Recent reports and articles on innovation and innovation management in the Western Balkan countries conclude that innovation is quite limited. It is suggested that the development of a national innovation system is needed to increase innovation capacity and innovation outcomes. However, this is a conventional perspective which has so far not worked. In this article we explore Albania as a Western Balkan case. The aim of the article is to learn from a better contextualization of innovation, by taking into account the specific conditions of the Western Balkan countries and Albania in particular. Results of empirical research confirm that the innovation capacity of Albanian firms is rather minimal indeed. They also provide insights that lead to an alternative perspective of fostering business innovation in Albania; not a focus on building a national innovation system but on a pragmatic 'everyday innovation' approach. This perspective should be relevant for other Western Balkan countries too.

In 2015, the article ‘Polis University as a Lean Startup Innovation’ was published in this journal. The present article is a sequel, researching how the follow-up phase after the initial startup has evolved. The purpose of this article is to: i) review Polis University management since the startup phase in terms of  lean, entrepreneurial management, and ambidexterity; and ii) examine strategic directions for the future of the university.  The article explains Polis University’s management of new and existing business opportunities, and observes that, like so many other organizations, daily business management and incremental improvement tends to receive the most attention. Ambidexterity is organized both structurally through the establishment of an Innovation Factory, and contextually – expecting from staff that they continuously improve their work. Regarding the university’s strategic direction, we conclude that Polis University adheres to the aim of bearing relevance for society, identified by European Commission for the future of universities. Polis University was started with the mission to be relevant for society – not only through providing education and conducting research, but also through its envisioned positive impact on Albanian and Western Balkan development.

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SpringerBriefs in Geography presents concise summaries of cutting-edge research and practical applications across the fields of physical, environmental and human geography. It publishes compact refereed monographs under the editorial supervision of an international advisory board with the aim to publish 8 to 12 weeks after acceptance. Volumes are compact, 50 to 125 pages, with a clear focus. The series covers a range of content from professional to academic such as: timely reports of state-of-the art analytical techniques, bridges between new research results, snapshots of hot and/or emerging topics, elaborated thesis, literature reviews, and in-depth case studies.The scope of the series spans the entire field of geography, with a view to significantly advance research. The character of the series is international and multidisciplinary and will include research areas such as: GIS/cartography, remote sensing, geographical education, geospatial analysis, techniques and modeling, landscape/regional and urban planning, economic geography, housing and the built environment, and quantitative geography. Volumes in this series may analyze past, present and/or future trends, as well as their determinants and consequences. Both solicited and unsolicited manuscripts are considered for publication in this series.SpringerBriefs in Geography will be of interest to a wide range of individuals with interests in physical, environmental and human geography as well as for researchers from allied disciplines.

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