Archives: Актуелности

The Economic Council, a permanent working body of the City Council, which plays a key role in creating and implementing strategies for economic development and improving the business environment, has been formed in Niš.
Milan Ranđelović, PhD, managing director of the Science and Technology Park Niš, was elected president of the Council. The members of this body are prominent businesspeople – directors, co-owners and owners of companies that have been successfully operating in Niš for years, as well as the rector of the University of Niš and representatives of domestic and foreign companies.

The main task of the Council is to contribute to the development of the economy in Niš through cooperation with institutions, businesspeople, and the professional community. It is the competent authority for:

• Launching initiatives for economic development
• Reviewing strategies and plans for economic growth
• Monitoring the implementation of local development programs
• Identifying the comparative advantages of Niš in the economic sector
• Improving the business climate through making conclusions and recommendations

The process of forming the Council included consultations with business associations and entrepreneurs, representatives of the professional public, institutions, and prominent individuals from the economic sector.

Milan Ranđelović, PhD, has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, local economic development, attracting investments and managing development and infrastructure projects. He is a Doctor of Economics and the author of more than 30 scientific papers and publications in the field of economic modeling and decision theory.
He has been the Managing Director of the Science and Technology Park Niš since 2020, a key institution for the development of the regional innovation and startup ecosystem.

According to him, with the formation of this Council, the City of Niš gains an important body that will, through a professional and analytical approach, contribute to strengthening the economy and creating an even more favorable business environment.

The Science and Technology Park Niš presented a new four-year project Serbian European Digital Innovation Hub on AI – S4AI_HUB, which will be implemented in cooperation with 22 key partners from various institutions in Serbia, which will work together on the process of digitalization and application of artificial intelligence in business.
In addition to project partners, the event was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Prof. Miroslav Trajanović, PhD, and Nikola Bićanin, Acting Assistant Minister for Information Society and Information Security of Innovation at the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications. In their address, they emphasized the importance of digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, as well as the application of artificial intelligence in that process.

“Thanks to exceptional proactivity and a well-designed project, together with the formed consortium, STP Niš managed to obtain funding worth 1.7 million euros from the Digital Europe program. It should be noted that STP Niš has already developed an innovation hub that, in addition to startups, brings together 9 regional innovation startup centers and 4 academic incubation centers. This project will be a huge step towards a digital innovation hub, which will enable broader cooperation, especially in the field of artificial intelligence,” said Trajanović. As an initiative supported by the European Commission, this hub will provide support in understanding, integrating, and applying AI technologies, so that the business sector in Serbia can remain competitive and sustainable in the era of accelerated technological development. “Our goal is to provide SMEs, startups, and the public sector the means to understand, integrate, and implement solutions based on artificial intelligence and Industry 5.0, helping them to improve their products and services, increase competitiveness, and ensure long-term sustainability in conditions of accelerated technological development,” said Ivan Pavlović, Assistant Director at STP Niš and Project Manager of S4AI_HUB.

Assistant Minister of Information Nikola Bićanin pointed out that this project is part of a broader initiative launched in 2023, when Serbia became a full member of the Digital Europe program – “In cooperation with other institutions, the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications is working intensively on further improvement, on further digitalization; we are expanding the services that are available to our citizens through the e-Government portal, and this only shows that we are paying attention to the services that we can provide to citizens in this manner, because consequently, their lives are made significantly easier,” added Bićanin.

S4AI_HUB will provide four key services: connectivity and collaboration, capacity building, test before invest, and securing investments. This way, users will be able to complete the entire cycle – from the initial idea to the final implementation – which has not been possible in our ecosystem so far.
The project is funded through the Digital Europe program (Project: 101191029 — S4AI_HUB — DIGITAL-2023-EDIH-04), with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications. By implementing this project, Serbia will take a significant step towards digital transformation and strengthening the domestic innovation ecosystem.

*The project “Serbian European Digital Innovation Hub on AI – S4AI_HUB” is co-financed by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this document are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

 

DataArt, a software engineering company, the Serbian IT Association (SITA), and YugoLogo, in cooperation with the Science and Technology Park Niš, have joined forces and organized a creative exhibition of logos of companies and institutes that operated in the IT sector in the second half of the 20th century in former Yugoslavia.

“In the early 1960s in former Yugoslavia, the development and application of computing became a pillar of science and technology development, on which banking, science, art, and education rested. With this exhibition, we want to express our respect for the institutions and enthusiasts of computer technologies in the region,” said Belgrade designer Ognjen Ranković, the creator of “YugoLogo”, which brings together hundreds of graphic solutions or logos of various ex-Yugoslav companies. “This is the first YugoLogo exhibition in Serbia, which is specific in that it focuses on IT heritage, and as part of a long-term project, exhibitions have been successfully implemented in Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia,” added Ognjen.

“In our relations with clients and when developing software, as a partner for progress, we always emphasize that people come first. Through the DataArt IT Museum, a global project led by our colleague Aleksej Pomigalov, we want to pay tribute to the engineers and companies that laid the foundations of the industry that enabled our progress and development, hence the interest in the IT heritage of former Yugoslavia, as part of a global project worthy of attention,” emphasized Marina Varzar, Director of DataArt Serbia and member of the Serbian IT Association’s Board of Directors.

“Through such initiatives, the Serbian IT Association wants to pay tribute to the visionaries who paved the way, but also to connect the community through a common cultural and technological identity. This is an opportunity to look back on the journey we have made and strengthen our faith in the potential that lies ahead,” said Marko Vučetić, Director of the Serbian IT Association, and expressed his satisfaction with the signing of the cooperation agreement with the Science and Technology Park Niš.

