Тип пројекта: Active projects

Project Title: Scaling the Regions (RESCALE)
Project Lead: Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency
Project Partners: Privredna komora Srbije, Naučno-tehnološki park Niš
Project Budget: €6,020,784.00
Funding Programme: Interreg IPA Bulgaria–Serbia Programme, co-funded by the European Union

Project Objective

The main objective of the project is to strengthen the factors that contribute to better connected, more innovative, and more efficient support and advisory systems delivered by national and local agencies (business support organizations and chambers of commerce) to promote small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“Scaling the Regions” aims to properly address, leverage, and maximize the existing business support potential for regional competitiveness by networking relevant institutions across the cross-border region and improving and channeling their SME support practices.

The project duration is 36 months, from 13 December 2025 to 12 December 2028.

Project Activities

• New Cross-Border SME Discovery & Readiness Assessment Approach – targeting and selecting companies from Serbia and Bulgaria and assessing their readiness to participate in the project
• Joint Capacity Development Model for SME Transformation – organizing a series of events for SME representatives from Serbia and Bulgaria to participate in relevant educational and capacity-building activities
• Joint Market Exposure & Innovation Acceleration Scheme – organizing visits to international fairs and exhibitions to connect SME representatives with peers from other regions and countries
• Regional Business Integration & Strategic Positioning Platform – organizing stakeholder events to present project results, SME success stories developed during project implementation, and successful initiatives that foster future cooperation

Project name: Serbian European Digital Innovation Hub on AI (S4AI_HUB)

Project leader: Science and Technology Park Niš

Project partners: Science and Technology Park Čačak (STP Čačak), Innovation Center of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade (ICEF), Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development of Serbia (IVI), Center for Digital Transformation (CDT), Ni-CAT Cluster and ICT Hub

Project budget: EUR 1,700,000.00

Financier: European Union (Digital Europe Program)

Project goal: The Serbian European Digital Innovation Hub on AI (S4AI_HUB) project represents a central place for the development of applicable solutions and values ​​that artificial intelligence and Industry 5.0 bring to the business environment of Serbia. As an initiative supported by the European Commission, S4AI_HUB supports startups, small and medium enterprises, and public administrations in understanding, integrating, and implementing AI technologies, helping them adapt and thrive in a dynamic and competitive business environment. The project aims to enable startups, small and medium enterprises, and public administration to design and implement strategies and solutions based on artificial intelligence and Industry 5.0. This way, organizations can improve their products and services, ensure long-term relevance in the market, and strengthen their position in an era of accelerated technological development. The project actively contributes to the development of an innovative business community in Serbia, committed to creating sustainable solutions and opportunities for the digital future.

Project activities:

• Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) – involves identifying how technology can help business development
• Skills and Training – support in developing the necessary skills and knowledge in an advanced digital and business environment
• Test-Before-Invest – Test-Before-Invest provides access to opportunities and resources within STP Niš
• Access to Finances – the S4AI_HUB team actively helps in finding financial solutions to address challenges

Project name: UrBan hEat islands REsilience, prepAreDness and mitigation strategY (Be Ready)

Project lead institution: Sofia Development Association

Project partners: Sofia Development Association (Bulgaria), DEX Innovation center z.s. (Czech Republic), Association Tehnopol of Galati (Romania), Chișinău Town Hall (Moldova), Municipality of Galați (Romania), Science and Technology Park Nis (Serbia), City of Niš (Serbia), City of Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenia), Pannon Novum West Transdanubian Regional Innovation Nonprofit Ltd. (Hungary), Capital City Podgorica (Montenegro), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria), Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (Slovakia), RICANY (Czech Republic), South Moravian agency for public innovation JINAG (Czech Republic), City of Kranj (Slovenia), Policy Consult Ltd (Bulgaria), Development agency North Ltd. (Croatia)

Project budget: 2.408.382,62 euros

Financier: Interreg Programme Danube Region, Programme co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI)

Project goal: The “BE Ready” project focuses on strengthening capacities for adaptation to climate change and disaster management related to environmental risks in the Danube region, specifically addressing urban heat islands (UHIs). In cooperation with 19 partners and 9 ASPs from 12 countries, the project introduces a new approach – “green acupuncture”, targeting small but effective, contextual interventions to combat UHIs in critical urban areas. Activities include testing solutions through “green”, “white”, and “blue acupuncture”, that is, interventions based on vegetation, innovative materials, and the use of water resources. Main results include methodologies and tools for UHI risk assessment, tested solutions in 9 pilot cities, a common strategy for improving climate change resilience, action plans, policy recommendations, and awareness campaigns. The project aims to effectively use joint knowledge for a better understanding of UHI effects and strengthening institutional capacities at the local and regional level.

Project activities:

• Providing research, assessment, and operational tools to local and regional authorities to better understand UHI, its causes and effects.
• Joint creation, testing, and validation of jointly developed solutions to mitigate the effects of UHIs in cities.
• Support to partner cities in the development and adoption of action plans for increased resistance to the effects of UHI with concrete actions that promote green, blue, or white measures.
• “Green Acupuncture” enables partners, both cities and knowledge partners, to take targeted, small but powerful, context-based measures to combat UHIs in critical urban areas.
• Pilot cities are testing solutions in three fields: “green acupuncture” (vegetation-based interventions); “white acupuncture” (based on innovative surfaces and materials); and “blue acupuncture” (new uses of water resources).
• The main results of the project include:
  • jointly developed and implemented methodologies and tools for UHI risk assessment, data analysis, and modeling at the city level;
  • jointly designed solutions to address UHI, tested and reviewed in an urban environment by 12 pilot cities;
  • a joint strategy for improving preparedness and resilience to climate change for local and regional governments in the Danube region;
  • action plans and transformative strategic outlooks for participants;
  • policy recommendations;
  • virtual training program with SPOCs;
  • awareness campaigns in 12 countries over a 30-month period.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Government of the Republic of Serbia are considering financing the expansion of modern science and technology parks in Serbia:

1. one in Niš with approximately 16,200 m² gross area
2. one in Čačak with approximately 12,800 m² gross area
3. one in Kruševac with approximately 11,000 m² gross area

The parks in Niš and Čačak were formally established as science and technology parks, while the existing facility in Kruševac is currently a Business Incubator, which will formally grow into a Regional Industrial and Technology Park after expansion.

It is expected that each development will be implemented separately through the newly formed Ministry for Public Investments of the Republic of Serbia, which is responsible for the implementation of state projects. After implementation, the Government will hand over the Project to the science and technology parks for operational management, which will manage the buildings in accordance with the standard rules prescribed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The project falls under the “B” category in accordance with the EBRD’s Environmental and Social Issues Policy 2019.

A more detailed description of the works planned for construction and reconstruction, as well as the way to involve all stakeholders, is given in the Non-Technical Summary of the Project, which is available to the public together with the Stakeholder Involvement Plan.

All stakeholders have one month to submit feedback (their opinion and suggestions regarding the Project) from the date of publishing the Non-Technical Summary of the Project and the Stakeholder Involvement Plan. In addition, a Complaint Form is available to all stakeholders, through which they can address all problems related to the implementation of the Project (all information about the Complaint Mechanism can be found in the Stakeholder Management Plan).”

NTS Project Science Serbia
SEP Project Science Serbia
Public Complaint Form