SERBIA INNOVATES - a new project launched to bolster local economy
Serbia Innovates will create the first Serbian Supercluster to bolster country’s competitive advantages on international markets.
ICT Hub, as a Centre for Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with the support of USAID Serbia, launched Serbia Innovates Project in April this year, which will last four-and-a-half-years. The project will be working on creating an innovations-friendly environment that will accelerate the development, introduction and scale-up of new economic models and models of cooperation. The goal of the project will be to strengthen the innovation driven Serbian economy, encouraging its further development, competitiveness, and export potential.
"Our aim is to recognize Serbia’s most promising domains of innovation and enable the formation of the first Serbian Supercluster in this field. As a globally proven methodology, it represents an effective platform for promoting and enforcing innovation development, building innovation friendly environments, and providing adequate institutional support and sufficient financing”, said Aleksandra Popović, director of the Serbia Innovates project.
The project will map the fields of innovation in the country, conduct massive researches and identify four competitive domains in which Serbia has the greatest potential. Their potential in real environment will be tested by conducting four separate supercluster pilots. Eventually, one domain will be chosen to develop the first Serbian Supercluster.
By building key partnerships with investment groups including SMEs, startups, key industry leaders, investors, academia, relevant government institutions, further access to finance will be made possible for innovative companies. Furthermore, by forming a Venture Capital fund, a source of external funding to specific projects produced by the supercluster will be generated.
