Abstract

The capstone project will discuss the barriers and opportunities of the ICT sector of Kosovo to shift its business models into the product-based models, with an emphasis on the economic, social, and cultural determinants of the shift. ICT sector in Kosovo has been dominated long by outsourcing and service provision, yet the world trends and local ambitions require a shift towards innovation-based scalable product models that would create sustainable growth and competitiveness. The study is of qualitative nature and it takes the form of semi-structured interviews with 13 main stakeholders representing government, industry, education and cultural sectors. These interviews provide a thorough understanding of the systemic barriers, including funding constraints, skill gaps, and risk-averse cultural attitudes. Secondary data, including policy documents and international case studies, is used to contextualize these findings within global best practices, particularly from Estonia and Ireland. The results indicate that although Kosovo has excellent technical skills and a young, vibrant workforce, its ICT sector experiences a serious challenge in shifting towards product-based models. Financial constraints, weak industry-academia partnership, and under-valuing of entrepreneurial ventures in society were identified as the key limiting factors. Nevertheless, the opportunities like the development of public-private partnerships, the involvement of the Kosovo diaspora, and corporate governance frameworks have been mentioned as the ways of opening the potential of the sector. This study acknowledges limitations, such as the qualitative focus and potential stakeholder biases. Future studies may also build on these results by conducting quantitative studies or focusing on a particular ICT subsector such as SaaS or artificial intelligence. With the help of the identified barriers and opportunities, Kosovo will be able to make its ICT sector a competitive actor in the global technological market.

Publication Date

7-2025

Document Type

Senior Project

Student Type

Undergraduate

Advisor

Venera Demukaj

Advisor/Committee Member

Brikena Avdyli

Advisor/Committee Member

Fadil Sahiti

Campus

RIT Kosovo

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