Student Enterprise Fair in Kragujevac, 23rd April 2010

The Fair is part of the project "Student Enterprises in secondary vocational schools" which was started in April last year. The project uses the methodology of Business Innovation Programs, and is supported by the National Agency for Regional Development in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with funding from local governments.

78 student companies from 15 secondary vocational schools in Subotica, Kikinda, Ruma, Pancevo, Belgrade, Žagubica, Nis, Bojnik Vladicin Han presented their business concepts at the Fair.

Opening the fair, Snezana Samardzic-Markovic, Minister of Youth and Sports pointed out that the backbone of economic development of Serbia will come from supporting young people to create their own sustainable enterprises.

Secretary for Regional Development in Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Dragijana Radonjic-Petrovic said the fair encourages creativity among young people and introduces them to the life that awaits them.

In the category for best business plan, the awards went to:
1st Life - Horticonsulting, the Agricultural School, Belgrade (production of use-cases for exterior and interior of the material intended for recycling)
2nd Light in the dark, Polytechnical School, Subotica (production of decorative lamps)
3rd "Homolje beauty, Technical school, Žagubica (making clothes and decorative objects)

In the category for best product / service, the awards went to:
1st CNC USE, Mechanical and Electrotechnical School, Paracin (graphics processing material with CNC machine)
2nd Multimedia Technologies, ETS "Rade Koncar" Beograd (production and processing of multimedia content)
3rd Hinco Electronic, ETS "Nikola Tesla", Pancevo (production of universal car charger)

In the category of best stand / image / logo, the awards went to:
1st Pet smizli, Technical School “Krstic Bosko”, Bojnik (production and sale of flowers)
2nd Master Fishing, Agricultural School “PK Belgrade” (production of fishing equipment)
3rd Kika," Economic and trade school”, Kikinda (production of souvenirs)

The prize for Best Overall Student Enterprise - participation in the Fourth International Summer Camp of student entrepreneurship - went to Life - Horticonsulting.

Business Growth Program Pre-training in Kragujevac

Kragujevac, April 12^th – Norwegian non-profit organization Business Innovation Programs has started implementing the Business Growth Program in the region of Western Balkans.  The pilot project for implementation of Growth Program started with a pre-training for the consultants which took place in Hotel “Kragujevac” , Kragujevac from 6^th to 10^th of April. It included 16 consultants from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia.

Business Growth Program aims to help development of existing SME’s in Serbia and B&H through consulting services and creation of a business network, which will enable the cooperation and information exchange. The training was designed to introduce BIP’s BGP method to the consultant who will implement in the field during 2010, in the regions of Kragujevac and Pozega in Serbia, and Herzegovina and Prijedor in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Student Enterprise Fair in Belgrade gathered close to 400 students

The seventh Student Enterprise Fair for Belgrade area was arranged 26 November 2009 in Belgrade Fair together with the yearly Business Base Fair. This year's Student Enterprise Fair gathered close to 400 students from 18 secondary schools in Belgrade and surrounding areas. 77 student enterprises exhibited and sold their products and services, and competed for prizes.  Minister for Economy and Regional Development, Mr. Mladjan Dinkic, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Mr. Haakon Blankenborg, State Secretary in the Ministry for Youth and Sport, Mrs. Ivana Kovacevic and Telenor Executive Director of Human Resources and Organization, Mrs. Jelena Sutic, addressed the students and their teachers while General Manager of BIP, Mr. Jon Steinar Ostgard, carried out the official opening of the fair.

The student companies competed for prizes in 3 categories:  Best Business Plan, Best Stand/Logo/Image and Best/Most Innovative Product/Service.  The 2 companies with the highest score totally in all 3 categories were awarded the prize as the Best Overall Companies – a Telenor Foundation sponsored participation in BIPs yearly International Summer Camp in Sutomore in June 2010.

Best Overall Student Enterprise on the Fair:
1. NTA Tehnics, Belgrade
2. TRENIX ELECTRONICS, Belgrade

106 students companies compete at Kragujevac
Student Enterprise Fair

The 4^th Regional Student Enterprise Fair took place on 20^th November 2009, at Sumadija Sajam in Kragujevac. More than 500 students and 106 student companies from Pozega, Gornji Milanovac, Kraljevo, Knic, Raca, Paracin, Jagodina and Kragujevac presented their products and services at the Fair.

The Fair is the final part of the “Student Enterprise” Program run in secondary schools in Serbia by Norwegian non-profit foundation Business Innovation Programs. The Program is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Ministry, the Serbian Agency for SME Development, the Municipality of Kragujevac and by many guests from all over the country. The fair was officially opened by Mirjana Arsic from the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

During the Fair students exhibited their products and competed for prizes in three categories: the best business plan, the best stand/profile/logo and the best/most innovative product/service. Students companies were given awards for the first three places in each category. The main prize and overall award is participation at the next annual BIP Cross Borders International Summer Camp in Sutomore that gathers winners from all the regional fairs in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Norway. This coveted prize goes to the two best companies overall.

Two best companies at 4^th Regional Student Enterprise Fair were Choco@mail from the Trade and Tourism School “Toza Dragovic” in Kragujevac, and Biokosan, from the School of Technology in Paracin.

