About Crea-Tech
CreaTech is a European initiative that empowers Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to lead innovation and entrepreneurship in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). The project supports the development of future-proof skills, strengthens institutional frameworks, and fosters sustainable growth in creative ecosystems.
Built on two key pillars, CreaTech combines institutional capacity building - by embedding interdisciplinary training, mentoring, and start-up acceleration into HEI curricula and research - with the creation of collaborative ecosystems. These ecosystems connect HEIs with CCI organisations, businesses, and research institutions to enable co-creation and knowledge exchange in line with the EIT Knowledge Triangle. Together, these efforts boost long-term competitiveness in the CCI sector, enhance the societal impact of HEIs, and address fragmentation across the innovation landscape.
Spanning six countries (Albania, Kosovo, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, UK) the project fosters cross-sector partnerships, supports start-up creation, and strengthens institutional capacity—ensuring that creativity becomes a catalyst for sustainable growth across Europe.
Project Partners
The University of Tirana was established by Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania in 1957 under the name “State University of Tirana”. The University of Tirana at its creation had 6 faculties. The first beginnings for the establishment of this first institution of higher education in Albania can be found in 1946, when the two-year Higher Pedagogical Institute was opened and in 1947 when, the Institute of Sciences was opened.
Today, the University of Tirana is the largest public university in the country. It consists of 6 faculties and 2 institutes, has 174 programs in all three study cycles, full-time internal academic staff 779 lectures and about 23551 students. The University of Tirana, thanks to its tradition, high level of preparation, qualification and certification, remains the most sought-after university in the Republic of Albania. The UT was decorated by the President of the Republic with the decoration “Order of Honor of the Nation” with the motivation for the outstanding contribution to the development of science, education, culture and the Albanian economy.
AAB College (Kolegji AAB) is a private higher education institution located in Pristina, Kosovo. Established in 2000 as the first private university in the country after the war, it has grown to become the largest non-public higher education institution in Kosovo and the Western Balkans. The college offers a wide range of accredited Bachelor's and Master's programs across faculties such as Law, Economics, Computer Sciences, Mass Communication, Medical Sciences, Psychology, Public Administration, Foreign Languages, Physical Education, and more. All programs follow the European Bologna standards and are licensed by the Ministry of Education. AAB College is known for its modern infrastructure, including smart classrooms, libraries, media studios, sports facilities, and research labs. It maintains strong international partnerships and provides career support and internship opportunities to its students.
Guided by the motto “Quality. Leadership. Success.”, AAB College is committed to academic excellence, innovation, and student-centered education.
EMUNI University was established to promote intercultural dialogue and academic cooperation across the Euro-Mediterranean region. With a focus on internationalization, sustainable development, and regional integration, EMUNI connects higher education institutions and research networks across three continents. In CreaTech, EMUNI leads the Start-Up Booster Program, promoting entrepreneurial ventures and cross-border innovation in the creative industries.
The University of Patras was founded in the city of Patras in 1964 and started to operate in academic year 1966-1967. The University is situated in Patras, Agrinion and Messolonghi. It is the third largest University in Greece in terms of students, faculty members, administrative personnel, number of departments and degrees awarded. The University of Patras includes 31 Departments covering a wide range of disciplines. It also hosts 161 laboratories and 17 fully equipped clinics.
Besides its distinguished path in education, the University of Patras excels in various fields of basic and applied research. The University of Patras has acquired international prominence in research areas such as Health, Environment, Biotechnology, Mechanics, Electronics, Informatics and Basic Science. A number of its academic Departments, laboratories and clinics have been recognized as centres of excellence on the basis of international assessment. The University of Patras has acquired a reputation for producing quality and innovative research and for taking part in a plethora of research projects, scientific organizations and research groups.
The Italian National Research Council (CNR) is the country's largest public research body. It conducts interdisciplinary research across scientific, technological, and social domains. With a vast network of institutes, CNR fosters innovation and knowledge transfer at both national and international levels. As the lead of the Capacity Building Program in CreaTech, CNR provides strategic expertise in innovation management, sustainability, and inclusive education.
The European Creative Hubs Network is a peer-led network with a mission to enhance the creative, economic and social impact of hubs around Europe and neighboring countries. As focal points for creative professionals and businesses, hubs offer the most effective way to support the growth and development of cultural and creative industries. ECHN's experience in fostering innovation ecosystems directly supports CreaTech's objectives of strengthening HEIs' entrepreneurial capacity and enhancing CCIs' competitiveness.
Lascò is an Italian knowledge innovation studio with over a decade of experience in accelerating innovation and digital transformation processes for private and public organisations in different sectors, designing projects, technologies and tailor-made solutions to support them in generating value for their target groups. The company provides innovation design services, innovative solutions, research and development, and technology transfer services. Specialising in digital education and digital (up-/re-)skilling, Lascò is also one of 18 Core Members in the EU of the Digital Working Group of the Harnessing Talent Platform launched by EC-DG REGIO.
CED is a non-governmental organization focused on youth empowerment, social inclusion, and community engagement. Based in North Macedonia, it works to strengthen civil society through educational programs, intercultural dialogue, and active citizenship initiatives. Through CreaTech, CED brings its expertise in youth engagement, creative education, and grassroots innovation.
The University of Bedfordshire is a modern, inclusive higher education institution with a strong commitment to social impact, research excellence, and community engagement. With campuses in Luton, Bedford, and Aylesbury, the university serves over 20,000 students from more than 100 countries. Recognised for its focus on widening participation and graduate employability, the university delivers high-quality, practice-led teaching across a wide range of disciplines, including business, creative arts, healthcare, education, and computing. Bedfordshire is research-active, with several institutes and centres contributing to cutting-edge work in areas such as sustainability, digital transformation, health innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creative industries. It is ranked in the top quartile nationally for research impact in the most recent REF (Research Excellence Framework).
The University’s Research and Innovation Service (RIS) supports collaborative partnerships and knowledge exchange, enabling real-world impact across sectors and regions. With a growing portfolio of national and international projects, Bedfordshire is well-positioned as a dynamic partner in innovation-led initiatives like CreaTech.
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