📋 Tender Overview
Project ID
230258
Thematic Priority
Advancing Economic Competitiveness
LocationSerbia
Project ManagerAleksei SAVRASOV
Donor
Regular Programme Of Technical Cooperation
Fund
Regular Programme of Technical Cooperati
Gender Marker1 (Limited expected contribution to GE)
In the context of the innovation Agenda for Europe and the smart specialization, in order to support the Western Balkans in benefiting from the rapid development of frontier technologies and to strengthen linkages between science and business in the region, UNIDO proposes to foster regional economic and industrial integration and inclusion of emerging innovation ecosystems of Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership into a wider EU economic and technological landscape. The Phase I of establishing the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Novi Sad involved several key activities. Initially, Terms of Reference were developed to establish a framework for developing a specialized hub that integrates regional expertise, fosters private sector collaboration, and supports manufacturing training and innovation in line with the country’s smart specialization strategy. In addition, strategic guidance was provided on how to develop a network of Smart Manufacturing Innovation Hubs in Serbia, leveraging expertise from universities in Slovenia and Serbia. Furthermore, a comprehensive training toolkit and e-platform were created to support SMEs, and a study tour to Slovenia was organized to promote collaboration and knowledge transfer. The official inauguration event of SMIC took place in June 2024. Over the course of two days, a launch event and an international conference were organized attracting more than 80 participants from the Western Balkans region including representatives from the business sector, academia, public officials, and business supporting organizations. Following the establishment of the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center (SMIC) at the University of Novi Sad in the Phase I ID200037) of the project, the proposed phase (Phase II, ID230258) seeks to bridge the initial establishment of the Center with the broader regional engagement plan, targeting Serbia and the wider Western Balkans.Under the umbrella of the UNIDO regional strategy for Western Balkans (in close collaboration with GLO/RFO/EUR team), fostering the productive sector SMEs of Western Balkans, the proposed phase will support the Government of Slovenia in its efforts for implementation of Slovenian Development Strategy 2030, supporting entrepreneurship in priority sectors, leveraging the Slovenian industrial sector’s expertise leadership in Western Balkans in partnership with UNIDO and Serbia. It will build on Slovenia's support to lay the groundwork and develop a comprehensive proposal for the subsequent large-scale initiative focused on Industry 4.0, the green transition and circular economy to be developed in close cooperation with the European Union as one of the key potential partners (Phase III)
