Interview: CDM Portal

Work on the Science and technology park building is progressing according to the planned schedule, despite the COVID-19 epidemic. Velibor Bošković, Executive director of the STP, stated in an interview with Dnevne novine that this progress gives justified optimism that the project will be completed on time, if not even earlier.

“Completion of the work on the STP building is expected by December 2021, when we hope the official operations of the building will begin. However, there is a real chance that the work will be completed even before the contracted deadline and that the STP doors will open for its residents and visitors as early as next autumn. Through continuous monitoring and communication, the Public Works Administration, the contractor, the supervisory body, and the STP will contribute to solving any potential issues that may arise during the execution of the works, ensuring that they are completed within the planned time frame or even earlier,” announced Bošković.

The Science and technology park of Montenegro was established in partnership with the Government, the Ministry of Science, and the University of Montenegro. What was the purpose behind its establishment and what activities have you launched in the past 10 months?

Bošković: The Science and technology park was established with the aim of becoming the key generator of innovation processes in Montenegro by supporting individuals and companies based on creative, innovation-oriented, and high-tech businesses. Through incubation, acceleration, training, mentoring, connections with investors, and ecosystems of technological innovations, the STP will support numerous innovative and entrepreneurial ventures. The past 10 months of operation have been marked by numerous activities, of which I would highlight the completion of all tender procedures and the beginning of construction work on the STP building, as well as the BoostMeUp program, which is the first pre-acceleration program supporting startup teams in Montenegro and represents a turning point in the development of Montenegro’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This program is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Science and is carried out by a consortium that includes STP, IPC Tehnopolis, and the company Amplitudo. The program will help innovative individuals and teams develop their competitive advantages in the fields of innovation, technology, and science, all while developing existing and new entrepreneurial ideas with potential for rapid growth and international market expansion. The program will develop year by year and attract new partners, making it stronger, more qualitative, and potent to support a significant number of new startup ideas.

Also, the entire STP team has supported the Ministry of Science, which has created two new laws that will apply in many areas of innovative industry and scientific research activities.

What are these laws about?

Bošković: The laws in question are the Law on incentive measures for research and innovation development and the Law on innovation activities, which will regulate Montenegro’s innovation system in line with societal needs and international standards. The new legislative framework will provide a good overview of all entities involved in innovation activities in Montenegro, those providing innovation infrastructure, and those investing in innovation. Additionally, the law provides for the establishment of an Innovation Fund, which is set up to effectively implement innovation policies and secure and realize funds that will strongly encourage innovation activities.

The adoption of these laws represents a major step forward in the development of an efficient innovation system, strengthening collaboration between the private and public sectors with the scientific and research community, contributing to the more efficient use of state resources, and enhancing the success of attracting foreign investments and EU funds.

Another very important project we are working on is the virtual and augmented reality Technologies Center in collaboration with the American company EON Reality, which also represents a completely new opportunity for the development of human resources and the economy in Montenegro. The project aims to support the education system and economy, gradually incorporating it into other sectors of society, such as the public sector.

The Center will present an environment in which, among other things, projects in the areas of tourism, medicine, engineering, security, or the manufacturing industry will be developed. By applying this technology, organizations can more efficiently direct their resources toward teaching, adopting, and developing specialized skills in their areas of expertise. The introduction of artificial intelligence into the education system will enable teachers, as well as students, to create highly interactive learning content on their smart devices without requiring prior programming skills. Through this project, Montenegro will join modern countries that are preparing their citizens, students, and employees to be competitive and develop new products and services based on future technologies.

STP is one of the most important infrastructure projects of the Ministry of Science and the Government for the development of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. In March, a contract was signed with the company “Novi Volvox” LLC from Podgorica for the construction works of the STP building within the University Campus in Podgorica. How far have the works progressed, and are they proceeding according to the planned schedule, or has the Covid-19 epidemic slowed them down?

Bošković: The works on the STP building are progressing according to the planned schedule, which gives us justified optimism that the works on this highly demanding project will be completed on time, or even slightly ahead of the set deadline. This is a facility that, due to its technical and technological characteristics, represents a novelty within Montenegrin frameworks, so it is very important for us that each activity is aligned with both the project requirements and the needs of our future tenants. In this regard, we are satisfied with the relationship that the company “Novi Volvox” has built with this project, so the situation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic has not slowed down or jeopardized the progress of the work, which has been going according to the plan since the beginning.

