Archives: Актуелности

Yesterday, on December 11, the first support program launched by the Startup Center Niš as part of the “Future Cities of Southeast Europe” project, implemented by the Science and Technology Park Niš and the City of Niš, ended with the hackathon that was planned for the very finish of the Green Startup School. The top three prizes at the hackathon were awarded to the teams that devised the best conceptual solutions based on problems in the field of climate change and environmental protection, and presented them before a three-member committee.

During the previous week, ten chosen teams, which consisted of 38 participants, were introduced to the innovation ecosystem, starting a startup, business models, as well as how to present their idea in the best way, through seven modules by experienced lecturers.

The first prize of 3,500 euros was won by the PelleTea team for the production of pellets for heating and mats for animals, the production of which uses waste obtained during the processing of aromatic and medicinal plants as raw material; the second prize of 2,500 euros went to the Bifrost team for the proposed technical solution which produces a biodegradable material made from hemp that can be used to produce disposable packaging, plates, and cutlery, while the third prize of 1,500 euros went to the FlowerTower team for a vertical gardening and composting system that reduces nutrient and water loss.

The winning team has the opportunity to be rewarded with an additional prize of 7,500 euros if they develop and deliver a prototype by December 23.

“The committee analyzed the quality and potential of the teams and whether they meet the criteria that the ideas are relevant to the call and topic themselves, how good the presentation was, what the team dynamics are like and whether the ideas are innovative,” Goran Mladenović, a member of the committee, told us.

“We call ourselves a region with an ‘engineering gene’, so these kinds of support programs are necessary in order for the ideas engineers have to be realized and become businesses that offer many jobs and contribute to the entire community,” Mladenović emphasized.

The Green Startup School is the first support program in our city and region, and the large response of teams, as well as the innovative solutions they presented to us, show that it is important to continue providing opportunities and support to future entrepreneurs, which STP Niš has recognized and will work on developing additional support programs in the future.

This week, the first Green Startup School, initiated by the Startup Center Niš within the project “Future Cities of Southeast Europe” and supported by the City of Niš, the EIT Climate-KIC initiative, and the Science and Technology Park Niš, was opened.

The City of Niš has recognized the problem in the field of environmental protection and, as part of the “Future Cities of Southeast Europe” project, along with Skopje, Maribor, Križevci, and Sarajevo, is working hard on developing and finding solutions.

Nineteen teams applied to participate in the program, of which the best ten teams were selected, which is a total of 38 participants in the Green Startup School. Slavimir Stošović, PhD, a professor at the Academy of Applied Technical and Preschool Studies in Niš and founder of several startups, and Marko Ljubenović, representing STP Niš, were the first lecturers who, during the opening of the school, introduced the teams to the innovation ecosystem, the importance of teamwork, and what is a unique and scalable idea and how to come up with one.

The Green Startup School will last until December 11, and through seven modules, many other experienced lecturers will work with the participants and prepare them for participation in the hackathon that will be held on the last day of the Green Startup School, which is an excellent opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in this program in practice.

At the third consecutive National Conference on Philanthropy, organized by the Trag Foundation, with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Science and Technology Park had its representative as well.

Within the “We Care: Investing in the Development of Local Communities” session, Stanislava Simić spoke about the steps that STP Niš takes to support the Local Foundation Niš and local initiatives. In addition, she pointed out our role in motivating STP member companies to participate in our or to start their own socially responsible initiatives.

The goal of this session was also to emphasize the importance of including the corporate sector in the development of local communities and their future.

The Climathon for young innovators was held once again this year, conducted by the Green Key organization from Niš in cooperation with the Science and Technology Park Niš, Youth Achievements in Serbia, Connecting, and the Innovation Climate Hub.

Seven student teams from high schools from Aleksinac, Boljevac, Prokuplje, Leskovac, and Niš participated in this year’s Climathon for young innovators for the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia, which was held this week.

During the Climathon, a three-member team of mentors guided the teams through the process of creating ideas and solutions in response to the challenge of climate change.

The young people who participated responded to the challenge “Improvement of Water, Natural, and Communal Infrastructure, Water Efficiency, Saving and Conservation, as a Response to the Challenge of Climate Change”. The teams worked together with mentors on their ideas by applying the Climate-KIC methodology and using the Miro tool during the first day of the Climathon.

On the second day, the three-member jury selected the three first-place teams who will have the opportunity to visit STP Niš, as well as the Medijana water factory. The Science and Technology Park will provide mentorship support for the improvement of the winning ideas and present the teams with all the opportunities provided by the ecosystem of the Science and Technology Park Niš.

This week, the Science and Technology Park in Niš hosted the EU delegation in Serbia and journalists from eight newsrooms from various European countries, who visited institutions in Serbia that deal with biotechnology, innovations, and information technology for the first time, as part of the “Pulse of Europe – EU Media Visits” project.

A group of journalists who follow science and business visited STP Niš and talked with the founders and employees of two startup companies – Beehold and Canandi, and two technology development companies – Coming Computer Engineering and Syncit Group. By presenting these companies, we introduced the visiting journalists to the development process of the innovation and startup ecosystem in our city and region, the role of the STP in that process, and the results of partnerships with EU support programs.