GREEN MATERIALS PRESERVING HISTORY POLIS University WORKSHOP IN GIROKASTËR
This time, our partner POLIS University brings us to the cultural heritage town of Gjirokastër, Albania. Interdisciplinary workshop "Fostering Green and Creative Entrepreneurship" aimed at learning on preservation of the rich cultural history, with various UNESCO-protected sites by using modern approaches in both material sciences, entrepreneurship and also cultural policy. Gjirokastër is accommodating an increasing number of tourists every year, adapting and growing its infrastructure along such demands. On the other hand, as young people move away in pursuit of a wider range of opportunities, depopulation has also been on the rise. In this context, the workshop ignited a discussion among a diverse number of stakeholders from academia, industry, and local government to consider the role entrepreneurship can play in mitigating context-specific challenges. Bringing in perspectives from architecture and urban planning, knowledge of tourism as an industry, and expertise from the ever-relevant area of 🌍 environmental management creates the ground for the development of holistic and potentially long-lasting solutions.
Material sciences, focus of the Deep Green Inno project, play an extremely important role, since restoration of the architectural heritage cannot be done without modern composites and cements, aimed at preserving the historical look of the buildings but at the same time have such chemical ⚗ composition that the mechanical properties will be improved and preserved for the long time in the future.
Entrepreneurial focus of the workshop has proven to brainstorm 💡 ⁉ 💡 and develop many ideas at a quick pace, then leaving room for selecting the idea with the most potential and developing it further. Students had formed interdisciplinary teams, attended introductions to the toolkit of Business Model Canvas 📜 , Branding, and the Green Transition, and develop entrepreneurial ideas while receiving mentoring.
