Innovation Fund grants about EUR 2.1 million for financing Serbian enterprises - 30 September 2013 next deadline for applications

The Expert Commission of the Innovation Fund made a decision on June 28 to grant about EUR 2.1 million through the Mini Grants Program and the Matching Grants Program for 18 enterprises in Serbia, whose applications have been selected among a total of 125 applications submitted to a public call closed on 15 April 2013. Both programs are being implemented under the Innovation Serbia Project, which is being financed with the proceeds from a EUR 8.4 million donation from the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and administered by the World Bank.

To date the Innovation Fund has awarded over EUR 4.7 million for 41 projects selected among more than 300 applications submitted. Over 40 percent of all the projects registered for the Mini Grants Program and 33 percent of those registered for the Matching Grants Program involve cooperation with public scientific and research institutions.

The Innovation Fund has also announced an extension of a public call for proposals for the Mini Grants Program and the Matching Grants Program. The next deadline to submit applications is 30 September 2013.

Grants of up to EUR 300,000 have been awarded under the Matching Grants Program. These grants are intended for private micro and small enterprises based in Serbia that possess a technological innovation with a competitive position in the local/global market and a clear market demand. This year five companies received grants under this program.

Among them is the Sentronis company from Nis, which has been engaged in the production of sensors for measuring magnetic field since 2003.

- Everything we've produced over the last decade has been exported to Europe, eastern countries and the USA, and our buyers are large institutes and their laboratories - director of this Nis-based company, Marjan Blagojevic, says in a talk with eKapija.

Thanks to this grant, Sentronis will be able to work on a contactless device using sensors to precisely measure direct and alternate current, which will have application in various industries.

The Alfanum company Novi Sad, which operates in the field of information and communication technologies, is developing a voice recognition and speech synthesis technology system for south Slavic languages.

Morena Inzenjering from Nis has been specialized in software development since 1992, but it now wants to expand its production and start producing robots. The grant they've received will be used to develop a robotized vehicle that will efficiently clean clay tennis courts.

A list of the recipients of grants under this program also includes the Techno Foam company from Stari Banovci, which is working on an automated cutting machine that combines production processes that are currently done by four separate machines, and Milinkovic Company from Belgrade, which is developing a cost-effective and energy-efficient building system producing no adverse effect on the environment.

The Mini Grants Program is intended for private micro and small companies in their early phases of development that possess a technological innovation and have a potential to create a new intellectual property as well as a clear market need. Among the companies that have received grants of up to 80,000 euros under this program are: DNET from Novi Sad, Srma Zip from Kula, Visoki Vakuum from Velika Plana, Aggios from Belgrade, Spik Briket from Smederevo, Eon Plus from Belgrade, Starglass from Starcevo, 011Lab from Belgrade, Advanced Security Technologies from Nis, Brainstorm from Belgrade, Timepad from Belgrade, Biounik from Belgrade, and Intens Net from Novi Sad.