The value of the contracted works is nearly eight million euros. What will the construction of this building bring, and what is planned in the project documentation? What will the STP building look like?

Bošković: The building of the Science and technology park of Montenegro is designed and shaped to fit the ambiance of the University Campus of the Technical-technology faculty of UMNE and represents a reflection of contemporary architecture, designed to attract, motivate, and retain its visitors. The design of the existing building has been adapted and tailored to the needs of the STP. The entire building has been conceptually designed to offer a high-quality and comfortable space with the latest infrastructure and a stimulating atmosphere for the work of innovative individuals and companies.

By applying the concept of a “smart and energy-efficient” building, conditions will be created for the growth and development of all its tenants, while also setting new standards in the construction of smart buildings in Montenegro and the region. Within the STP building, various facilities are created, such as office spaces, a conference center, coworking spaces, specialized laboratories, meeting rooms, exhibition spaces, a restaurant, a gym, a daycare center for children, a garage with electric vehicle chargers, and many other facilities tailored to the needs of the STP tenants.

It is important to emphasize that the STP will have its solar power plant on the roof, which will replace a significant portion of the electricity consumption. In this way, the STP will represent a functional whole that will provide future tenants with the opportunity to focus fully on innovative work and the creation of new economic value.

Who will have access to the STP’s facilities?

Bošković: The Science and technology park will offer its capacities to startup and innovative companies, so we can create an ecosystem for the development of innovative businesses together. Additionally, the STP’s facilities will be available to inventors, innovators, freelancers, and creative teams developing numerous innovative ideas and projects. Following the strategic orientation of the Government, particularly the Ministry of Science, the STP will carefully focus on fulfilling the goals outlined in the Smart Specialization Strategy and other strategic documents. I believe that with new legislation, local intellectual, academic, business, and innovative potentials, the Science and technology park will quickly justify the role entrusted to it as the central unit of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Montenegro.

Support for the formation of an IT cluster

Intensive work is also underway on the formation of an IT cluster of innovative companies, which we aim to strengthen and expand the Montenegrin IT community. By creating this cluster, companies want to collaborate on specialized training for employees and interested individuals in this sector through the development of a national IT academy. Also, by acting jointly in international markets, companies will work on serious projects that require hundreds of IT engineers, graphic designers, or marketing managers. Achieving the synergistic effect of this cluster will lead to the growth and development of the entire IT sector, which will employ more people, generate significant revenues in international markets, and be a key driver of the digitalization of Montenegrin society, from government institutions to the entire economy.

MONTENEGRO OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The Law on Incentive Measures for Research and Innovation represents a revolution on the domestic market and will transform the ecosystem in which innovations, startup companies, and predominantly the IT sector develop. This law foresees significant incentives and reliefs that will make Montenegro an attractive destination for technological entrepreneurship and testing the latest technologies, with a strong boost to the development of the domestic IT and innovative economy. The law will stimulate the creation of new startups, the growth and development of innovative companies, significantly higher investments in the innovative economy, growth in employment in the innovation sector, and the attraction of foreign investments.

Fighting COVID-19

I would like to particularly highlight the coordination of 3D printing of protective medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic in Montenegro, the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro teamed up with several 3D manufacturers in Montenegro and decided to contribute to the fight that Montenegro was leading. Very quickly, numerous 3D manufacturers joined the cluster, which counted over 45 3D printers, on which medical protective equipment, primarily protective visors, were printed daily. After more than four months of continuous printing, I am proud to say that this cluster delivered over 13,000 protective visors to the Montenegrin healthcare system, whose primary purpose was to protect medical personnel fighting on the front lines.

THE NTP WILL BE A LINK BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH COMMUNITY

The key role of the STP is to connect the scientific research community and industry, as well as to support all innovative ideas in achieving their market validation and thus contribute to the economic growth and development of Montenegro. A special emphasis of the STP’s activities will also be placed on attracting direct foreign investments into the technological sector.

Sourse: Portal CDM