NEWS: Partner visit and innovation exchange programme takes place in North Macedonia
Partner visit and innovation exchange programme in North Macedonia
Day 1
On 16 September 2026, the FENESTRAE partnership gathered in Skopje, North Macedonia, for the first day of the FENESTRAE Partner Visit & Innovation Exchange Programme, organised and hosted by the Центар за истражување и анализи НОВУС / NOVUSCentre for Research and Analysis NOVUS, FENESTRAE Project partner in North Macedonia.
Held at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (FEIT), Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Day 1 focused on “Innovation, Research & Smart Technologies”, bringing together the entire FENESTRAE partnership, researchers, experts and relevant stakeholders for an exchange of knowledge, experiences and perspectives.
The event brought together representatives of all seven FENESTRAE project partners: Politecnico di Bari (Italy), as Lead Partner; Gal Molise (Italy); Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών University of Patras (Greece); Univerza v Ljubljani / University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) BiznesAlbania (Albania); PZ “Smart Village” Knežica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Центар за истражување и анализи НОВУС / NOVUS (North Macedonia).
The programme started with an official opening, presentation of the participating partners and an overview of the FENESTRAE – Fostering Energy Efficiency by means of smart technologies to retrofit apertures and building envelope project, its objectives, activities and shared vision for advancing innovative solutions for more energy-efficient and sustainable buildings across the Adriatic-Ionian region.
A highlight of the programme was the keynote session by Prof. Makedonka Dimitrova, PhD c., Senior Analyst at the Macedonian Centre for Energy Efficiency – MACEF, who presented “Building Envelope Retrofit: Current Status, Challenges and Opportunities for Smart Technologies.” The session provided valuable insights into current challenges in building renovation and the opportunities offered by smart technologies for improving energy performance.
The programme continued with Prof. Hristina Spasevska, PhD, Head of the Radiation Physics Laboratory RAD-LAB at FEIT, and her keynote presentation “Building Collaborative Environments for Research, Development and Innovation.” Her contribution highlighted the importance of connecting research institutions, businesses and other stakeholders to create stronger environments for innovation, knowledge exchange and future cooperation.
The event also welcomed experts and key stakeholders from relevant institutions and organisations, including representatives of the Министерство за енергетика рударство и минерални суровини Ministry of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources of North Macedonia, further enriching the discussions and exchange of perspectives on energy efficiency, innovation and smart technologies.
The first day in Skopje provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen connections between the FENESTRAE partners and the local research and innovation ecosystem, exchange ideas and explore new possibilities for collaboration in smart technologies, energy efficiency and sustainable building solutions.
Day 2
On 17 September 2026, the FENESTRAE partners continued the Partner Visit & Innovation Exchange Programme in Strumica, hosted by the Centre for Research and Analysis Центар за истражување и анализи НОВУС / NOVUS
The second day was dedicated to project coordination, exchange and planning of the next steps, bringing together all FENESTRAE partners to review the activities implemented so far and discuss the upcoming project priorities.
A key focus of the meeting was WP4 – Pilot Actions, where partners presented and discussed the pilot activities planned in each participating country. The exchange provided an opportunity to explore the different approaches, practical implementation aspects and expected results of the pilots, while ensuring strong coordination across the partnership.
From project progress to the next implementation steps, the meeting provided an important space for knowledge exchange, joint planning and alignment of activities as FENESTRAE moves forward with its pilot phase.