Today in Tehnopolis an info day on EU instruments for the promotion of knowledge-based innovations, focusing on the EU Horizon 2020 program was held. The event organizer is the Ministry of Science in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and the IEC Tehnopolis.
The program of this event was intended for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as research organizations that are in the process of developing knowledge-based innovations.
The participants were greeted by Ratko Batakovic, executive director of IPC Tehnopolis, who then gave the word to the representative of the Ministry of Science, Branka Zizic, who was the moderator of the event.
Representative of the Ministry of Science and HERIC Project, Sasa Ivanovic, highlighted some of the key experiences of commercialization of knowledge in Montenegro, with special focus on the conclusions from the project “Higher Education and Research for Innovation and Competitiveness” (HERIC), in which important knowledge was gained and expert recommendations on how to go further in exploiting the potential that exists in scientific-research organizations and how to build relationships with business. In addition, as a national contact person for ICT and FET in the H2020, Ivanovic presented projects for the development of innovations in enterprises: H2020 – Future and Emerging Technologies and H2020 – Fast Track to Innovation.
Amplitudo’s Executive Director, Nenad Novovic, shared his experience with the participants in cooperation with research institutions, as well as conclusions on the opportunities and obstacles for the commercialization of knowledge in our country. This company has signed an agreement on cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering for the commercialization of innovations from the BIO-ICT project. In this regard, Novovic presented outstanding innovative ideas that progress on a scale of technological readiness and are approaching the stage of market entry, joint efforts of faculties and companies. For many participants this was a unique opportunity to hear about interesting ideas that were prepared during the three-year work of the team of researchers, including 15 young PhD students and master’s students.
Representative of the Directorate for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, Ljiljana Belada, spoke more in detail about EU grants for innovations in companies from the Horizon 2020 program, as well as about the new EU financial instrument.
Representative of the Ministry of Economy, Natasa Batricevic, spoke about the Program for the Development of Enterprises and Innovation for the Western Balkans (WB EDIF).
Guests of the event were also representatives of companies from Slovenia and Serbia, who successfully commercialized certain ideas and new knowledge, where significant support was received from scientific and technological parks from the environment in which the tenants are residents, as well as from EU funds.
Tanja Lorger and Vesna Radunovic, members of the Scientific and Technological Park Ljubljana (MV & T), shared their experiences as tenants in the Science and Technology Park in Slovenia, as well as how to build innovative businesses in a globalized economic environment, how to reach financial resources, what are the challenges they have faced and how to creatively approach them while preserving the entrepreneurial spirit.
Representatives of the innovative company “Swiftty” – Eleonora Sergijevic and Ivan Hristic from the Science and Technology Park Belgrade, in the end, detailed their way to the successful use of the Small and Medium Enterprises Fund, through which they made a plan for introducing disruptive innovations in the creation of websites, and then applied for significantly higher grants to finance the project and market.
Horizon 2020 is the European Union’s Research and Innovation Framework Program. Horizon 2020 supports research and innovation projects and programs of innovative research, strategic and applied research, demonstrative projects, as well as activities close to the market. The goal of this program is to ensure European global competitiveness.
