The final conference of the Erasmus+ CBHE project SMART – SMART Innovation for Next Generation took place on October 23rd at University of Donja Gorica in Podgorica, focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship, and smart specialisation as key drivers of sustainable development in the Western Balkans.
Funded by the European Union, the SMART project promotes the establishment of Innovation Centres across the region to strengthen innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, and to foster an environment that supports smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
The conference brought together representatives from academia, business, and policy — along with innovators and young entrepreneurs — who exchanged experiences, best practices, and ideas aimed at transforming strategies into concrete actions.
Two dynamic panel discussions explored how smart specialisation can shape the region’s future and accelerate regional integration.
The Panel 1: From Strategy to Implementation – Support for SMART Innovation Centres within the SMART Framework : This session explores how to turn strategic visions into practical actions. Experts from across Europe and the Western Balkans will share experiences on establishing and supporting SMART Innovation Centres, discussing mechanisms to ensure their long-term sustainability and impact on regional development. This panel is about something very real — how ideas and strategies became working innovation centres that now support students, universities, and businesses across our region.
The Panel 2: Panel 2: Smart Specialisation and Innovation in the Western Balkans – Good Practices, Lessons Learned and Future Outlook – This panel gathered academics and partners of the SMART Project, directly involved in integrating and operating Smart Innovation Centers (SICs) across seven Western Balkan universities. Its core objective was to discuss how Smart Specialization Strategies (S3) can drive sustainable regional growth through the effective functioning of these centers.
The discussion focused on three major themes — S3 implementation, integration of SICs, and sustainability for future impact — highlighting collaboration, capacity building, and systemic transformation in the Western Balkan innovation ecosystem.
The event also showcased inspiring presentations from SMART Innovation Centres in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, as well as creative concepts and start-up ideas developed through the SMART Idea Contest and Business Idea Fair.
The conference was organized by University of Donja Gorica, in cooperation with the University of Montenegro, the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, and partners from Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What began as an idea has become a network of real people, real places, and real results.
The partnerships we’ve built, the knowledge we’ve shared, and the enthusiasm we’ve seen. All prove what is possible when we collaborate with trust, creativity, and purpose.
