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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.

The development of innovations, as well as the improvement of IT technologies and the technology development sector, is becoming a very important issue in the Southern and Eastern Serbia Region.

It is precisely for this reason that the director of the Science and Technology Park Niš, Milan Ranđelović, PhD, met with the mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanović. The most important topic of the meeting was the launch of a startup center in Leskovac that would provide support to young innovators in this city and its surroundings.

The regional startup center in Leskovac would support innovation, offer professional services to companies and scientific research and innovation organizations in order to network them in the best possible way. Such a center would enable the rapid application of new technologies, the creation and placement of new products and services on the market, and it would also be an excellent way to improve the municipality of Leskovac.

The meeting was also attended by the dean of the Faculty of Technology in Leskovac, prof. Dr. Dragiša Savić, and directors of the Regional Chamber of Commerce Niš Aleksandar Milićević and the Regional Chamber of Commerce Leskovac Goran Jović.

Under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway ,and Sweden, and in partnership with the Science and Technology Park Niš, on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at STP Niš from 11:00 a.m., the “Nordic – Serbian Partnership for Green Business and Industrial Processes” conference will be held.

The upcoming conference is the fourth and last in a series of events, and is organized under the auspices of the Embassy of Finland and in partnership with the Science and Technology Park Niš. The focus of the conference is on green and sustainable business and on the transfer of the experience on how to improve production processes, incorporate the principles of circular economy, digitalize business, and at the same time increase productivity and efficiency and consume fewer resources.

For years now, the Nordic countries have been striving to transfer their experiences and best practices to others, and through two panel discussions you will have the opportunity to hear more about the Green transition and trends – Nordic experiences and local practices, and there will also be more talks on the topic of Green business – Finland’s experiences and local practices.

Location: STP Niš, Conference Hall
Date: February 2, 2023
Time: 11:00

At the panel “Ideas of the Little, Experience of the Big: How Corporations and Startups Cooperate” – a StarTech program implemented by NALED in partnership with the Government of Serbia and with the support of the Science and Technology Park Niš, a number of important questions about startups and their current position were raised, such as and the direction in which they are moving.

The biggest challenge that startups face is the struggle on the market, and the panelists shared with us how large companies can involve small ones and provide them with the necessary support. Through this cooperation, innovators get the opportunity to learn, develop their business models, and spread their knowledge and experience, but also a very important network of contacts. In addition, space is provided for applying innovations in solving numerous challenges in business.

“Small companies, that is, startups that are only starting, need big companies, not only to learn from their experience, but also to place their products on the market,” said Irena Đorđević from NALED.

Panelists Janko Pavlović, director of Digital Works, and Ivan Stanković, director of Syncit Group, shared their experiences on the importance of support and networking with large companies locally and nationally, as well as internationally.

By accepting new, young ideas and supporting startup entrepreneurship, innovation development and the development of the entire ecosystem is inevitable.

The Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia has opened Public Calls to support the creativity of new entrepreneurs.

This state organization, specialized in providing support for innovations and encouraging innovation, launched three programs in December of this year.

The three programs offered were launched in order to encourage the development of ideas, scientific research activities and the development of the first prototype.

• THE PUBLIC CALL FOR THE “SMART START” PROGRAM has been opened in order to support the most promising teams in their efforts to validate their business ideas and demonstrate the usefulness of their products/services/technologies through the development of the first prototype or minimum viable product (MVP). The maximum amount of funding that the Innovation Fund awards per individual project is up to 3,600,000.00 RSD (around 30,000.00 EUR). Additionally, all users of the Program will receive 600,000.00 RSD (around 5,000.00 EUR) of additional funds allocated for mentorship support.
  The Fund will consider financing projects from all fields of science and technology and from any industrial sector.
  You can apply to the contest electronically through their portal at this link.
  The application deadline is February 28, 2023, at 12:00.
• THE PUBLIC CALL FOR GIVING OUT INNOVATION VOUCHERS is an incentive intended for companies to use the services provided by scientific research organizations for the development of new products and services related to the innovation process, with the aim of transferring knowledge and creating long-term partnerships between companies and scientific research organizations.
  The innovation voucher covers 60% of the total costs of the service provided by the scientific research organization, that is, a maximum of 800,000 dinars.
  Companies are obligated to co-finance the remaining amount of the total cost of services.
  It is intended for micro, small and medium-sized companies in majority private ownership, registered in Serbia.
  The deadline for submitting applications is from December 15, 2022, until the allocated funds have been used up.
  To apply, first you need to register an account at this link.
• THE PUBLIC CALL FOR THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAM was announced with the aim of increasing the commercialization potential of academic research through close cooperation with universities, faculties, research institutes and their technology transfer offices.
  This Program includes financial support of up to 2,400,000.00 dinars, which represents 100% of the funds with which the Fund supports the financing of the approved project.
  The application deadline is from December 15, 2022, until the allocated funds have been used up.
  Applications are submitted in English, electronically, via this link.

The information on the necessary documents for applying for these support programs is available on the Innovation Fund’s website.

The Fund’s public calls encourage innovative entrepreneurship and provide a chance to improve the technological and research capacities of our country.