Archives: Актуелности

The world’s leading company in the field of computer networks, which transforms the way people connect, communicate, and collaborate, Cisco, opened a research and development center in the Science and Technology Park Niš on Friday, March 31, 2023.

“The USA is the number one partner for the Republic of Serbia in the field of exchange of services in the information and communication technology sector, followed by Great Britain, Switzerland, and Germany,” said Prime Minister Ana Brnabić at the opening.

Data on exports in the information technology sector are growing year by year. Last year, a record export of 2.7 billion euros was achieved, and so far the data for this year seems even better. The presence of Cisco, says Brnabić, will enable our export of services to the USA to be even more significant.

The Cisco company is present in Serbia and has been selling its services there for a decade, and this expansion is extremely important. The new expansion of this American company implies the employment of 50 more engineers in our country.

The presence of a multinational company in STP Niš, which operates at an enviable level, especially the privilege of opening a research and development center in our city, opens numerous opportunities for the City of Niš.

The Vice President of the Cisco company Odysseas Charalambous pointed out that, with the help of the ‘Silicon 1’ product, the routers will work faster and more economically: “We expect to complete the hardware unit and to establish a laboratory soon, which will complete and expand our work in Serbia,” he said.

Apart from the fact that young engineers will get employment opportunities, the chance that many more American companies will open their research centers in Serbia and in Niš is becoming more and more likely and realistic.

NALED and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the support of the Philip Morris company, opened applications for the third StarTech program to support innovation and digital transformation of the economy.

All informal teams, startups, entrepreneurs, micro, small, and medium enterprises can apply during the period from March 3 to May 3, 2023; this way, selected teams gain the opportunity to secure financial resources in the amount of 15,000 up to 100,000 dollars. As part of this support, users are provided with up to 1000 hours of expert support for business plan development, marketing performance, IP protection, financial planning, etc.

Through three LOTs, grants will be allocated to the development of innovations, projects aimed at the implementation/commercialization of innovations and/or digital transformation, as well as support for small and medium-sized businesses with the aim of exporting or increasing the number of jobs.

You can find more information on the contest itself HERE.

We invite all startups from Serbia interested in getting to know and to access the French market to apply for Mission France, a study startup trip that aims to support Serbian startups in their mission to discover new markets, helping them improve their export potential and gain access to new investments.

The mission of discovering new markets for startups from Serbia is organized by the Embassy of France in Serbia and the Science and Technology Park Belgrade, in partnership with BPI France, La French Tech Belgrade, Software Republic and three other technology parks in Serbia: STP Niš, STP Čačak, and STP Novi Sad, with the support of the Government of Switzerland through the project ” Technopark Serbia 2 – Boosting Exports through Technoparks “.

The initiative will provide an opportunity for 4 startups from Serbia to visit France as part of a study trip, get to know the French startup ecosystem, market, and opportunities, as well as to meet and introduce themselves to potential investors. It will also contribute to strengthening the ties between the Serbian and French innovation ecosystems.

Who can apply?

The following entities can apply for the mission of discovering the French market:

• startups developing an innovative product/service (digital product/software, electronic product/hardware, or a physical product) with a scalable business model and the ambition to expand globally
• are majority-owned by Serbs, and at least 70% of the company is owned by the founders (persons)
• have up to 50 employees (micro or small enterprises),
• less than 10 years have passed since the registration of the limited liability company,
• generate income from the sale of innovative products,
• have raised at least 30,000 euros through external financing (grant, business angels, or VC).

Up to 12 startups will be selected and invited to present themselves to the jury at the French-Serbian Innovation Forum on April 6 in Belgrade. The pre-selection of 12 startups will be carried out by science and technology parks.

After the pitches, the expert jury will decide and select 4 winning startups that will travel to France for a study visit in June 2023. The expert jury is composed of: Luc Julia, Software Republic (president of the jury) Nicolas Rabrenovic, French Tech Belgrade, Florent Buschiazzo, BPI France and Veljko Mihajlović, NOVELIC.

How to apply?

All startups interested in a study visit to France can apply by filling out the application form on the LINK until March 22.

