The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service, is organising a two-day workshop in Belgrade which will explore new ways of supporting innovation and technology transfer in the Western Balkans.
The workshop will explore topics such as how scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs in the Western Balkans find funding opportunities for their innovative ideas and projects; how suitable are the existing financial instruments; and how can the EU and other donors better support technology transfer and innovation in the Western Balkans.
The conclusions of this workshop will be taken to the Business Forum of the Berlin Process Summit in Trieste in July 2017, in an effort to further support innovation in the Western Balkans.
At the opening of the workshop in the premises of the Rectorate of the University in Belgrade, Steffen Hudolin of the EU Delegation to Serbia said the Union supported innovation activities because it deemed them instrumental in overcoming difficulties and creating new jobs.
He recalled that the majority of enterprises in both Serbia and the EU were small and medium sized and having their poor access to fresh funding in mind, it was clear that the focus should be put on the creation of new financial instruments.
The Director of the Joint Research Centre Giovanni de Santi stressed the Western Balkans was offered an opportunity to tap into its potential at the moment when Europe was facing the decision of whether it wanted to stay united or not.
“We know that when it comes to competing with the rest of the world, Europe is always playing the innovation card. However, Europe is yet to bridge the gap between ideas and research, on the one hand, and the implementation of those ideas, on the other,” de Santis said.
Rector of the Belgrade University Vladimir Bumbasirevic said that the two-day workshop was arranged at the right time, providing its participants with necessary information about the existing financial instruments supporting technology transfer. He said he was confident that the workshop would succeed at defining specific financial instruments needed in the region.
Participants are technology transfer practitioners, investors, innovation practitioners from both the supply and demand sides, agencies and bodies managing investment funds, financial intermediaries, corporate venture funds, science parks, SMEs, business associations and financial institutions directly involved in the design, operation and promotion of financial instruments.
This workshop is organised in collaboration with the European Investment Bank, World Bank, European Investment Fund, the EU Delegation in Serbia and the local partners, the University of Belgrade, Science and Technology Park and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.
About the JRC
As the European Commission’s science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre’s mission is to support EU policies with independent evidence throughout the whole policy cycle. Its work has a direct impact on the lives of citizens by contributing with its research outcomes to a healthy and safe environment, secure energy supplies, sustainable mobility and consumer health and safety. More information at: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/about/jrc-in-brief
