Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the business world, but real technological transformation requires a strong innovation ecosystem and a deep connection between the economy and science. This is one of the key messages from INFOFEST 2026, the largest regional festival of IT achievements, which gathered hundreds of leaders from the IT industry, public administration, and academia in Budva. Under this year’s slogan “Human in the Loop,” the event focused on the responsible application of AI technologies, cyber resilience, and digitalization, striving to translate technological expectations into real value for companies.

The final part of the festival, through the special INFOFEST Impact Forum program, was designed as a space for topics that go beyond narrow professional frameworks and have a broader societal significance. At the panel titled “Are we ready for EU funds? Building a national ecosystem for the development of competitive projects,” which brought an exceptionally high-quality and substantive conversation about the development of European projects and partner networking, Valentina Radulović, MSc, Executive Director of the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro, spoke on behalf of the institution.

The special value of this discussion was that it did not solely focus on identifying challenges but offered concrete solutions aimed at better connecting institutions and developing project capacities. Director Radulović reminded that the mission of STP Montenegro remains focused on providing a modern environment where Montenegrin resources and potentials are directly connected with global opportunities, emphasizing that an integrated approach is of great importance for this goal.

During her presentation, she specifically addressed the significant issue of past practices, highlighting the necessity for companies and startups to be actively involved in the process already at the early stage of problem definition and project idea development, rather than being invited only at the end when consortia formally need a corporate partner. On the other hand, she explained the model by which the Science and Technology Park assumes the role of a central meeting place, a space that effectively connects the real needs of companies, research expertise, the public sector, and upcoming EU calls.

The conclusions from this year’s festival clearly showed that cross-sectoral collaboration is precisely the prerequisite for a more serious technological step forward. Ready to provide support to all members of the innovation ecosystem, STP Montenegro continues to build a community where innovators can successfully translate their ideas into competitive projects.