The application is in English and consists of a short questionnaire and a startup pitch deck (up to 15 slides by defined categories, a link to the pitch should be added to the application form).

The criteria according to which the startups will be evaluated are the team’s experience and expertise, market position and business model, previous results and plans (traction, investment readiness, etc.), the quality of the pitch and the importance of the Mission France study tour for the further development of the startup.

For more information, visit the Mission France webpage.

Benefits of participation for the startups:

During the study trip to France, the selected startups will have the opportunity to discover the French innovation ecosystem, investment opportunities, and possible partnerships, including: participation in Viva Tech (June 2023, Paris) – one of the most important conferences in Europe for presenting innovations and startups, meetings with investors , VCs and/or potential partners, a visit to one of the largest startup campuses in the world – Station F, and additional networking and connection with the local ecosystem through the Software Republic network – an incubator and an open innovation ecosystem specialized in mobility (which includes the largest companies from the industry such as Renault, Atos, Dassault, Orange, STM Microelectronic, or Thales).

Apply – explore opportunities in the fast growing French market!

Every year, fDi Intelligence analyzes and ranks the European cities and regions of the future, and on this year’s list, published in February, both the Niš region and Niš found their place.

Foreign Direct Investments – FDI are investments in the form of controlling ownership in a company, real estate, or production assets such as factories in one country by an entity based in another country. This is one of the most important criteria by which fDi Intelligence compares the cities and regions of the future.

In 2023, as many as 370 European cities divided by population into five groups – very large, large, medium, small, and micro cities – were analyzed, as well as 148 European regions divided into three groups – large, medium, and small regions. All cities and regions were ranked according to the performance in five subcategories: economic potential, suitability for entrepreneurship, connectivity, human capital and lifestyle, and profitability.

The city of Niš is in the category of small cities, which have from 100,000 to 350,000 inhabitants. According to the criterion of profitability of investments and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), Niš took the fourth place on the list, and ahead of it are Ruse and Burgas, Bulgarian cities, as well as Kragujevac. This means that the Republic of Serbia takes the second and fourth place on the top 5 list of small cities of the future in which investment pays off the most.

According to the criterion of the strategy for attracting foreign investors, the Niš region is in eighth place on the list. This region belongs to the category of small regions of Europe, with less than 1.5 million inhabitants. In the list that ranks regions according to the strategy for attracting investors, our region was ahead of the Upper Austria region, and the regions from Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were ranked higher.

Activities that are undertaken in the context of entrepreneurship and scientific and technological development, both at the national level and at the level of STP Niš, the possibility that Niš and our region will be ranked in even better positions in the future is becoming more and more probable.

The Local Foundation Niš (LFN), in partnership with STP Niš and with the support of the Trag Foundation, opened the fourth Contest in a row, where a total of 6,000 Euros is available to formal and informal groups of citizens for the realization of creative ideas in Niš. The largest part of the money available was secured at the auction that took place at the celebration of the Science and Technology Park Niš’s two years of operation.

LFN has supported 29 citizens’ initiatives with previous contests, and with this contest, it wants to provide support to neighbors, active Niš residents, and all those who want to positively influence their street, neighborhood, village, and city. This public call will support initiatives that contribute to the development of Niš and increase the quality of life in the community, such as initiatives in the field of investment in education, support for culture and art, improvement of public spaces, and development of sports.

The amount of funds allocated ranges from a minimum of 50,000 dinars to a maximum of 150,000 dinars per idea. A minimum of six citizen initiatives from the territory of all five city municipalities in Niš will receive support.

The united citizens recognize the needs of their communities the best, in the smallest local units, settlements, neighborhoods, streets, and yards. The competition of the Local Foundation Niš opens up space for various projects that contribute to the development of our environment.

The support is intended for registered citizens’ associations and informal groups* that:

• Drive and actively involve citizens in their activities
• Represent the general interests of their community
• Operate on the territory of the City of Niš (all five city municipalities)

*by “informal groups” we mean groups of at least three people which are gathered around solving problems in the local community and are not formally registered.

You can submit your idea by filling out the LFN form, which you can download here and send to info@fondacijanis.rs no later than March 20 at 11:59 p.m.

You can find all additional information on the Local Foundation Niš website.