In the course of preparation for the first "start-up residents" in Brčko and Loznica
The members of the Project Team on the NESESER (Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices) at the second regular meeting informed the members of the Advisory Team about the course of implementation activities foreseen in the project application.
The project managers from both sides of the border (BiH and Republic of Serbia) Indira Muharemović and Ana Milenković announced that the space for the future business incubator has been provided, and that they are in the process of preparing the tender documents for the purchase of equipping business incubators / centers, worth 95,000 convertible marks, after which the first "start-up residents" are expected.
The City of Loznica previously provided space for its start-up residents, while the Brčko District of BiH only recently resolved this issue due to administrative procedures, according to which it was first necessary to obtain appropriate space in the city center with the consent of the Brčko District Government, and then to renovate it in order to served the intended purpose. The Office for the Management of Public Assets on behalf of the Development and Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina has drawn up project terms of reference and is in the process of obtaining bids for the design of space for the establishment of a business incubator/entrepreneurial center. After the creation of the design and technical documentation, the creation of the tender documentation for the procurement of works services will be started.
In the coming period, the Project Team will work on networking business-entrepreneurial centers at the local and regional level, about which the public will be informed.
For the purpose of reminding, the NESESER project is co-financed by the European Union within the framework of the finacial Instrument of Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II), and is implemented by the Development and Guarantee Fund of Brčko District in partnership with the City of Loznica and the Institute for Development and Innovation IDI from Belgrade.
Tršić: Building the capacity of state administration representatives from the field of entrepreneurship
In the Educational and Cultural Center Vuk Karadžić in Tršić from September 25. until September 29. in 2023, five-day workshops "Building the capacity of government representatives for the development of startups, "incubation" of companies and the business environment" were organized for participants from the City of Loznica and Brčko District of BiH within the project NESESER - "Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices".
The workshops were prepared and organized by the consultant Marija Suzić, who also gave a lecture, while the workshops were also held by experts in the field of entrepreneurship - Marijana Grković and Bojan Milenković. Also, at the workshops, participants had the opportunity to listen to the successful story of the business incubator from Osijek, as well as to hear successful examples of individual entrepreneurial stories. The knowledge gained at the workshops will be used by representatives of the state administration and the project team during the establishment and development of two business incubators - in the Brčko District of BiH and the City of Loznica.
Project manager Ana Milenković points out that the workshops had multiple positive effects on everyone present. Primarily, the participants gained new knowledge about entrepreneurship, "pre-incubation" and incubation of companies, which will be of great use to them for the further development of entrepreneurship in their local communities, with a special focus on female and youth entrepreneurship. Also, the networking of participants from these two cities and the continuation of their cooperation in the future is of great importance.
According to Miroslav Marić, a specialist in financial issues, various organizational forms for the establishment of a business incubator, the structure of employees, expected income and expenses, as well as the potential "ideal" activities of tenants were analysed. "We visited the building where the incubator is planned to be installed in Loznica, which has just been built and partially equipped. The very end of the workshop was perhaps particularly interesting to us because the topic of marketing and advertising in entrepreneurship through social networks was covered in detail. Practical examples were shown, which was particularly interesting for everyone", said Marić.
The successfully implemented workshops are part of the NESESER project - "Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices" implemented by the Development and Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of BiH, the City of Loznica and the Institute for Development and Innovation - IRI, and co-financed by the European Union within the framework of the Pre-Accession Assistance Financial Instrument (IPA II) through the Cross-border cooperation program Serbia - Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014 - 2020. The contracting body of this project is the Ministry of Finance - Department for Contracting and Financing Programs from the European Union.
Loznica: Presented Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the establishment and development of the Business Entrepreneurial Center and Incubator within the NESESER project
In the Youth Center of the City of Loznica, on September 26, 2023, the Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the Business and Entrepreneurship Center and Incubator in Loznica was presented. The study and business plan were developed through the project NESESER - "Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices" implemented by the Development and Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of BiH, the City of Loznica and the Institute for Development and Innovation - IRI, and co-financed by the European Union as part of the financial instrument of pre-accession assistance (IPA II) through the Cross-border cooperation program Serbia - Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014 - 2020. The contracting authority of this project is the Ministry of Finance - Department for Contracting and Financing programs from the European Union.
The feasibility study and business plan were prepared and presented by the company Milestone Solutions from Sarajevo, whose representatives pointed out the possibilities and services for tenants of the future Business and Entrepreneurship Center / Incubator defined by the NESESER application.
