The role of entrepreneurship- and technology transfer-oriented initiatives in improving the innovation system in the Western Balkans

To improve the current political and social situation in Western Balkans, the region needs to gain economic stability. Regional academic institutions can play an important role in that respect. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role that regional academic institutions can play in strengthening the regional system of innovation. Particularly, we discuss the importance of entrepreneurship education (EE) and technology transfer (TT), provide an overview of the state of their implementation and discuss examples of how institutional networks can engage in EE and TT, particularly to small and medium-sized enterprises. While institutions of higher education and public research institutions have already gone a long way to foster EE and TT, much remains to be done to reach their potential.