A supercluster is an organization model in which small and medium-sized enterprises cooperate intensively with startups, investors, universities and other institutions, with the aim of accelerating the development of innovations in a specific area. In this way, the biggest challenges of all factors of the innovation-technological ecosystem are being solved synergistically, knowledge is exchanged and new values are created. Supercluster creates new opportunities, encourages the exchange of ideas and knowledge, and responds to challenges that its members cannot overcome independently.
At the beginning of this year, ICT Hub from Belgrade, as the leader of the Serbia Innovate project supported by USAID, announced a competition for the formation of four pilot superclusters, which will receive financial and mentoring support for the development of the ecosystem within one of the four selected areas, during a period of one year. These four domains have been identified as those with the greatest innovation potential in Serbia, based on research conducted by the Center for Public Policy Research, also a partner in the project. The research results showed that the four domains with the greatest potential for development are agro-tech, med-tech, web3 and gaming/VR.
SGA has gathered more than 20 partners, both its own members and organizations with which it has cooperated at the partner level, in order to collaboratively offer a vision not only of the field of game development, but also of other complementary industries such as, for example, film post-production, architecture, design of creative digital products, as well as the use of gamification in some more traditional industries in order to increase their competitiveness.
This is how the Creative Tech Serbia supercluster was born, which was selected as a representative supercluster for the gaming/VR domain in this open call, and which between June 2022 and 2023 will implement dozens of activities that were identified and designed through a joint, collaborative process of all the partners. CTS is a new chapter in the activities of the SGA, in which we will further expand our field of work, and strive to realize the potential of our industry through synergies with other actors of the innovation ecosystem.
You can expect a large number of events, opportunities for networking, visits to international conferences, mentoring programs, advancements of numerous existing programs and new synergies between the faculties and the industry. In addition, the supercluster will actively advocate for bureaucratic and legal changes that will facilitate business for domestic companies and teams, and actively work to expand the “talent pool” available to domestic companies. Access to cutting-edge equipment, support for R&D and enabling specific collaborations between different companies to create specific innovations will also be in focus.
Creative Tech Serbia consists of “mature” companies (3 Lateral/Epic Games, Two Desperados, Nordeus and Mad Head Games and Playstudios Europe), then startups (Webelinx Games, Fortuna Esports, Digital Arrow, Gamebiz Consulting, BunkerVFX, Flathill Games), formal academic institutions (Faculty of Dramatic Arts Belgrade, Metropolitan University Belgrade, Academy of Arts Novi Sad, Faculty of Electronics Niš), non-formal education organizations (Crater Training Center, Petlja Foundation, Science Promotion Center, Nordeus Foundation), as well as other relevant initiatives (Film in Serbia/CGA Belgrade, Data Science Conference), state institutions (Science and Technology Parks in Niš and Čačak) and companies such as Deloitte Serbia and the Karanović&Partners law office, which will provide expert support.
We look forward to this exciting journey together, while the SGA website will be the best place to follow announcements for all supercluster activities, as well as reports on our SGA Blog!
Serbia Innovates is a four-year project dedicated to strengthening the economy with the help of innovative solutions for parts of the economy with the greatest development potential. Launched by the ICT Hub in cooperation with the Center for Public Policy Research and WM Equity Partners, with the support of USAID, the project has the ultimate goal of strengthening the economy of Serbia through the development of innovations.