TIRANA, October 15, 2025 – The READ International Scientific Conference opened this week in Tirana, serving as a major platform for collaboration between Albanian higher education institutions and the global academic diaspora. The event reflects the growing impact of the Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora (READ) Program, an initiative of the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) that connects Albanian universities with diaspora scholars to enhance research quality and internationalization. Since its launch in 2021, the READ Program has funded 121 research projects, engaged over 120 diaspora scholars, and improved 69 university curricula, building a vibrant network of collaboration between Albanian and international academics.
Organized in partnership with the University of Tirana and the University of Richmond (USA), the conference brought together 667 participants — including 214 scholars from the diaspora and 453 from Albania — representing 29 countries and 28 higher education institutions. Over 277 research abstracts were presented across six thematic areas that define Albania’s academic and developmental priorities: Education, Innovation & Technology, Agriculture & Rural Development, Sustainable Development, STEAM, and Social Sciences. AADF Board Chairman Michael Granoff praised READ as “the first coordinated and sustainable effort to engage the Albanian scientific diaspora,” noting that it has “built trust, strengthened academic cooperation, and begun transforming how Albanian universities interact with the global knowledge economy.”
Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro highlighted the success of READ as “a program whose results speak beyond statistics,” emphasizing its role in reconnecting Albanian researchers worldwide. She announced the continuation of the partnership between AADF and the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation for the 2026–2030 period, aimed at further expanding research cooperation and funding opportunities.
All conference papers will be published in the READ scientific journal, while the ten best papers will appear in collaboration with Cambridge University Press, further elevating Albania’s research visibility at the international level.
The READ International Scientific Conference stands as a milestone for Albania’s higher education system — a concrete step in building lasting bridges between Albania and its academic talent across the world.
The Chairman of the AADF Board shared the good news that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the READ Project will continue to support researchers from both the Diaspora and Albania for an additional seven years, with a total budget of 8.8 million dollars.
