About

Development Solutions Associates (DSA) Center is a research think tank and advisory agency with special focus on economic and local development. It was registered as an NGO/NPO in Albania in 2006. DSA provides consulting and research for donors implementing development projects in Albania. DSA has a team of international and local researchers and consultants with diverse and complementary skills, combining their practitioner and academic backgrounds. This enables to complete highly professional research oriented mainly towards problem solving. DSA team has extensive experience in applied economic research, projects design and implementation, and policy advice to donor agencies. DSA team fields of expertise include social and economic (development) studies, agriculture and rural development studies, local/regional development, enterprise development services as well as training and education.

Development Solutions Associates (DSA) Center is a research think tank and advisory agency with special focus on economic and local development. It was registered as an NGO/NPO in Albania in 2006. DSA provides consulting and research for donors implementing development projects in Albania. DSA has a team of international and local researchers and consultants with diverse and complementary skills, combining their practitioner and academic backgrounds. This enables to complete highly professional research oriented mainly towards problem solving. DSA team has extensive experience in applied economic research, projects design and implementation, and policy advice to donor agencies. DSA team fields of expertise include social and economic (development) studies, agriculture and rural development studies, local/regional development, enterprise development services as well as training and education.

Since it was established, DSA team has produced more than 30 technical reports for different donor and international organizations. In the last years, DSA has been involved in 4 RRPP research 3 out of the 4 projects have been regional (1 national), and DSA has been the lead institution in 3 out of the 4 projects. Currently (as of end 2017) DSA is implementing studies/projects funded by the Dutch Embassy, FAO and JICA.

Analytica was founded in 2005. It is a non‐profit independent organization dedicated to helping individuals andinstitutions with the aim to foster lasting improvement in the democracy and governance in Macedonia. Analytica’s mission and objective is to disseminate knowledge gained through policy research in order to make it available to the wider audience of interest and through the cooperation with other likewise institutions to make an impact into policy making processes in the country and wider in the region.

Analytica believes that ideas have consequences, but that those ideas must be promoted aggressively. So, it constantly tries to find ways to support those ideas. Its vision is to build a Macedonia and South Eastern Europe where freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish.

As a think tank, the aim of the organization is contributing to better policies by drawing policy solutions. By providing fact-based research and policy recommendations that are communicated through various channels (organizing workshops, conferences, meetings with stakeholders, sending recommendations to the ministries and the Government) Analytica contributes towards better policies affecting the citizens and better transparency and accountability of the state institutions from the respective sectors. Main areas of work: security policy, energy policy, EU approximation, migration and public administration.

Depending on the projects, direct beneficiaries vary from citizens of specific local municipalities, young journalists, students to the public as a whole.

Institute for socio-economic analyses (ISEA) is a Non-Governmental Organization established in 2014 in Montenegro by a group of researchers with the expertise in various fields, such as finance, marketing, sociology, law and other. ISEA’s founders are: Dr Mirjana Čizmović, Dr Saša Milić, Dr Milenko Popović, Dr Milan Popović, Mr Janković Jelena, Mr Aleksandar Konatar, Mr Milica Kovačević, Mr Ines Pajović, Mr Zoran Senić and Mr Irfan Radončić. Apart, ISEA has developed a wide and strong network of external researcher and consultant, so that currently it presents one of the stronges organization of this sort in Montenegro.

Mission: contribution to Montenegro’s growth and progress through multidisciplinary research activities and implementation of development projects.

Vision: to make ISEA the leading research and scientific institution in Montenegro and to create a network of similar institutions in the Balkan region. What makes ISEA professional and reliable business partner is reach experience of its members gathered through consulting services and research projects implemented for different clients - universities, local and international organizations, private corporations and government institutions. Although still in the early stage of development, ISEA has already organized several important projects. Some of most valuable are projects and activities related to Old Age People in Montenegro as well as projects dealing with Macroeconomics and especially Fiscal Policy and Growth Economics.

University of Banja Luka is represented by two units: Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer Center, and the Faculty of Economics – Center for Project Management and Entrepreneurship. The main role of the University is education and training, as well as research and development, including transfer of technologies. The equipment and facilities are located at the respective faculties, where some units possess well-equipped laboratories but also there is a permanent need of further development. The best way to attract new users is to work on scientific development and to implement gained knowledge in the industry as well as together with civil society. The University of Banja Luka is involved in many projects financed by local or international institutions. The UNI BL has a strong international cooperation, with over then 100 contracts of cooperation with higher education institutions and scientific institutions from B&H and other countries: UK, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Thailand, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Montenegro and Spain. The UNI BL has also participated in CEEPUS program of exchange since the academic 2008/2009 year. On the basis of joint participation in TEMPUS projects and FP 6 and FP 7 projects, the UNI BL cooperates also with other higher education institutions and scientific institutions from Europe. Up to now, the UNI BL participated in more than 100 international (FP/H2020, TEMPUS/ERASMUS+, HERD, IPA, etc.) and national projects. Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka mission is education and training of highly educated academic and professional staff, development of market-oriented competencies of students, as well as scientific research and cooperation at national, regional and international levels with the scientific-research institutions, governmental and nongovernmental institutions and industry. The Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer Centre is University level coordinating unit for building capacity of UNI BL for cooperation with society and industry. The center runs programs on entrepreneurial learning, technology transfer, project management and connecting academia with society. The Centre facilitates cooperation and works on building capacity of researchers and University, for cooperation with industry and society, through joint research projects and knowledge and technology transfer endeavors.

