Since December 2010, when Montenegro was granted the status of candidate country to European Union (EU) membership, the country is aiming to pursue the EU objectives in the area of research and technological development and to ensure conditions necessary for the effective participation in the EU programmes on research and innovation.
Access to funds under the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) together with the decision of the EU to approve decentralized management of EU funds to our country (2013) has opened up a window of opportunity for Montenegrin companies, as well. Now, different companies, those of ICT sector, in particular, may also be the implementers of various projects, all with the joint aim of bringing Montenegro closer to the EU family. However, not many Montenegrin companies have so far had the opportunity to be part of the EU actions, unlike the non-governmental sector, which is being funded from various EU programmes for several years now.
Led by priorities set out in the Strategy for Scientific and Research activities (2012-2016): to increase the competitiveness of the Montenegrin economy by facilitating access to research and innovation outcomes, the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro launched a specific call for projects targeting three relevant sectors: higher educational institutions, research centres and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The call was launched in May 2015 with the aim to contribute to the: 1) improvement of knowledge transfer between academic and industry sector, in both directions and 2) development of innovation skills, improved or innovative processes, products, and/or services in the enterprises.
After a year-long evaluation process, in July 2016, Bild Studio was finally notified that it has been awarded two project grants, one as a leader and the other as a co-applicant.
Namely, Bild Studio applied with two ideas:
- Knowledge transfer among education, research and industry entities, together with Faculty for Information Systems and Technologies (University of Donja Gorica)
- Montenegrin Medical Tourism Information System, as a partner of the Faculty of Information Technology (Mediterranean University).
The specific objective of the first project “Knowledge transfer among education, research and industry entities” is the creation of an innovative, teaching module for capacity building of IT workforce via the collaborative approach of the academic and private sector. This Action will result in: a) an innovative capacity development model for IT, design and marketing students and workforce and b) enriched services of university units through the involvement of the business sector.
The main objective of the second project is to create the first online Montenegrin Medical Tourism Information System (MMT IS), providing foreign tourists with the accurate and quality healthcare information and services.
Bild Studio is one of the first Montenegrin ICT companies to step into the field of EU funded projects. We have greatly improved our cooperation and established firm interconnection with both universities – UDG and Mediterranean – as to enable smooth project implementation. Furthermore, we have strengthened our internal capacity for the EU project and financial management and we are eager to give our contribution to the transfer of knowledge and technological innovation leverage in the relevant sectors.
In addition to these projects approved under IPA IV component, Bild has recently been awarded another service grant for the implementation of the services under IPA III. Follow us to stay informed on the most recent developments in this area!
