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SEEIC Innovation Forum: a Platform for Cooperation and Supporting Innovations in the Southeast Europe Region
The South East European Innovators Challenge (SEEIC) is the first regional forum dedicated to innovation and startup communities in Southeast Europe. Held in Sofia Tech Park, this event brought together representatives of technology parks and innovation zones from Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Turkey, as well as representatives of academia, business, international investors, and government and local institutions. The main mission of SEEIC is to stimulate the cooperation of the scientific and technological ecosystems of the region and encourage the development of innovations, which will make Southeast Europe an attractive destination for investments.
As part of the conference, a competition for startups was also held, where startups from STP Niš – Nais Robotics and City and Me presented their projects to the committee. In the final part, City and Me took home the award of the Municipality of Sofia for its innovative contribution to urban challenges.
The managing director of the Science and Technology Park Niš, Milan Ranđelović, PhD, participated in a panel discussion dedicated to the vision of the development of innovation in the region, together with the leaders of other technology parks in Europe, as well as representatives of the city of Sofia, where further steps for the improvement of the regional innovation infrastructure were discussed, and on that occasion, a Memorandum on Cooperation with technology parks and innovation zones from Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Montenegro was signed. This agreement aims to strengthen regional ties and open new opportunities for innovative projects across Europe.
In addition to competitions and panel discussions, SEEIC was an opportunity for the founders of the SEEIC Alliance to deepen the conversation about cooperation and future joint projects via a round table and an open discussion on strengthening the innovation ecosystem of Southeast Europe.
The conference was also attended by representatives of innovation startup centers and incubators from the Southern and Eastern Serbia Region as part of a study visit organized by STP Niš through the project Regional Innovation Startup Center Capacity Building Program. During this visit, the participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves more with the innovation ecosystem of Bulgaria, as well as with the capacities and activities of Sofia Tech Park. As part of the program, a reception was held at the Embassy of Serbia in Bulgaria, and the participants also visited the Creative Technology Hub Resonator, where they exchanged experiences with local experts and gained insight into innovative practices that encourage the development of the startup ecosystem in the region.
