Advancements in Digital Trends and Market Competitiveness

Advancements in Digital Trends and Market Competitiveness in BiH with Support from the European Union and the German Government

Source: www.eu4digitalsme.ba

In Sarajevo this weekend, as part of the Sarajevo Maker Faire, the first Digital Innovation Hubs Forum (DIH Forum) was held, marking the inaugural initiative of the Digital Innovation Center (DIH) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Sarajevo Maker Faire, attended by around 12,000 visitors and innovation enthusiasts over the weekend, is one of the largest family-friendly festivals of inventions, creativity, and technology globally, where all digital innovation centers showcased their activities in Sarajevo.

"Digital and green transformation is both a priority and a prerequisite for Bosnia and Herzegovina's entry into the European Union. This process improves capacities, creates new jobs, and increases GDP. It is crucial to provide financial support to the digital technology sector to integrate Bosnia and Herzegovina into European programs and participate equally in Europe's digitalization. Likewise, it is important for institutions to support digital and green transformation to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not lag behind in the integration process," emphasized Stefano Ellero, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation in BiH, who also opened the DIH Forum.

The EU4DigitalSME project has established four Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (two in Sarajevo, one in Tuzla, and one in Banja Luka) with the aim of advancing digital technology to increase the competitiveness of domestic goods and services in the market. This initiative is expected to lead to the creation of new jobs, economic growth, and development. DIHs are crucial for Bosnia and Herzegovina as they enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to leverage digital technology, develop skills, foster innovation, and attract investments. An important aspect is the establishment of a collaborative platform, ensuring Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a competitive player in the global market.

The establishment of digital innovation hubs and the creation of a digitalization ecosystem in Bosnia and Herzegovina are jointly financed by the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany (BMZ) through the Innovation and Digitalization of SMEs in BiH/EU4DigitalSME project.

"I am pleased that this Fair has attracted all generations. This is very important for the efficient development of digitalization in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The idea of this project is to achieve a long-term digitalization program. This is crucial as many are apprehensive about new opportunities, even though they pave the way for innovation and new solutions. This is a great opportunity to develop digitalization skills and find potential investors. People in business need to know how to connect before they enter the market, and this is a fantastic opportunity for business growth, providing SMEs access to international markets, new opportunities, and interesting partnerships. Thanks to this, businesses can develop their products and services, and GIZ is here to support Bosnia and Herzegovina and anyone who wants to digitalize their business," stated Eva Naeher, Program Director at GIZ.

In the digital age we live in, more than 50% of the world's population has access to the internet. In our country, this number is much lower but is growing rapidly, which presents an exceptional opportunity to leverage digital technology for economic growth, social progress, and innovation. This was the topic of the panel discussion featuring Drago Gverić from DIH “IDEMO” in Banja Luka, Miralem Bulić from DIH “Industrijski centar” in Tuzla, Nedim Čelebić from DIH “its4Health,” and Isan Selimović from DIH “Digital Storm” in Sarajevo.

Digitalization also brings challenges, primarily reflected in the gap between advanced and less advanced groups. Therefore, collaboration is crucial to ensure that everyone participating in the digital world and market has equal opportunities. Additionally, cybersecurity is essential to protect all participants from cyberattacks. This was emphasized by speakers from developed European countries, where digital technologies and innovations have been advancing for years.

DIH Forum bio je prilika da se, osim najboljih modela u praksi koji su predstavljeni iz digitalnih inovacijskih habova iz Sarajeva, Tuzle, Banjaluke i Mostara, čuju i stručnjaci i lideri u oblasti digitalizacije iz Rumunije, Slovenije, Italije i Austrije, koji su podijelili svoje znanje, dosadašnje iskustvo i prezentirali kako se nositi s ovim izazovima i iskoristiti mogućnosti digitalizacije u svrhu zajedničkog socio-ekonomskog prosperiteta. Generalni zaključak Maker Faire Sarajevo bio je da je Bosna i Hercegovina potentno područje i tržište, te da se uz trenutne resurse i nova iskustva, te uz pomoć EU projekata, putem DIH-ova koje pomaže Njemačka vlada može stvoriti eko sistem za digitalizaciju koji će trasirati put zemlje ka evropskom tržištu.

DIH Forum was an opportunity to not only showcase the best practices presented by digital innovation hubs from Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka, and Mostar but also to hear from experts and leaders in the field of digitalization from Romania, Slovenia, Italy, and Austria. They shared their knowledge and experiences, and discussed how to tackle these challenges and leverage digitalization opportunities for shared socio-economic prosperity.

The general conclusion of Maker Faire Sarajevo was that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a promising area and market. With the current resources, new experiences, and the support of EU projects, as well as the assistance of the German government through DIHs, it is possible to create a digitalization ecosystem that will pave the way for the country towards the European market.

„Digitalna i zelena transformacija mogu napredovati u BiH. Radimo na transferu znanja i vještina kako bi naš sistem bio efikasniji. Iako imamo aplikacije, infrastruktura i istraživački kapaciteti za kreiranje novih biznisa su nedovoljno razvijeni. Najveći dio istraživanja u našoj zemlji vrši se u industriji, no mnoge kompanije se fokusiraju samo na pojedine sektore. Danas se 70% industrije inovira i digitalizuje, ali obrazovanje i institucionalni menadžment zaostaju. Statistički podaci pokazuju da je samo jedna od pet osoba u našoj zemlji spremna za inovacije na radnom mjestu“, istakao je Edin Škaljić, osnivač Sarajevo Maker Faire.

Projekat „Inovacije i digitalizacija malih i srednjih preduzeća u Bosni i Hercegovini“, koji uključuje i projekat EU4DigitalSME, stvara povoljno okruženje za mala i srednja preduzeća (MSP) kako bi uspješno implementirala digitalizaciju i inovacijske transformacije. Kroz pristup inovativnim tehnologijama, vještinama i uslugama, projekat podržava stvaranje povoljnog poslovnog okruženja za tehnološku transformaciju MSP i start-up kompanija u konkurentnim sektorima. Projekat „EU4DigitalSME“ vrijedan je 6,1 milion eura, pri čemu je Evropska unija alocirala 5 miliona eura, a Savezna Republika Njemačka 1,1 milion eura. EU4DigitalSME zajedno sa projektom „Go Digital in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ čini dio većeg programa EU4SMEs za digitalnu transformaciju MSP, koji Evropska unija finansira sa 14 miliona eura.