On October 10, the Innovation Fund, in cooperation with the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, organized an Info Day in order to present the Program for Incentivising Innovation for the Purpose of Energy Efficiency in Industry.
In her welcome speech, the representative of the Chamber of Economy, Milena Rmus, said that this program, with a total budget of 2,300,000 euros, is aimed at modernizing and improving the Montenegrin economy through innovative solutions and improving energy efficiency.
Namely, this model of support is expected to attract significant interest from the economy, enabling companies from the manufacturing industry to carry out investments in modernization, innovation and energy-efficient business processes. This contributes to the diversification of activities and the strengthening of the competitiveness of Montenegrin industry, both on the domestic and international markets.
Bojana Femic Radosavovic, Director of the Innovation Fund, pointed out that the program is the result of successful interdepartmental cooperation between the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, and the Ministry of Energy, supported by the package of direct budget support of the European Commission (EC) to Montenegro for overcoming the energy crisis, within the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance – IPA III.
“This cooperation shows that synergy between different institutions can create support programs that are intended for clearly defined target groups, and that such programs really solve problems that are recognized in our economy,” she said.
As she stated, the Public Call was opened on October 1 and closes on November 11, while applications are simple for all programs.
– The Fund has already been recognized in the community for the strong support it provides to applicants. I invite you to follow all our activities and take the opportunity to participate in support programs – said Femic-Radosavovic. She added that the Fund will also organize online sessions “Open Doors” every Wednesday, starting from October 16, from 9 am to 10 am, during which all interested parties will be able to get all the necessary information about the program and application.
Maja Jokanovic, from the Ministry of Economic Development, expressed her satisfaction with the fact that the program that started last year as a pilot and is now being implemented at full capacity is being implemented this year as well
– The value of available funds, which were provided by the Ministry of Economic Development from its budget, amounts to 2.3 million euros, including the remaining unspent funds from last year’s implementation of the program. I believe that this is a significant financial support at the moment that can further improve the manufacturing industry – she emphasized.
Jokanovic invited the attendees to use the opportunity during this and future events to ask questions and get all the necessary information, as well as to give their suggestions, which will contribute to the creation of future programs.
Dragomir Markovic, from the Innovation Fund, briefly presented the objectives of this program, the methods of application and evaluation.
According to him, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from the manufacturing industry sector can apply for non-refundable financial support in the amount of 50,000 euros to 200,000 euros. These funds are intended for the purchase of production equipment, the introduction of smart and digital solutions, energy management standards, as well as for the recruitment and training of the workforce.
Markovic pointed out that the applications should be submitted electronically. All information about the program and the application can be found on the website of the Fund (www.fondzainovacije.me), and the decision on the acceptance or rejection of projects is made after the evaluation of applications, which is made in two rounds.
– We invite all business entities from the manufacturing industry sector to improve their business through the financial support model through investments in modernization, innovation and energy efficiency of business processes – he said.
More information about this event can be found at the following link.
Source: Chamber of economy of Montenegro