New Support for Faster Development

Montenegro is continuously progressing and developing all its capacities to create better conditions for the growth of fast-growing companies and the further development of the digital industry. The modern infrastructure support and new legislative frameworks represent significant strides in this direction. By creating favorable conditions through support for faster development, Montenegro is truly opening new opportunities, a conclusion that everyone present at the event organized by the Ministry of Science of Montenegro and the Innovation and entrepreneurship center Tehnopolis could reach.

The event was organized to present the new support defined by the new regulatory framework, as well as the development of the infrastructure segments of the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro and IPC Tehnopolis. Additionally, two reform laws in the field of innovation and technological development, passed as part of the Third Package of Socio-economic measures, were presented: the “Innovation Activity Law” and the “Incentive Measures for Research and Innovation Development Law.” With these laws, the Government of Montenegro has created a basic framework for strengthening the IT economy and the functioning of the national innovation ecosystem, offering a wide range of benefits and incentives that apply equally to domestic and international companies. Furthermore, the “S3 Smart Specialization strategy” was introduced, which is a national or regional innovation strategy that establishes development priorities and aims to build competitive advantages by linking research and innovation strengths with the needs of the economy, responding coherently to growing market opportunities and development.

Montenegro Opens New Opportunities

At the beginning of the event, the Minister of Science of Montenegro, Sanja Damjanović,phd, addressed the audience, discussing the opportunities that Montenegro offers to development teams, companies, and startup companies, which have created new possibilities.

“The Government of Montenegro strongly supports the development of an innovative economy, and its key foundations for this development are: modern infrastructure, a modern incentive legislative framework for technological development, and our human capacity,” said Damjanović.

She particularly praised IPC Tehnopolis, noting that its journey was not easy, as Montenegro did not have a functional innovation ecosystem.

“The incentive legislative framework is exactly what Montenegro was missing. The government, together with the innovation community, managed to pass two excellent laws that will revolutionize the domestic market. One of the excellent measures within these laws is the exemption of startups from paying taxes in the first 5 years of operation, as well as a measure that no one in Europe has, which is the exemption from income tax when reinvesting or investing in innovations and startups,” explained Damjanović.

She emphasized that Montenegro is aware of the dynamic development due to the application of technologies, industrial revolutions, and digital revolutions, as well as the needs of young people, and cannot remain on the sidelines. This is why, in the past period, Montenegro has built a strong innovation ecosystem.

“With excellent laws and our human capacity, we are transforming Montenegro into a country of new opportunities, an attractive destination for technological entrepreneurship and the development of new technologies. What Estonia has done, Montenegro can do as well. What I see ahead of me is a new Montenegro, which, with its additional potential, will truly become a land of new opportunities,” concluded Damjanović.

Development of Montenegro’s Innovation Ecosystem

The executive director of the Science and technology park of Montenegro, Velibor Bošković, spoke about the development of the innovation system in Montenegro and the role of the Science and technology park in this process.

“IPC Tehnopolis has definitely paved the way for the Science and technology park of Montenegro, whose central unit will be located in Podgorica, within the University of Montenegro campus. We can proudly say that the Science and technology park will be officially opened by the end of next year and will be home to 30 to 50 innovative, fast-growing, technology-oriented companies with a capacity for up to 500 employees in this important developmental facility,” said Bošković.

He explained that the Science and technology park plays a very important role in the development of Montenegro’s national innovation ecosystem as its central unit, coordinating activities in collaboration with Tehnopolis, serving as a strong backbone for the development of startups, innovative companies, and export-oriented companies.

“Our people are our greatest potential, and with constant investment in them, we can achieve significant results that will present Montenegro as an attractive destination not only for tourism, construction, and energy sectors but also for the IT sector and the development of new technologies,” said Bošković.

Entrepreneurial Development in Nikšić

The Municipality of Nikšić, as an active partner in developing the entrepreneurial environment, has contributed and will continue to contribute to the implementation of all future planned activities, explained Sonja Nikčević, Vice President of the Municipality of Nikšić.

“Today, we can proudly say that thanks to Tehnopolis, many regional development initiatives have been realized, and the foundations have been laid for a more dynamic future development and attracting investments, both in our city and in Montenegro,” said Nikčević.

She added that the Municipality of Nikšić appreciates everything IPC Tehnopolis has accomplished so far and has provided support for new creative ideas by offering the use of space in the Dom revolucije at a very attractive location.

New support for faster development of the innovative economy

At the end of the event, the executive director of IPC Tehnopolis, Ratko Bataković, addressed the audience, expressing great satisfaction with the organization of such an event where a whole set of opportunities for young creative individuals and teams ready to develop their businesses was presented.

“All activities and events we organize at Tehnopolis and other places are primarily aimed at supporting business development, improving the competitiveness of our economy through the promotion of new technologies and the application of innovations across all sectors. This year, we are witnessing major and rapid changes in the economic environment, so it is our additional responsibility to ensure the best, highest quality, and timely support to business idea holders,” said Bataković.

He explained that Tehnopolis is currently equipping and preparing to launch three laboratories: the Biotechnological laboratory – Biolab Tehnopolis, the industrial design laboratory – TECH LAB Tehnopolis, and the Data Center, which will significantly accelerate the development of many segments of the economy both locally and nationally, from agriculture, tourism, metal and wood industries.

“The person who comes to Tehnopolis will get their idea tested and receive support measures through pre-incubation, incubation, or virtual incubation. They will receive all advisory services in terms of technology production and technical or financial support that can be accessed from local, national, and European levels. They will have access to information on available funds and financing models, support in creating business plans or filling out application forms, market analysis support, and training to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be competitive in the market,” said Bataković.

He added that all segments and services will be available to the tenants of the IPC Tehnopolis business incubator, but also to representatives of the business community in Montenegro and the region, teams with innovative ideas, students, business support organizations, the academic and scientific sectors, as well as other interested parties.

At the end of the event, participants had the opportunity to watch a video showcasing the future infrastructural capacities of IPC Tehnopolis, which will be the focus in the coming period, and which will be located within the reconstructed part of the Dom revolucije.

Finally, all attendees visited IPC Tehnopolis and its infrastructure segments, which will serve as the environment for acquiring digital skills by young people and further developing the innovation ecosystem. These infrastructure segments will serve as an innovative platform created by IPC Tehnopolis based on a hybrid model that uses advanced technologies to support the development of ideas and innovations with commercialization potential, the development of promising startups, and spin-off companies focusing on technology-oriented enterprises and innovative services for existing SMEs.

Source: IPC Tehnopolis