skills from diaspora professionals to their countries of origin is a powerful tool for development. Research shows that each profession forms its own “mini-diaspora”, and Germin is taking this into account by creating professional networks of Diaspora members belonging to various professions, such as education professionals, finance, diplomacy, medicine, and more.

Through this program, Germin supports the transfer and exchange of knowledge and skills from the diaspora to institutions, organizations, and private entities in the home countries. It also mediates and facilitates the short-term professional engagement of diaspora professionals in these countries. To date, Germin has engaged over 100 professionals from various fields, with more than 300 weeks of engagement and over 400 hours of online mentoring.

To facilitate these connections, Germin has launched an online platform where diaspora professionals can register, interact, collaborate, and share expertise. To the date, over 500 professionals from the diaspora have registered. The platform aims to become the largest database of Diaspora professionals, facilitating collaboration not only among them, but also between diaspora and professionals in Kosovo. In addition, Germin plans to establish Diaspora coworking spaces in Kosovo, providing Diaspora professionals with the resources and necessary space to work and network with local professionals.

GERMIN is actively engaging diaspora professionals through four different projects.

The first project, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) based in the USA, aims to empower women in politics at the local level in Kosovo by providing mentorship from diaspora professionals.

The other project is Diaspora4Innovation, which aims to engage professionals and academics from the Albanian diaspora to contribute to the development of higher education in Albania. Through co-creation and co-teaching with local university staff, the project focuses on fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and improving the quality of education. Implemented in collaboration with the EU4Innovation program, Diaspora4Innovation seeks to build long-term partnerships between higher education institutions in Albania and diaspora experts abroad.

By engaging diaspora professionals across these initiatives, GERMIN not only strengthens ties between the diaspora and Kosovo but also contributes to the country’s socio-economic development.

within the Program

Projects

Leveraging the expertise of diaspora professionals to drive innovative solutions, build capacities, and transfer knowledge in key sectors.

In May 2024, EU4Innovation Programme, in collaboration with Germin started the implementation of the “Diaspora for Entrepreneurship l Education” project. The overall goal of the Diaspora4Innovation project is to activate the global knowledge of diaspora for a local impact. By leveraging the expertise and experience of the academic and professional diaspora, Albania can create a more interconnected and robust innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, further empowering students and scholars, aspiring entrepreneurs and wider start-up ecosystem actors to excel.

Diaspora4Education

Leverage diaspora scholars’ expertise and know-how to establish innovative courses that feature concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation in 10 Albanian HEIs benefiting and advancing the entrepreneurial skills of over 500 university students;

Scholars’ exchange and collaboration fosters joint research, consortia building and Horizon Europe / EUFP applications.

Diaspora4Entrepreneurship

Engage a pool of diaspora professionals to mentor start-ups, aspiring entrepreneurs and ecosystem actors, activate their expertise to guide and assess emerging venture, share their knowledge and skills, help to drive impactful change in Albania’s entrepreneurial landscape.

Diaspora4Promotion

Mobilize diaspora to promote Albania’s start-up and innovation ecosystem domestically and internationally. Distinguished diaspora members become “ecosystem ambassadors” (innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers) & promote the ecosystem by establishing connections and building bridges with the international eco-systems.

Over the years, GERMIN has been bridging the gap between diaspora communities and the home country’s development by providing opportunities for civic engagement and empowering diaspora citizens as constituents.

From November 2022, GERMIN is implementing the “Peer-to-peer Diaspora Mentorship” activity supported by Irex as part of the five-year USAID-funded Private Sector-Led Workforce Development Activity in Kosovo (PSWD).

The USAID PSWD aims to leverage the private sector to build sustainable and innovative models to develop the Kosovo workforce. The program targets systemic barriers and capitalizes on opportunities in three areas: skills demand, skills supply, and the enabling environment.

GERMIN is linking diaspora investors, entrepreneurs, and others (and their organizations) with three Sector Workforce Council actors and grant scheme beneficiaries in sectors of Wood Processing, Agribusiness, and ICT.

The aim is for diaspora investors to serve as mentors and help three Councils’ Leads to learn from each other through shared experiences and questions and lessons learned.

The “Peer-to-peer Diaspora Mentorship Activity” aims to offer mentorship, virtual technical assistance, host (virtual) internships, and promote diaspora investment, including corporate social responsibility funds and investment in training initiatives for the three sectors mentioned above.

In February 2022, GERMIN signed a cooperation agreement with the Kosovar Foundation of Civil Society (KCSF) to implement the Engaging Diaspora Professionals component (EDP) within the Citizen Engagement Activity, implemented by KCSF in partnership with the USAID in Kosovo.

The Citizen Engagement Activity is implementing several initiatives rooted in three key pillars: community involvement, increasing inter-societal trust and expanding and mobilizing new resources.

To address the lack of professional expertise in specific thematic areas for civil society organizations and to tap into the potential of assessing new perspectives and methodologies from the diaspora – KCSF in collaboration with GERMIN, is providing opportunities for cooperation and exchange between NGOs in Kosovo and diaspora professionals.

With this project, GERMIN supports non-governmental organizations in Kosovo by providing them with the expertise of diaspora professionals to enhance their abilities.

GERMIN is committed to strengthening the cooperation between Kosovo and its diaspora to promote development and democratization in Kosovo. In December 2022, GERMIN launched the project “Cooperation between Kosovo and the Diaspora: Building Women’s Capacity in Politics at the Local Level,” supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The project focuses on empowering women in local politics, with the participation of 52 women from municipalities such as Shtime, Istog, Vushtrri, Suharekë, Lipjan, Rahovec, and Podujevë.

The main component of the project involves mentoring by 26 diaspora professionals, each mentoring two local women.

This mentoring program lasts for nine months and is divided into three phases:

  • Phase 1: Identification of beneficiaries and diaspora mentors.
  • Phase 2: The mentoring phase, where the 26 mentor-mentee pairs work closely together.
  • Phase 3: A final conference that brings together all stakeholders for reflection and sharing.

In response to the global pandemic, GERMIN, together with the Global Albanian Foundation, created the “Diaspora Health Professionals Team for COVID-19 Response” — a network of healthcare professionals, public health experts, and Albanian researchers. This network aims to strengthen joint efforts for COVID-19 response and contribute to the development of policy recommendations for Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.

Objectives: • Establish a global network of Albanian health professionals contributing to policy development and crisis response. • Strengthen collaborative relationships between diaspora professionals and the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Activities:

  • Organize online meetings, panel discussions, and resources to guide response efforts.
  • Develop a moderated online platform for sharing resources and policy information.
  • Prepare a position paper on COVID-19 response, addressing both local and global challenges.

This program offers diaspora graduates the opportunity to work with members of the Kosovo Assembly, contributing directly to policy-making processes. They will engage in research and create policy reports on areas such as civil and political rights for diaspora members, foreign investments, and remittances.

Objectives:

  • Build a network of diaspora fellows collaborating with MPs and parliamentary committees.
  • Establish an annual fellowship program that includes 10-15 diaspora fellows each year.

This initiative offers virtual exchange opportunities, connecting diaspora professionals and students with academic institutions in Kosovo and Albania. Through online lectures, the program promotes the transfer of knowledge and expertise, helping bridge the skills gap and improve educational outcomes.

Objectives:

  • Promote virtual exchanges between diaspora professionals and students.
  • Strengthen collaboration in higher education and encourage knowledge transfer.

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Germin is a non-governmental organization whose core principles and ideals are based on the belief that the Albanian diaspora must play an extensive and proactive role in the positive development of all countries in the Balkans where Albanians live.

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