Province setting aside RSD 20 million for business incubators – Support to development of entrepreneurship in Vojvodina

The Provincial Government will set aside RSD 20 million this year for the technical equipping of business incubators. This was announced by the provincial secretary for economy, Ivan Djokovic, during his tour of one such center in Backi Petrovac.

Such centers enable young new enterprises to not be burdened by investing in infrastructure at the beginning, but to direct most of their funds to their business activities instead.

The business-innovative center in Backi Petrovac has existed for eight years now. At the moment, its premises contain 12 companies, mostly from the service sector. It is achieving its goals, but there's still room for improvement, says Djokovic.

– We will help those people as a secretariat in the coming period, both through the joint program with the National Employment Service, that is, through subsidies for employment, and the subsidies for the procurement of machines, equipment, processed materials, by which we will support initiating the operating processes – says Djokovic.

Backi Petrovac is one of the rare local self-governments with such a center, and its opening was aided by the Government of Slovakia.

– We are facing a problem today of young people from this municipality gravitating towards Slovakia more and more, and it is precisely one such incubator that could prevent them from leaving and in a way make them willing to stay in Serbia, to start their business here and further develop entrepreneurship – says Srdjan Simic, president of the municipality of Backi Petrovac.

– One of the goals in the next mandate is for the business-innovative center to become a dual education center or to simply connect the needs of the businessmen with the offer – says Jana Zabunov of the Women's Entrepreneurship Academy.

Female entrepreneurship, networking and promotion will be the center's priorities this year as well. The center will organize, with the support of the Provincial Government, the first gathering of women entrepreneurs of Vojvodina this spring.

Pokrajinski sekretarijat za privredu i turizam Novi Sad

Ivan Djokovic

business incubators

business innovative center Backi Petrovac

entrepreneurship

subsidies for entrepreneurship

Srdjan Simic

dual education

Jana Zabunov

Women s Entrepreneurship Academy

female entrepreneurship