TvinTek Konekt 2025 Communiqué: Advancing innovation, technology transfer, and collaboration for a sustainable innovation ecosystem

On May 28, 2025, the TvinTek Konekt 2025 conference was held in Skopje, bringing together a wide range of participants from academia, industry, public institutions, civil society, and research organizations. The goal was to encourage a constructive exchange of ideas and identify practical solutions to strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem.

Participants actively engaged in various thematic sessions dedicated to digital transformation, the circular economy, innovation culture, and technology transfer. The discussions emphasized the urgent need for clear and lasting mechanisms to connect all stakeholders, with the aim of fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Participants identified several key insights:

• Human capital, especially within academic and technical institutions, is a significant strength but remains underutilized due to weak connections between academia and industry.
• Although there are interesting projects in the areas of digitalization, circular economy, and innovation, they are mostly isolated and short-term, lacking a clear long-term strategy and broader coordination.
• Entrepreneurial spirit is present, but the lack of financial and other resources limits the growth of startups and new companies.
• Relevant policies exist in these fields, yet appropriate mechanisms for their implementation are missing.
• Technology transfer is growing but still lacks a strong infrastructure and intensive cross-sector collaboration to fully realize its potential.

Despite these challenges, participants highlighted that steady progress is becoming evident. Pilot projects, local initiatives, and institutional reforms are gradually laying the groundwork for broader systemic changes. Looking ahead, the key will be investing in joint collaboration and long-term alignment among all stakeholders.

This shared understanding shapes the recommendations presented in the document below—not as universal solutions, but as a foundation for strengthening the capacity and resilience of North Macedonia’s innovation ecosystem.