TIRANA, Albania — Albania's public universities are spending only a small share of their budgets on scientific research, despite years of government pledges to strengthen higher education. Out of approximately €103 million spent by public universities during one academic year, just €4.2 million was allocated to research, according to figures cited in a report examining university finances.
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“The scientific research fund does not even reach 4%, which means we spend more money on paper and printers than we give lecturers for scientific research,” said Rigels Xhemollari of Qëndresa Qytetare, a civil society organisation monitoring public institutions.
The University of Tirana, the country's largest university, spent just €1.02 million on research, while the Polytechnic University of Tirana allocated approximately €756,000.
These figures cover funding provided directly by the universities themselves. They do not represent all public money spent on research or the additional resources obtained through external projects.
Research funding remains far below EU levels
The Albanian government previously announced that it would double research funding, increasing the allocation from 758 million lek in 2023 to 1.5 billion lek in 2024.
Despite this increase, funding for science remains almost ten times below the European Union average, according to the figures cited in the report.
For university lecturers and researchers, the problem extends beyond the amount of money available. Limited resources also affect laboratory equipment, research opportunities and the quality of academic work.
“A quality degree cannot exist without support,” was the message conveyed by lecturers discussing the conditions in which academic staff are expected to teach and conduct research.
Albania struggles to attract European research funding
Foreign financing accounts for approximately one-third of Albania's 2024 research funding. However, this money often comes with obligations to participate in international projects and meet specific research requirements.
One of the main opportunities is the European Union's Horizon Europe programme.
According to figures cited by academic Aleko Miho, Albania secured approximately €11 million through the programme after submitting around 900 applications, of which only 60 were successful.
Of the funding received, approximately €4 million went to organisations and €3.7 million to universities.
Miho said Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded higher success rates than Albania, while Kosovo ranked below it.
Researcher Taulant Muka also questioned why Albanian universities receive such limited funding from European programmes despite having access to opportunities worth millions of euros.
He contrasted the situation with Serbia's investment in a biotechnology university project, cited at €500 million, and argued that the European funding received by Albanian universities remains extremely limited.
Millions spent on renovations while research remains underfunded
The figures reveal a striking contrast between university spending on scientific research and expenditure on buildings, renovations, furnishings and physical security.
According to the report, the Polytechnic University of Tirana spent approximately €4.1 million on construction-related investments and renovations. The University of Tirana allocated around €3.6 million to similar investments.
The University of Durrës reportedly spent approximately €3.5 million furnishing a building, while the University of Medicine spent more than €2.1 million renovating the Faculty of Pharmacy building.
These investments may serve legitimate infrastructure needs, but their scale raises questions about priorities when research budgets remain limited.
The issue is particularly relevant amid student protests and broader demands for better conditions in public universities. Students and academic staff have repeatedly called for improvements that go beyond buildings, including better laboratories, stronger research programmes and greater support for teaching staff.
Transparency promises under scrutiny
Greater financial transparency was one of the commitments made under Albania's University Pact. However, reports by Qëndresa Qytetare have highlighted difficulties accessing contracts, insufficient documentation for certain expenditures and the concentration of payments among some economic operators.
“In the private sector there are laboratories, while in the public sector a room is renovated three times just to steal funds. They are not taking this seriously,” Xhemollari said, criticising what he described as the mismanagement of university resources.
The allegations underline the need for accessible contracts, transparent procurement procedures and detailed reporting on how public universities spend their budgets.
The central question is whether Albania's universities can deliver stronger academic standards and competitive research when a relatively small share of their expenditure is devoted to scientific work.
Without greater investment in research capacity and clearer accountability for public spending, increasing the overall budget alone may not be enough to improve the quality of higher education.