CONNECT

Regional network of innovation startup centers

From local potential to a regional startup base.

This service is intended for teams and individuals who have an idea and live outside of Niš, as well as local innovation and startup centers (RISCs), incubators and support organizations in Southern and Eastern Serbia. Through the program, STP Niš acts as a central hub that connects, enhances and integrates local capacities into a unique regional innovation ecosystem.

The service includes:

• strengthening regional innovation infrastructure through the development and coordination of a network of RISCs as the first points for identifying talents and ideas,
  
• systemic recognition and inclusion of regional teams, with access to the methodology, programs, and support of STP Niš,
  
• organization of joint regional activities, such as startup days, hackathons, thematic challenges, and workshops,
  
• transfer of knowledge, tools, and standards from STP Niš to local centers, in order to standardize the quality of support,
  
• two-way integration, through which the region becomes an active part of STP Niš, and STP Niš constantly expands the base of new ideas and teams.
  

This service represents an entry point to pre-incubation and further startup programs of STP Niš for teams from across the region.

Support for makers labs and STEAM infrastructure

From school to startup

The service is aimed at developing the earliest phase of the innovation journey — working with young people who gain their first experiences in technology, engineering, and innovation through practical work in makers labs and schools.

Through this service, STP Niš:

• supports the development and strengthening of makers labs as spaces for learning, experimentation, and prototyping,
  
• conducts mapping of existing laboratories, their capacities, needs, and potential,
  
• connects makers labs with regional startup centers and activities of STP Niš,
  
• participates in the organization of STEAM workshops, school challenges, and mini hackathons,
  
• provides access to programs, competitions, and resources in the field of STEM and innovation.

Collaboration with the community and partner organizations

This service includes the systemic cooperation of STP Niš with student organizations, associations, educational institutions, companies, and other stakeholders operating in the fields of education, technology, entrepreneurship, and social development.

The service is based on:

• strategically connecting STP Niš with the local and regional environment, outside the framework of formal startup programs,
  
• developing partnerships through a clear screening mechanism, which ensures that collaborations have a real contribution to the ecosystem,
  
• involving the youth and the community in programs, events, trainings and study visits,
  
• systemic development of the culture of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the region,
  
• expanding the base of teams, ideas and initiatives that eventually enter the pre-incubation and startup programs of STP Niš.
  

This service positions STP Niš as an open platform for innovation, not just a physical space.