This exhibition symbolically represents the beginning of the cooperation between the Science and Technology Park Niš and the Serbian IT Association in the fields of innovation development, joint projects, knowledge exchange, and networking. “Our common goal is to improve the IT sector in Serbia and strengthen the local economy and global competitiveness,” emphasized Milan Ranđelović, Managing Director of the Science and Technology Park Niš.

Among the dozens of logos on display are computer manufacturers such as the Mihajlo Pupin Institute in Belgrade and the Electronic Industry of Niš, early adopters – Maribor’s TAM and Zastava, software development companies Novkabel and Velebit, importers of electronics from abroad, and Information Agencies.

Visitors can see these works every day until 4:00 PM at the Museum of Industrial and Technological Heritage, which is located within the Science and Technology Park of Niš.

The Serbia – Italy Business Forum was held at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade, bringing together around 500 businesspeople from 250 Serbian and 200 Italian companies. The forum was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia with the support of the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Trade Agency, with the aim of strengthening business cooperation and networking between business entities from the two countries.

During the forum, three panels were held, dedicated to key topics. The first panel focused on the circular economy and energy transition, the second on agri-technology and industry 5.0, while the third addressed the topics of physical and digital infrastructure.

The second panel was attended by representatives from the fields of science and innovation, among which were the Managing Director of the Science and Technology Park Niš, Milan Ranđelović, PhD, together with the Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Jelena Begović, PhD, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Aleksandar Martinović. On the Italian side, the forum brought together experts and leaders from various institutions and companies, including representatives of executive boards, technical centers, and international organizations – Dominga Cotarella, member of the executive board of Coldiretti, Cristina Tinelli, Director of EU and International Cooperation, Alessandra Romanò, General Manager of BF International, Davide Della Bella, Deputy Director of the Ucimo Technical Center, and Fabrizio Contento, representative of CIHEAM Bari.

The Science and Technology Park Niš has previously initiated negotiations on the establishment of a technology center in Niš in cooperation with the Ucimo Technical Center, which would contribute to the further development of innovations and technological projects. Also, within the panel, representatives of the company Ariston, an STP Niš member, which has already launched the construction of a large factory in this city, shared their experiences. During the forum, the opening of a research and development center within the Science and Technology Park Niš, which is already supporting the company Ariston in the soft landing process, was discussed.

The Serbia – Italy Business Forum confirmed the importance of bilateral cooperation through the exchange of knowledge, investments, and innovations, creating new opportunities for economic growth and technological progress.

The Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation continues to improve the innovation ecosystem in Serbia through cooperation with the Science and Technology Park Niš (STP Niš), with the aim of strengthening the capacity of Regional Innovation Startup Centers (RISC) and encouraging technological entrepreneurship, especially in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.
As part of this initiative, today, in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, in the presence of Minister Jelena Begović, an Agreement on the Development of the Innovation Ecosystem in Kosovo and Metohija was signed between STP Niš, the Regional Innovation Startup Center Zubin Potok and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

The Managing Director of STP Niš, Milan Ranđelović, PhD, emphasized the importance of this cooperation for the improvement of the regional innovation ecosystem, emphasizing that the integration of various actors into a single support system will contribute to the rise of the number of startups and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial spirit, not only in the AP Kosovo and Metohija, which has already shown potential in its work, but also in the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia.
The continuation of the successful cooperation with RISC Zubin Potok, initiated within the project “Raising the Capacities of Regional Innovation Startup Centers in Cooperation with Science and Technology Parks”, has enabled the creation of conditions for the implementation of three new projects. One will be focused on the improvement of innovation activities, while the remaining two will aim to popularize and promote innovations both in the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia, as well as in the territory of AP Kosovo and Metohija, with the support of STP Niš.
Milan Vučinić, Director of RISC Zubin Potok, emphasized that the announced projects are not only an investment in innovation, but also in the future of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. “The signed Agreement enables the implementation of projects that will contribute to the development of innovations, the IT sector, and education in the Kosovska Mitrovica region. The projects will create new jobs, which will contribute to strengthening the economy”, he said, adding that the main goal of signing the Agreement is to enable young people to develop their ideas in Kosovo and Metohija in order to build a sustainable future through innovation.

These projects will include activities aimed at developing the organizational and technical capacities of startup centers, improving business models, organizing educational programs and mentoring support for startup teams. Numerous events such as hackathons, meetups, conferences and roundtables are also planned, which will enable the exchange of experiences and networking with actors of the innovation ecosystem.
“The Regional Innovation Center Zubin Potok acts as a key driver of development, while the Science and Technology Park Niš, with its expertise and experience, provides significant support for the implementation of these projects,” said Minister Begović.
In addition to promoting successful examples from practice and cooperation with related organizations, this initiative aims to inspire new entrepreneurs and create a more favorable environment for the development of innovations in Kosovo and Metohija.

Minister Begović reminded that in 2024 and 2025, the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation provided 15 million dinars to support Zubin Potok through projects in AP Kosovo and Metohija, and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija provided 24 million, while in 2025, a total of 13.7 million dinars was allocated to improve the innovation ecosystem in Kosovo and Metohija through projects.

The Ministry will continue to implement these activities in 2025, with the launch of new projects focused on improving innovation activity and promoting innovation. It is expected that these initiatives will significantly contribute to the development of the startup ecosystem, increase the number of successful innovation projects and stimulate economic growth in the region.