Archives: Актуелности

The Government of the Republic of Serbia has announced a tender for the construction of science and technology parks in Kruševac, Niš and Čačak.
This initiative significantly improves the national infrastructure in the field of innovation, emphasizing the importance of the technological and innovative domain in Serbia. With an investment of over 20 million euros, allocated for the Science and Technology Park Niš (STP Niš) capacity expansion, the plan is to build about 18,000 m2 of modern space in less than two years, of which about 9,000 m2 will be office space and about 1,000 m2 of laboratory space. After the construction of the new facility, the total capacity of STP Niš will be over 30,000 m2, with over 15,000 m2 of office and laboratory space, which will have the capacity to receive about 1,500 experts dedicated to the development of innovative projects.

The planned facility will be built in the northwestern part of the STP Niš complex, between the multi-purpose building of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and the Student Center restaurant.
In the previous period, starting from its establishment, STP Niš became recognized as a regional center of innovation, with over 50 member companies, employing over 500 employees, who work on the development of their own innovative products and services, in the existing facility of STP Niš.

The extension and expansion of STP Niš will not only significantly improve conditions for existing members of the park, but will also open doors for numerous new companies, as well as attract and launch new development centers of technology companies that want to join and contribute to the growth of our innovation ecosystem together. At the same time, this initiative represents a new strategic direction for strengthening the competitiveness of the Southern and Eastern Serbia Region.
The implementation of this project will make it possible to increase the competitiveness of the Southern and Eastern Serbia region, through the creation of conditions for the creation of a greater number of startup companies, the development of existing companies and to attract global development centers, which will contribute to the retention of experts in the region, self-employment and the employment of young highly educated people and change the structure of the economy towards a knowledge-based economy.

With the construction of a new facility, in addition to the above, conditions will be created for the development of the community and the development of new projects, in addition to the ICT sector as the fastest growing in Serbia, measured both through exports and the number of employees, and in fields and functions of STP Niš that are not sufficiently represented, or for which there is potential and interest but no spatial capacity. More intensive work is planned on the function of technology transfer and commercialization of scientific research projects, the development of joint research projects and laboratories between several scientific research organizations and the economy, the development of startups and innovative projects in the fields of green economy and energy efficiency, biotechnology, cyber security, robotics, high-tech projects in the field of automotive industry and mobility.

The start of work on expanding the STP Niš capacity is planned for the beginning of 2024 at the latest.

 

On Friday, June 9, the Science and Technology Park Niš organized an annual community gathering where, alongside the member companies, it summarized the results and goals achieved, and the main focus of the conversation were the upcoming plans.

Over the past three years, the Science and Technology Park Niš has become a center for innovation excellence, attracting experts from various fields and providing support to its members and their innovative ideas.

“We have been making efforts to strengthen our ties and empower our community. Through counseling, workshops, mentoring sessions, and support programs, we gave young talents the opportunity to turn their ideas into successful business projects. Through these activities, we have created a network that connects different sectors, enabling us to share knowledge, resources, and ideas, and at the same time, in this way, we have also helped member companies on their development path,” said Milan Ranđelović, PhD, managing director of the Science and Technology Park Niš.

This event, internal in nature, was an opportunity to put special emphasis on the presentation of the future goals of the Science and Technology Park Niš. One of the most important plans that has been highlighted is the expansion of spatial capacities. The creation of a new office space will provide, among other things, space for the reception of members who are waiting; it opens up the opportunity for the progress of member companies whose business is developing intensively and the number of employees is continuously growing, while one of the key advantages is the opening of development centers of large foreign companies.

For the second year in a row, having become tradition, in partnership with the Local Foundation Niš, an auction was organized to support creative ideas for the development of the city. This year, there were 13 items in the bidding, and an amount of 310,000 dinars was secured, which will be directed towards the realization of the creative ideas of the citizens of Niš in one of the next LFN competitions. Among paintings, designer clothing pieces, sports props, etc., the largest bid of 60,000 dinars was the winning bid for a T-shirt signed by Željko Obradović, coach of KK Partizan.

As a reminder, with the funds collected at last year’s auction in STP Niš, 6 ideas of groups of citizens, informal associations, and individuals who are now working on their projects were supported, and this gathering was an excellent opportunity for STP Niš member companies to hear about two of the ideas already supported.

The 30 selected firms and companies, as well as 17 different business support organizations and local self-government units, will receive professional assistance and mentorship to facilitate business and accelerate the growth of existing companies, and they will also be shown the potential they have. This means that the Innovation School has started!

At the opening of the Innovation School, representatives of the Startup Center Niš, the City of Niš, EUPRO+, as well as the Assistant Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, Vladimir Radovanović, wished the participants a successful start and good luck in their future work.

Yesterday, the participants went through the first module and got acquainted with the startup and innovation ecosystem through the lectures of Neda Trifunović, manager for the startup ecosystem of the Digital Serbia Initiative, and Milan Ranđelović, PhD, director of STP Niš.

In the coming 11 weeks, the teams will work on improving their ideas and business models through the necessary training, mentoring, and workshops, and mentors and industry experts will help them make the most of all the resources and knowledge the program offers.

We are already expecting the second module at the beginning of June – Presentation of your ideas and projects: initial pitch.

* In partnership with the City of Niš, the Startup Center Niš realizes the project “Resilient and Stable Startups as a Drive for Regional Development” financed by the European Union in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia through the EUPRO+ program

According to ICOM (International Council of Museums), museums have the power to transform the world around us, because they are fantastic places of new discoveries that teach us about the past and inspire new ideas.

The European Night of Museums is a cultural event that involves cooperation between museums and other institutions. At that time, all cultural institutions are open to visitors until late at night, with the idea of bringing the museums and their exhibits closer to them and making them more accessible.

Along with the International Museum Day, which is celebrated on May 18, the Night of Museums is held as part of the National Museum Week.

The “Museums for 10” event is a national museum initiative, the largest on the territory of Serbia so far and unique in the European cultural space, coordinated by the National Committee of ICOM Serbia. The event was designed with the idea of closer cooperation and joint performance by museums in Serbia, with the aim of a stronger connection with the local community, which also results in more intense interaction with the audience and greater attendance.

This year’s event theme is “Museums, sustainability, and well-being”. As sustainability has become a global priority, due to the fight against global warming and climate change we are facing, the Museum Week will draw attention to these important issues.

The doors of the Museum of Industrial and Technological Heritage will be open for visitors from 7:30 to 18:30 as part of the “Museums for 10” event.

As part of her visit to Serbia, the International Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, visited the Science and Technology Park Niš.

During her short visit, the USAID director toured the STP Niš building, spoke with representatives of our community about the influence that STP Niš has for the development of innovation and technological entrepreneurship in the region, and the way we work to improve this part of Serbia.

We presented the great potential of the Southern and Eastern Serbia Region to her through a conversation with some of the members of the Science and Technology Park Niš. She had the opportunity to talk with them about their development path, the role of STP Niš in the early stages of establishing companies, and future plans for business improvement.