The implementation of the Western Balkans Innovation Agenda is in full swing: my recent visit to Serbia confirms concrete results!

I launched the Western Balkans Innovation Agenda two years ago, with the objective of promoting scientific excellence and innovation, reforms in education and creating opportunities for young people. Following my recent visit to Novi Sad, Serbia, I can firmly say: the Western Balkans Innovation Agenda delivers! 

BioSense Institute in Novi Sad: a lighthouse of research and innovation in Western Balkans and beyond.

In Novi Sad, alongside Prime minister Ana Brnabić, I opened a new building of the BioSense Institute. This new Centre of Excellence will lead Serbia’s innovation ecosystem forward and provide disruptive digital solutions in agriculture. With a 14-million-euro budget, the project ANTARES of Horizon 2020 programme paved the way for the creation of this Centre. 

This is a vivid example of how EU support can spur innovative economic solutions, create jobs and retain talents in Serbia and Europe: a concrete contribution to the implementation of the Western Balkans Innovation Agenda!

Linking the worlds of education, research and innovation: a recipe for success!

To be competitive and strengthen Europe’s talent pool, we need to break silos and be disruptive. This is where the New European Innovation Agenda, European Strategy for Universities and the European Research Area come into play.

They create opportunities also for the Western Balkans, contributing to the implementation of the WB Innovation Agenda. 

How?

• The enhanced partnership under Erasmus+ with the Western Balkans is on track. The Western Balkans partners have the possibility to participate in strategic actions, starting with the European Universities Initiative as of 2023. European Universities are testbeds for innovation in educations. Think of students incubators for example.
• Western Balkans' participation in our research and innovation flagship programme, Horizon Europe, is also raising. Two years after its start, 35% of the funding target has been achieved, with a 19% success rate for the region in the calls for proposals and 223 projects supported with a total funding of EUR 75 million.
• Cooperation with the EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology is expanding. Since 2018, the EIT Community channeled more than EUR 2.7 million to the Western Balkan partners, out of which, close to EUR 1 million came from EIT Regional Innovation Schemes activities. 

The New European Innovation Agenda provides a multitude of opportunities.

Innovation also comes through our New European Bauhaus. Western Balkans entities can for the first time participate in the 2023 New European Bauhaus Prize under the same conditions as any other EU Member States. 

These are just some examples of what we can achieve together! Let’s continue building a strong talent pool, scaling-up our promising companies, enhancing our regional innovation eco-systems. 

And we will continue! Next step: Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting on 5 June.

On 5 June, I will travel to Skopje, in North Macedonia, to further discuss the achievements of our Western Balkans Innovation Agenda. Education and innovation will be at the core of our discussion. Stay tuned!