The Project’s Technopark Serbia 2 – Boosting exports through technoparks the main objective is to increase the competitiveness of the Serbian high-tech industry, which is expected to contribute to increased revenues, exports and job, through the development of a network of science technology parks, and to encourage as many young persons as possible for tech entrepreneurship and development of new startup companies.

The project is supported by Swiss Government (on behalf of the Swiss Government, Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO) pursuant to an initiative of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, building on the sound performance at the previous stage, through the project “Science Technology Park Belgrade – a New Export Instrument of Serbia”, the aim of which was to establish and develop STP Belgrade as the first fully functional science technology park in Serbia. The primary goal of Swiss Government support was to make STP Belgrade an export instrument of Serbia, helping the country improve its competitive position in the global market for smart products and services. 

Under the new project, “Technopark Serbia 2 – Boosting Exports through technoparks”, the Swiss Government continues supporting innovation development and expansion of the science technology parks network in Serbia. This stage will include the following actions: 

• Science Technology Park Belgrade support model will be upgraded and tailored to specific needs of startups and growing companies,
• The knowledge and experience acquired by STP Belgrade will be transferred to Niš and Čačak, to speed up the development of science technology parks in those two cities and to facilitate accelerated development of new export-oriented tech companies in those regions,
• With the development and implementation of the new pre-seed program Raising Starts (which includes financial and business support to startups at the earliest stages of development), the formation and development of up to 100 new startups in Belgrade, Niš and Čačak will be supported,
• As a result of cooperation between the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia, startups will also receive specific support in the field of intellectual property rights.

Swiss Government support is crucial because it will facilitate regional development based on knowledge and innovation, encouraging young people to develop their ideas, form tech companies, and economically thrive in Serbia, on par with the rest of the world. Through various modalities of support available under the Project, they will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle obstacles on the path from an innovative idea to readiness for investment and global breakthrough.

With this project, including the previous stage, the Swiss Government will invest EUR 4,970,000 in total in the development of technology parks in Serbia (EUR 1,070,000 EUR for stage I and EUR 3,900,000 for stage II).

The EU Support to Science Technology Park Belgrade for Services to Innovative Companies Project’s overall objective is to strengthen research and innovation through institutional support for innovative enterprises. The project is aimed at further increasing the internal capacity of STP for efficient and sustainable support to companies at every stage of development – from business idea identification and start-up, to growth and internationalisation, and using and applying best international practices. 

The aim is also to modernise research and innovation, encourage cooperation between industry and academia, and increase the level of investment in research and competitiveness of the Serbian innovation and technology development sector. Qualified and competent world-class experts implement specific services for small and medium enterprises and potential entrepreneurs such as mentoring activities, training programs, study visits, thematic workshops and events. 

The project develops and promotes Research and Development among all relevant stakeholders and improves compliance of innovative and technology-based companies with the EU harmonised legislation.