Albanian Institute of Science is a non-governmental organization established in line with the existing legislation in the Republic of Albania. The Tirana-based organization was established by the judicial decision no. 3048 of the Tirana District Court, dated 28.03.2011.
In the course of three years, the institute has implemented a number of projects that have contributed to the scientific research in the country. Also, the use of ICT solutions in several AIS projects has generated good results in terms of transparency, information, accountability and good governance. AIS projects have also given concrete results in the conservation and promotion of the Albanian cultural heritage values. The projects attract media interests and are known to the public in Albania, as well as in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
Since its beginning and continuing in the present year, the institute has successfully executed its most prominent project on transparency through Open Data usability in the country. It has accomplished to publish hundreds of datasets in open data formats, deliver more than 300 analyses and studies on socio-economic topics, and launch numerous activities with the goal of creating an Open Data movement. Journalists, students, and civil society activists not only have profited from it, but also became part of the activities establishing in this way a form of eParticipation network.
Through its various projects aimed at openness, transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, AIS has provided the public with:
– open data sets, research studies and analyses published in the Open Data Albania platform
– increased accountability through information about how taxpayers’ money is collected and spent via Tax Calculator
– Information about the clients of every state institution through Treasury Monitoring including total amounts of expenditures, and transactions.
– Transparency and civic participation through the open source platform ZA´LART (Raised Voices Albania), where citizens had the opportunity to denounce cases of vote manipulation, misuse of public administration or children, and other electoral distortions
– information and increased understanding of electoral spending processes through the Electoral Spending Albania project
– tools for easier analysis and verification of the amendments to the annual state budget through Money Mapping