The Director of the Institute for Development and Innovation, Nenad Jevtović, points out that through the Feasibility Study and the Business Plan, a good foundation has been laid for the concrete implementation of the project - the establishment and development of the Business-Entrepreneurial Center / Incubator in Loznica. He pointed out that the project will soon enter its most beautiful phase of implementation, which is the launch of entrepreneurial firms by women and young people. "The infrastructure in Loznica is enviable, and I congratulate all Loznica residents on that. In addition, the human capacities that exist are huge and this is an incentive for the entire city administration to use them in the right way", said Javtović, and stated that the goal is to establish 20 companies through the project, which will have the best possible conditions for business in the centres.
Bojan Lučić, coordinator of the Loznica Youth Center, pointed out that he was particularly pleased that a large number of young people attended the presentation of the Feasibility Study and Business Plan and that during the presentation they had the opportunity to hear what services will be available to them at the Loznica Business and Entrepreneurship Center.
Among the guests present at the presentation of the Feasibility Study and Business Plan in the City of Loznica were representatives of the governmental and non-governmental sector, social and cultural life, and representatives of the cross-border team on the NESESER project from the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We remind you that the Development and Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of BiH organized the presentation of the Feasibility Study and the Business Plan for Brčko on September 20, 2023.
Presented Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the Business-Entrepreneurial Center / Incubator - NESESER project
The Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the Business-Entrepreneurial Center / Incubator in the Brčko District of BiH were presented on September 20, 2023. The two studies are developed within project "Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices" – NESESER project, implemented by the Development - Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of BiH, the City of Loznica and the Institute for Development and Innovation – IRI. The project is co-financed by the European Union within the framework of a financial instrument of Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) through the Cross-Border Cooperation Program Serbia - Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014-2020.
The Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the Business-Entrepreneurial Center / Incubator was developed by the expert contractors, company „Milestone Solutions“ Sarajevo gathering demographic and socio-economic data for the Brčko District of BiH according to the context of the development of the Business-Entrepreneurial Center / Incubator in the District.
„Milestone Solution“ representative Ermin Mujkić pointed out that the purpose of the studies are to explain which benefits business-entrepreneurial centers / incubators can bring to the local communities with a detailed analysis of the business environment, market, long-term financial sustainability and recommendations applicable through best practices – with a special focus on Brčko District.
"This way, the studies can be replicated in other localities in Serbia and BiH, which will be widely promoted, with an emphasis on young people and the development of female entrepreneurship", Mujkić said.
More than 50 local and regional political, private and civil society representatives were present at the presentation and discussed the future steps to be taken in the process of establishment of the Business-Entrepreneurial Center / Incubator in the Brčko District BiH.
Completed Study visit "Exchange of experiences and good practices with similar business centers and incubators"
Members of the Project and Cross-Border Advisory Team within „Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices“ – NESESER project participated in the "Exchange of experiences and good practices with similar business centers and incubators" from September 11 to 15, 2023 in BiH, Croatia and Serbia.
The study visit and exchange of experiences and good practices with similar business centers and incubators is one of the key project activities envisaged within NESESER project. NESESER is project is implemented within the framework of the IPA program of cross-border cooperation Serbia - Bosnia and Herzegovina, co-financed by the European Union, and is implemented by the Development - Guarantee Fund of the Brcko District of BiH, the City of Loznica and the Institute for Development and Innovation – IDI.
In this manner, Joint Project Manager Ms. Indira Muharemović stated that the activity was one of the rare opportunities for the public sector, businessess and CSOs representatives to learn more about the work of most successful business centers and incubators in Mostar, Banja Luka, Osijek, Vinkovci and Novi Sad.
"We started our exchange of experiences and good practices with similar business centers and incubators with a visit to the Technology Park INTERA Mostar, whose management introduced us to their successes. The serve the companies that include: training for the management of CNC machines, renting out coworking space, education and the like. The industries and activities on which the focus is placed are technological activities, as well as a part of technological activities related to the IT industry and digital marketing", explained Ms. Muharemović.
According to Ms. Muharemović, the exchange of experiences and good practices with similar business centers and incubators continued with a visit to the ICBL Banja Luka Innovation Center, registered as a foundation and functioning as an umbrella organization for several incubators. The ICBL works on informal education, organizing events and conferences, and project management. The educations they perform are on the topics of female entrepreneurship, digital marketing, agile management, B2B, financial incubator, IT retraining, business planning, and influencer marketing, which has yet to be put into practice.