Institute of economic sciences (IES) is a scientific and research institution, engaged in research in macroeconomics, microeconomics, regional economic development, development studies of domestic and world markets, as well as in the activities of consulting, training and education related to modern business economics, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, banking and other. Establish in 1958 it has a long and rich history. In its work a special attention is given to the promotion and advancement of scientific research through the exchange of information and ideas among scientific, business, NGOs and government experts. Researchers in IES are engaged in numerous projects in almost all economic fields in cooperation with significant institutions at national and international level. IES projects are important not only for development of scientific research activities but also for the improvement of public policies and cooperation between important regional institutions.

Democracy Plus (D+) is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, officially registered in March of 2016. D+ strives for the development of a democratic society, through its impact in decision-making processes, and in increasing the participation of citizenry in drafting and implementing public policy. D+ aims at contributing in establishing good governance practices, strengthening the rule of law, assisting political parties and free and fair elections, and fostering respect for human rights and social issues. Democracy Plus has an experienced staff in implementing various activities within local and international nonprofit organizations, and central government institutions. The main objective of D+ is to foster democratic values and practices that will further strengthen the voice of the Kosovar society. D+ has implemented different projects that aim at bringing decision-makers closer to citizens through policy research, facilitation of dialogue and interaction as well as public education. Today D+’s staff is composed of 17 people, including the permanent staff and field monitors/coordinators who work on a daily basis with citizens and local governments. We take pride in the fact that our staff comes from different academic, professional and ethnic backgrounds, all working to address the needs and concerns of all people living in Kosovo.

The smoke-free coalition in Bulgaria emerged spontaneously in 2010 in reaction to a proposal to repeal the comprehensive ban on tobacco smoking in public places. It is open to civil, public, municipal, and state organizations that share its common goals – restricting tobacco smoking in Bulgaria and reducing the number of smokers, especially among young people.

In 2012, Smoke-Free Life Coalition Bulgaria was registered as a legal entity. Founders of the Association were ADRA Bulgaria, BlueLink.net, Smoke-Free Bulgaria Initiative, International Institute for Health and Health Insurance, Parents Association, Association for Prevention and Work with Addictions “Only Today”, and Bulgaria Youth Prevention Foundation. In 2015, the Association of Medical Students joined the Coalition. More than 30 associated members – public and municipal organizations – support the goals of the Coalition and the implementation of its activities.

Smoke-Free Life Coalition is a member of the European Network for Tobacco Prevention and the International Smoke-Free Environment Partnership. The Coalition has partnered with the Office of the World Health Organization in Bulgaria and the International Smoke-Free Tobacco Campaign. Since 2011 the experts of the Coalition took part in six projects financed by The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco use and the WHO.

Currently, the specific objectives of the Smoke-Free Life Coalition Bulgaria include putting an end to the public promotion and sponsorship by the tobacco industry, extending the ban on tobacco smoking in public spaces, and studying the impacts of the tobacco excise duties.

he Aspen Institute Romania (AIR) was established in 2006, as part of the international network of The Aspen Institute US. Building on the foundation of the Aspen Idea of a Good Society, the Aspen Institute Romania has become the prime for leadership education & strategic reflection in Romania and a major convening platform for non-partisan public policy debate.

The Public Policy Programs of Aspen Institute Romania seek to improve the formation of policy through transparent, non-partisan, evidence based, multiple stakeholders’ dialogue. Based on the Aspen Method, the Aspen programs offer public decision makers, private stakeholders, and representatives of the non-governmental and academic sectors a platform for reflection, aiming to reach consensus on concrete policy recommendations in Romania’s most relevant policy fields.

AIR current public policy programs include: Aspen Healthcare & Quality of Life Program, Aspen New Economy & Society Program, Aspen Technology & Society Program, Aspen Energy & Sustainability Program, Aspen National Defense & Regional Security Program and Aspen Resilience & Governance Program. By engaging with public decision makers from the start of the reflection process, in an informal and informed dialogue, mutual ownership of our policy recommendations is fostered.