SHKODRA IEC2025

About the Conference

The Faculty of Economy at the University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi” is pleased to host the Shkodra International Economic Conference - SHKODRA IEC2025, to be held on 11–12 December 2025 in hybrid format (on-site in Shkodra and online).

The 2025 edition centres on the theme “Smart Economy: Shaping the Future with AI.”
 

This concept captures the profound technological and socio-economic transformations now redefining production, consumption, and governance worldwide. Smart Economy marks the next phase in the evolution of economic systems, where artificial intelligence (AI), and human-centred innovation converge to create new forms of value and to reconfigure how societies generate and distribute wealth.
 

The conference will critically examine how these emerging technologies are reshaping global value chains, business models, entrepreneurship, and labour markets, as well as financial systems and public governance structures. While AI and advanced digitalisation hold the promise of accelerating innovation, productivity, and sustainable development, they also present complex ethical, environmental, and social challenges. Questions of fairness, inclusion, data privacy, and algorithmic accountability are increasingly central to debates on the future of work and economic life.
 

These issues acquire distinct urgency in South-East Europe and the Western Balkans, where the transition from planned to market economies has left a legacy of institutional fragility, uneven economic growth, and persistent structural inequalities. In this regional context, the penetration of AI and smart technologies intersects with post-transition reforms, EU integration processes, and rapid but uneven digital adoption, creating unique opportunities for leapfrogging development, but also exposing vulnerabilities such as labour-market segmentation, digital divides, and governance gaps.
 

Against this backdrop, Shkodra IEC2025 invites critical, empirically grounded, and policy-relevant contributions that illuminate the multifaceted implications of the digital and AI-driven economy. The conference seeks to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue that draws on economics, management, information systems, tourism, and the social sciences to explore how innovation ecosystems, smart industries, and AI-enabled services can enhance competitiveness while upholding social inclusion, ethical governance, and environmental responsibility.
 

Beyond its conceptual and empirical ambitions, SHKODRA IEC2025 is designed as a platform for action-oriented debate and regional collaboration. Participants will examine structural macroeconomic transformations, the future of finance and FinTech, and the strategic role of tourism and cultural heritage in smart regional development. Special attention will be given to entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystems, sustainable investment strategies, and new forms of human–machine collaboration, offering insights relevant to policymakers, private-sector actors, and civil society.
 

By bringing together leading scholars, policymakers, industry leaders, and early-career researchers, SHKODRA IEC2025 aims to co-create strategies for aligning technological progress with human well-being, equity, and long-term sustainability. The conference will not only assess the opportunities and risks of Smart Economy, but also envision and design practical pathways for AI adoption and digital transformation that are competitive, inclusive, and socially responsible.
 

Through this lens, SHKODRA IEC2025 aspires to contribute to a forward-looking agenda for the Western Balkans and beyond, ensuring that the economic transformations of the coming decade deliver tangible benefits for citizens, businesses, and societies, while safeguarding democratic values and environmental integrity.

We invite abstracts for research papers, policy analyses, and case studies aligned with the following thematic streams:

 

 

Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Era of Smart Economy

• AI-driven business models, digital entrepreneurship, and innovation ecosystems.
• Start-ups, SMEs, and open innovation: opportunities and barriers in South-East Europe and the Western Balkans.
• Responsible and sustainable innovation: balancing competitiveness with environmental and social impact.

 

Structural Growth Economic Changes and Digital Transformation

• AI, automation, and big data as drivers of structural change in regional and global economies.
• Implications for growth, employment, productivity, and income distribution in post-transition economies.
• Reshaping industrial policy and macroeconomic governance to foster inclusive smart growth.

 

Finance,Accounting, FinTech and Sustainable Investments (new stream)

• Digital finance, blockchain technologies, and AI-enabled financial services.
• Risk management and ethical challenges in FinTech ecosystems.
• Green finance and sustainable investment strategies supporting the EU Green Deal and SDGs.
• Innovations in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Transparency and accountability in corporate reporting
• The future of integrated reporting
• Digital transformation of accounting professions

 

Tourism, Heritage, and Smart Society

• Smart tourism, cultural heritage digitalisation, and AI-enhanced visitor experiences.
• Sustainable tourism models that integrate local communities and circular economy principles.
• Managing overtourism and climate risks through smart data and predictive analytics.

Doctoral and Early-Career Researchers’ Session

• Innovative PhD and postdoctoral research on digitalisation, AI, and smart economy topics.
• Methodological advancements in measuring digital transformation and AI impacts.
• Comparative and cross-country perspectives from the Western Balkans, South-East Europe, and beyond.

 

Important Dates:

Deadline for submission of Abstracts	1 November 2025
Notification of acceptance of Abstracts	14 November 2025
Full paper submission for Proceedings	1 December 2025
Conference date	11–12 December 2025
Place	Faculty of Economy, University “Luigj Gurakuqi”, Shkoder (Albania)

 

Participants should send their abstracts, according to the Guidelines at the address: shkodraiec2025@unishk.edu.al

Full scientific papers will be published in Conference Proceedings with e-ISSN or at the University of Shkodra Bulletin – Series of Economic Sciences with ISSN number 2411-4960.

Participation in the conference is free of charge.

Conference language: Albanian, English