During the tour, the team visited a Business Incubator BIOS Osijek as well, registered as a limited liability company, but equipped entirely from European Union funds. The services provided by the incubator, with a capacity of 100 users, are the following: rental of space, consulting services and business planning, IT sector support, coworking space rental, and various services in the innovation laboratory to its tenants. The participants of the study visit got acquainted with the services that this incubator provides to its tenants in the domain of lower costs, subsidizing the rental price and supporting the development of technological solutions. A visit to the Business Incubator Vinkovci, which is registered as a limited liability company, functions mainly by being financed by the City of Vinkovci. In addition to renting out space on very acceptable terms, they are responsible for holding various educations and implementing various projects. The tenants' activities are in the fields of design, digital marketing, construction, alternative medicine and the IT industry. The share in the incubator is 12 female entrepreneurs and 17 male entrepreneurs.
At the end of the trip, the participants got acquainted with the work of the Novi Sad Business Incubator, which was founded as a non-profit organization, and whose financing includes the coverage of operating costs from public funds. This incubator provides tenants with the use of space, consulting, services of an accounting agency, legal advice, pre-incubation, guidance on other programs.
Summarizing the entire study trip, Project Development Manager Mr. Siniša Borota from City of Loznica pointed out that the study visit was very effective and of great importance for the members of the project team. In particular, he stated that the acquired skills and the exchange of knowledge by representatives of business incubators were crucial for establishing the basis for the future formation of two business incubators, one in the Brčko District of BiH and the other in the City of Loznica.
"Each representative of the business incubator educated the members of the project team in all the ways in which different types of business incubators from the selected locations were formed and functioned as an organization. Newly acquired knowledge that until now members of the project team did not possess is reflected, among other things, in getting to know the different types of services that business incubators provide to their tenants and other interested parties. The success of the study visit is evaluated, and based on examples of good practice, all the necessary competences for the formation of business incubators in the two selected locations were acquired," said Borota.
THE FIRST WORKING MEETING ON THE CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION PROJECT OF SERBIA - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA "NESESER"
Encouraging cross-border, shared economic potential for self - employment through the improvement of the entrepreneurial environment for young people and newly founded companies run by women is the general goal of this project.
LOZNICA, the Development and Guarantee Fund Brčko District BiH, the City of Loznica and the Institute for Development and Innovation held an introductory working meeting on the project "Newly established Start-up Enterprise SERvices - NESESER". The project is implemented within the framework of the IPA program Cross-Border Cooperation Serbia - Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014-2020. The contracting authority for this project is the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia, Sector for Contracting and Financing Programs from European Union Funds (CFCU).
The first working meeting of the Project partners was organized in the Scientific and Educational Cultural Center "Vuk Karadžić" in Tršić. During the meeting, the partners discussed a detailed activity plan for the first year of project implementation, a logical framework, as well as a visibility and communication plan.
At the beginning of the meeting, joint project manager Indira Muharemović addressed all attendees, who pointed out: "Entrepreneurship support projects and the development of startup businesses are a priority in the work of the Government of Brčko District BiH and the Unit for the Implementation of Projects from International Funds at the Development and Guarantee Fund of Brčko District BiH." This project, which will support a minimum of ten businesses in Brčko, is fully aligned with the priorities and measures of the Development Strategy of Brčko District BiH 2021 - 2027 and the Youth Strategy of Brčko District BiH 2022 - 2026. Projects of this type will be a priority in the work and in in the coming period".
Then the Deputy Mayor of Loznica, Marko Vidić, spoke and pointed out that it was an extraordinary honor and pleasure for him to greet the partners from the Brčko District of BiH as well as the representatives of the Institute for Development and Innovation on behalf of the City of Loznica and to welcome everyone to the first joint meeting within the framework of the project cross-border cooperation that partners implement together. "I believe that through this project we will work together
to improve the quality of life of all our fellow citizens. I wish us all successful work with
with the hope and desire for successful cooperation, primarily in the implementation of this project, but also to go beyond the scope of this project in the future and to deepen and expand our cooperation to other areas as well", said Vidić.
After his address, the director of the Institute for Development and Innovation, Nenad Jevtović, expressed satisfaction with the opportunity for the Institute to work on the implementation of this project at the local level, and to contribute to the further development of the City of Loznica and Brčko District. "It is a great pleasure to make certain knowledge gained on international projects available to colleagues from the City of Loznica and Brčko District, and all in
with the aim of developing entrepreneurship", said Jevtović.
The project partners will also work on intensifying neighborly relations, creating sustainable partnerships for socio-economic development and removing obstacles to cross-border economic development. The positive influence of the EU on BiH and Serbia will be established in strengthening regional cooperation, building regional stability and improving good neighborly relations, but also encouraging a climate suitable for the realization of all potentials.
