Students and Innovators Gather at Digital Skills Festival 2026 in Prizren
From 21–23 May 2026, the Digital Skills Festival 2026 was successfully held at the Innovation and Training Park (ITP) in Prizren, bringing together more than 500 students, researchers, innovators, and industry representatives from Kosovo and Albania. The festival was organized with the support of the Erasmus+ LAIA Project, the University “Ukshin Hoti” in Prizren, ITP Prizren, and other consortium partners.
One of the main activities of the festival was the Hackathon, where students worked in multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions for real challenges faced by the private and public sectors. The participants had the opportunity to apply their knowledge in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, software development, and innovation while collaborating with mentors from academia and industry.
The event featured a series of keynote speeches, workshops, innovation talks, and networking sessions delivered by international and regional experts from universities, technology companies, and innovation ecosystems. These activities created an excellent environment for knowledge exchange, creativity, and collaboration among young innovators and professionals.
As part of the festival activities, Professor Sadok Ben Yahia from SDU also delivered a workshop on the topic “Injecting External Knowledge: A Deep Dive into LLMs.” During the workshop, participants explored advanced concepts related to Large Language Models (LLMs), knowledge integration techniques, and the role of artificial intelligence in modern digital systems. The session attracted strong interest from students, researchers, and AI enthusiasts, providing valuable insights into current developments in the field of generative AI and intelligent systems.
The involvement of the LAIA Project in the festival contributed to promoting artificial intelligence and digital innovation in higher education, while also strengthening cooperation between universities, industry, and research institutions in the Western Balkans region. Through this initiative, students enhanced their practical and entrepreneurial skills and gained valuable experience in solving real-world problems through teamwork and technology.
The Digital Skills Festival demonstrated the importance of connecting education, research, and industry in order to prepare students for the future digital labor market and to encourage the development of innovative solutions for society.