Mobilising the EIT and EIC to Support Europe’s Next Generation of Innovators and Entrepreneurs
The EIT Community Hub Montenegro and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation invite you to a high-impact event designed to raise awareness and spark dialogue around Europe’s evolving innovation agenda. Hosted in Montenegro, this gathering will spotlight key EU innovation instruments — primarily those of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Innovation Council (EIC) — in the context of the EU’s new Start-up and Scale-up Strategy.
The event will explore how local entrepreneurs, policymakers, and innovation hubs can align with emerging EU priorities and investment criteria.
The event will take place on 4 July 2025, from 12:00 to 15:30, at the Science-Technology Park of Montenegro, Bul. Mihaila Lalica, Podgorica. You may also join us online by registering via the link below.
Participants will gain insights into:
- What the EU’s new strategic approach is for less developed innovation regions
- What defines a fundable and scalable venture in today’s EU landscape
- How to engage with the EIT ecosystem
- What the EIC has prepared for Widening countries
- Practical steps for Montenegro’s innovators to seize EU opportunities and meet requirements
- Institutional support available to innovators from Montenegro
Whether you’re a founder, incubator, investor, or policymaker — this is your moment to connect, learn, and help shape the regional innovation conversation.
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Registration of participants |
| 12:00 – 12:10 | Welcome addresses: – Branka Zizic, EIT Community Officer Montenegro – Ivana Jankovic Mijanovic, General Director, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro |
| 12:10 – 12:35 | Adam Cedric, European Commission: New EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy, online |
| 12:35 – 13:00 | Laurent Roux, EIT: Experiences with Western Balkans’ start-ups from EIT programmes, online |
| 13:00 – 13:30 | Ewa Kocinska Lange, EC, DG RTD: New EIC Scheme for Start-ups from the Widening Countries “Pre-accelerator”, online |
| 13:30 – 13:45 | Q&A session |
| 13:45 – 14:20 | Ilija Stojanovic, A2F Belgrade, Co-founder and Fundraising consultant: Breaking Barriers in Accessing EU Start-up Funding from the Western Balkans |
| 14:20 – 14:35 | Discussion with start-ups and innovative SME-s |
| 14:35 – 14:50 | Coffee break |
| 14:50 – 15:00 | Claudio Parinello, TEA Group: EIT Urban Mobility innovation support for Podgorica |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Aleksandra Mugosa, Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation: Support to EU R&I funding applicants from Montenegro (Call for Stimulating Participation in Horizon Europe Programme) |
| 15:20 – 15:30 | Marina Banovic, University of Montenegro: Evolving Framework for Intellectual Property Protection at the University of Montenegro |
The event will be held in English. Please register for the event via this link, until July 2nd.