AI4Society Initiative
Donor:
Open Society Foundation for Albania
Partners:
Build Green Group (Project Coordinator), NALED, Bonevet, Belgrade Open School (BOS), Reputeo
Beneficiaries:
Local self-government units in Albania, Serbia and Kosovo, as well as young innovators, students, and teams developing digital and AI solutions.
Implementation period:
June 2026 – March 2027
The AI4Society Initiative is a regional project focused on developing an innovation ecosystem for artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies that can enhance the work of local governments.
The project connects young innovators from Albania, Serbia and Kosovo with real challenges faced by local self-governments, with the aim of developing practical digital and AI solutions that improve the quality of public services, increase administrative efficiency, and strengthen the responsiveness of local institutions to citizens’ needs.
Recognising the growing need for the application of emerging technologies in the public sector, the AI4Society Initiative fosters collaboration between local governments, young talents, civil society organisations, and technology experts, creating opportunities to develop and test innovative solutions tailored to the real needs of local communities.
The project is coordinated by Build Green Group (BGG), a civil society organisation from Albania and the EIT Community Hub for Albania, which is responsible for managing the project consortium, coordinating project activities, and facilitating cooperation with local self-governments.
The project consortium brings together regional partners with complementary expertise. NALED, as the EIT Community Hub for Serbia, contributes by identifying the needs of local self-governments, assessing the applicability of the developed solutions, and supporting participating teams throughout the mentor-guided development process. Bonevet contributes through the development of young people's digital skills and support for participants from Kosovo, while the Belgrade Open School (BOS) engages local self-governments in Serbia, co-organises the regional hackathon, and provides support to Serbian teams. The technical partner, Reputeo, provides expert support through hackathon design, team mentoring, and technical validation of the developed solutions.
Objectives and Results
The objective of the project is to support the development and implementation of AI and digital solutions that address the real needs of local self-governments, as well as to strengthen the capacities of young innovators to develop technologies that can improve the quality of public services.
Key project activities include:
- identifying digitalisation challenges and needs of local self-governments;
- organising a regional hackathon where teams will develop AI solutions;
- providing mentoring support to participants throughout the development and improvement of their ideas;
- connecting young innovators with representatives of local institutions and technology experts;
- evaluating and validating developed solutions from the perspective of their applicability in local government.
The expected project results include the development of new AI and digital solutions aimed at improving local public services, strengthening regional cooperation in the field of innovation, and establishing a sustainable model for connecting the technology community and the public sector.
