Fostering Collaboration Through a Company Mission to Serbia
In December 2024, the Enterprise Europe Network Saxony-Anhalt organised a company mission to Serbia, with stops in Belgrade and Niš. The goal was to strengthen exchange between innovative companies and research institutions and to initiate new cooperation opportunities.
The mission was organised in collaboration with the Serbian Ministry for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Technological Development and offered an excellent platform for international networking. Highlights included meetings with tech companies, visits to innovation centres, and discussions with representatives from research, business, and public institutions.
A key moment of the trip was the European Innovation Collective network meeting, which took place in Niš. Participants discussed joint research ideas and explored new opportunities for European funding collaboration.
Key outcomes of the mission included:
- Numerous new business contacts between Serbian and German companies
- Concrete discussions on collaboration in areas such as digitalisation, high-tech manufacturing, and sustainable technologies
- Strengthened ties within the transnational research network in Southeast Europe
Outlook:
The company mission to Serbia was an important step in opening the regional innovation ecosystem to international exchange. The intensive on-site networking demonstrated the value of personal contact for building long-term cooperation – whether in research, technology transfer, or business development. Further missions to other target regions are already in planning.