Applications for support in applying for the StarTech competition are open until May 15th
All interested innovators aiming to win the StarTech grant of up to 50,000 euros have been given a few more days, until May 15th, to apply for expert support in preparing their competition applications. The deadline for submitting final applications will not change and remains May 31st at 6 p.m.
- This year's StarTech competition has a greater focus on innovations closer to market entry, which is why the call is open to already registered companies. Support, totaling around half a million US dollars, will be awarded to approximately ten innovative companies or entrepreneurs registered from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2023," explains Dušan Vasiljević, Director for Competitiveness and Investments at NALED, announcing that a new call will be announced next spring, and those who may not currently meet the necessary requirements can prepare for the next cycle.
The competition is open to all sectors, as before - from information technology and electronics to the food and machinery industries to consulting and environmental protection. As our interlocutor notes, the competition is more flexible than others because the funds received can be used for human resources and marketing. Vasiljević emphasizes that the novelty this year is that the competition also includes an Accelerated Development Program, which provides a series of trainings, mentoring, and support on the path to market entry, including financing for participation in international fairs and meetings with potential investors and buyers of products and services.
Over the past three years, the project has supported 82 innovations with around three million dollars in non-refundable funds, and thanks to the ideas of previous StarTech "stars," citizens of Serbia can monitor babies' body temperature via sensors, let an application choose the best candidate for a job, determine a fair price for a car they want to buy, use probiotics for diabetes, and have access to packaging and utensils made of 100% natural materials... With the support of this program, the first mobile CT scanner has reached the American market, and a preparation against the Helicobacter pylori bacterium has received approval from US institutions.
Recall that StarTech is the first project to promote innovation and digital transformation of the economy in Serbia initiated by a private company. Philip Morris has provided six years of support to domestic innovators, totaling eight million dollars, and the project is implemented by NALED in cooperation with the Government of Serbia and the organization ENECA.
For more information on the program and application instructions for the competition, all interested parties can visit the website www.startech.org.rs, as well as contact the call center at info@startech.org.rs and phone number 0800 000020.
