The Innovation Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in cooperation with the Representative Office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Israel held a Tech7 Webinar on Monday, January 17, 2022, starting at 10 am, where programs for the startup community of Serbia and Israel were presented.
The event was attended by representatives of relevant institutions from Israel and Serbia, which contribute to the improvement of startup ecosystems, such as: Tech7, Yazamut 360˚, Israel National Cyber Directorate, Bar-Ilan University, Office of the Prime Minister - IT and Entrepreneurship Team, Ministry Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Science and Technology Park Niš, Science and Technology Park Čačak, Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, Digital Serbia Initiative, Regional Chamber of Commerce Niš and Business Club Naissus.
The goal of the event was networking, as well as to exchange the experience and make new business opportunities in the startup ecosystem of these two countries. The event was interactive, where the participants, in addition to the opportunity to get information about the work of these institutions from Israel and Serbia, had the opportunity to present their business and initiate potential cooperation.
The introductory words were given by Bojana Krstić, the Head of the Innovation Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, who pointed out that this is the second event that connects institutions from Israel and Serbia. The initial event resulted in numerous interconnections, and was aimed at the BIO4 Campus - headed by the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia - and the possibility of cooperation with the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials of Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Such events will soon become a practice – because of the common goals and values of these institutions.
Continuing the above, Aleksandar Nikolić, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Israel and Director of the Representative Office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Israel, referred to numerous opportunities for business development, emphasizing the connection and potential for cooperation between twin cities - Niš and Beer Sheva, and focused of talent recruitment and funds.
Mihailo Vesović, Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, expressed words of support for organizing of the meeting between the two countries for a second time, and stressed the great potential for cooperation between representatives of present institutions.
Representatives of Tech7 (Harel Ram, Omri Yitro Dai, Daniel Martin and Itay Harel) presented the course of development of their organization from 2011 to 2019, pointing out all the factors that contributed to the improvement of infrastructure and the overall business organization. Tech7 encompasses innovation, entrepreneurship and the high-tech community, as well as startup, scale-up and senior-level development programs for companies. Cooperation with investment funds and business angels was underlined, and Mexico and Vietnam was mentioned as foreign partners, while cooperation with partners around the world is welcome. Also, cyber security was pointed out as a topic that will be significant in the coming period. Future activities will require the support of all actors, from the Government to the private sector, in order to provide the community with adequate solutions that include industry, startups, pilot programs and the wider company market.
Or Santo, a representative of the Yazamut 360 Entrepreneurship Center, attended the meeting and expressed interest and openness to the participation and contribution of this center in future activities.
Doron Lieberman, a representative of the INCD (Israel National Cyber Directorate), stressed the importance of cyber solutions to be supported by the Government, as well as the important role of the private sector.
After presentations held by representatives of the institutions from Israel, the floor was given to domestic institutions that contribute to the development of startup ecosystems.
Milan Ranđelović, Director of the Science and Technology Park Niš, presented in detail the most important activities and plans of this institution. It is interesting that Niš is also a twin city with the Israeli city of Beer Sheva, where the headquarters of the Tech7 organization are located, which - as both sides hope - will influence future cooperation. Comparing the systems and opportunities they provide, Ranđelović offered concrete proposals on common points, encouraging colleagues from Tech7, but also participants from Serbia, to initiate further steps.
Mirko Pešić, Director of the Science and Technology Park Čačak, presented the most important activities and expressed readiness for cooperation. It is interesting that NTP Čačak consists not only of IT companies, but also companies that have physical products. Also, cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia since 2020 has been singled out as an important factor.
Vladimir Todorović, a representative of the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, in addition to being open for creating joint initiatives, singled out the Institute for Artificial Intelligence as an important current activity.
The presentations were followed by an active discussion where the present representatives of the institutions exchanged opinions and experiences, and initiated cooperation with the aim of finalizing as soon as possible.
In the final part of the meeting, it was proposed to form a working group on the topics discussed at the meeting, where science and technology parks and other relevant institutions would take part. Also, on this occasion, the science and technology parks were invited to attend the Dubai 2020 Expo exhibition in early March, so that they could make personal contact at the event and begin the realization of cooperation.
The Innovation Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Representative Office of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Israel plan to host similar meetings in the future and give their contribution to the improvement of the startup community of Serbia and Israel.