Successful Youth Entrepreurship scheme set to grow even more

Following three intensive courses of "train-the-trainer" training throughout the year, 24 new local consultants from 13 regional centers were certified at the end of 2009 to undertake training and development of the already popular and successful Student Enterprise Program in Serbia.

In November three regional exhibitions were held for everyone who had participated on the courses and/or started a student enterprise:

• November 2nd - Zrenjanin
• November 18th - Nis
• November 20th - Kragujuvac

In addition the best from all the local regional exhibition particpate at the central exhibition in Belgrade which takes place from 26th - 28th November.

From Nis:

From the Youth Enterprise Fair in Belgrade:

600 students participate in Kragujevac

State Secretary Ivana Kovacevic held the opening address for students from 19 schools.

The third Regional Student Enterprise Fair took place on 5^th December 2008 in Kragujevac. The event gathered around 600 students from 19 central Serbian secondary schools. There were 112 student enterprises participating, exhibiting and selling their products and services, and competing for prizes. The winners were awarded prizes in three categories; best business plan, best product/service, and best stand.

Members of overall best student enterprise received a special award sponsored by the Telenor Foundation, an invitation to participate at the BIP SE Summer Camp in Sutomore in June 2009.

In addition to the student enterprises, two of BIP’s partners: the Serbian Agency for SME and the Entrepreneurship Development and Business Start-up Center had stands at the Fair.

The Fair was opened by the General Manager of BIP Jon Steinar Ostgard, and the students were addressed by Ivana Kovacevic, State Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Siri Andersen, representative of Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade, and Branko Krsmanovic, member of Kragujevac of City Council for Youth and Sports.

400 students participate in Belgrade

Mladan Dinkic, Minister for Economy and Regional Development held the opening address for students from 16 schools.

The 6^th Student Enterprise Fair for the Belgrade area took place on November 28^th, 2008.  The Fair was held concurrently with the annual Business Base Fair. The event gathered close to 400 students from 16 secondary schools in Belgrade and the surrounding areas.

There were 73 student enterprises participating, exhibiting and selling their products and services, and competing for prizes. The winners were awarded prizes in three categories; best business plan, best product/service, and best stand. Members of overall best student enterprise received a special award sponsored by the Telenor Foundation, an invitation to participate at the BIP SE Summer Camp in Sutomore in June 2009.

The Fair was opened by the General Manager of BIP Jon Steinar Ostgard, and the students were addressed by Mr. Mladan Dinkic, Minister for Economy and Regional Development, Mrs. Snezana Samardic Markovic, Minister for Youth and Sport, and Mr. Christopher Laska, Telenor Chief Corporate Officer.

Another BIP Data Center opens

Another BIP Data Center was officially opened on October 16^th, 2008. This time in Prokuplje and inside the Business Incubator Center already established there.

The official opening was undertaken by Mr. Srdjan Jordacijevic, Head of Toplica Administrative District, together with Mr. Aleksander Jelic, Manager of the Incubator Center.

One of the main purposes of the new Data Center is to facilitate training of students engaged on the Student Enterprise program. The first batch of 48 such students will study to take their European Computer Driving License at the new center. In addition the Incubator Center will use the Data Center facilities in connection with computer training for around 100 people from 14 local companies. Subsequently the Data Center will be available for different types of computer training for different types of businesses in the area.

The project has been conducted in close cooperation with Svetislav Budic, head of the Local Economic Development Office in Prokuplje. By way of interest, in regard to other fields, the local municipality of Prokuplje has collaboration with Hemnes municipality in Norway.

Student Entrepreneurship (SE) Fairs in Serbia

Belgrade, 28th of November 2007.

SE Fair in Belgrade was officially opened by Mlađen Dinkić, Serbia Minister of Economy

As the part of the International Entrepreneurship Fair Serbia, Business Innovation Programs (BIP) Serbia organized 5th regional SE Fairs, as the conclusion of the BIP SE activities for the school year 2006/2007. Fairs were organized together by the BIP Norway, BIP Office Belgrade and Regional SME Development Center, Belgrade.

Belgrade regional SE Fair welcomed 69 students’ companies and 300 students from Velika Plana, Smederevska Palanka, Smederevo, Lazarevac and Belgrade.

SE Fair was officially opened by Mlađen Dinkić, Serbia Minister of Economy and Jon Steiner Ostgard, BIP General Manager.

Four different categories were assessed: 1) the best business plan; 2) the most innovative product/service; 3) the best stand/logo/image, and; 4) the best multimedia presentation.

The wining companies from the first 3 categories will participate at the Summer Camp in Sutomore, Montenegro, from 21st to 26th of June 2007, along with the other winning companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Norway.

Within those categories students presented variety of different products: modern uniforms for stewardess, wooden package for vine bottles, tourist services, decoration service and water fountains, cakes and sweets, etc.

Nevertheless, the following companies were announced as winners:

1. The best business plan: Company “Source” from TTPS school Despot Djuradj, Smederevo;
2. The most innovative product/service: Company “Smilley” from Aviation Academy of Belgrade;
3. The best stand/logo/image: Company “Fantastic” from the Trade-economy school from Smederevo.
4. The best multimedia presentation: Company “Hopala bre” form Aviation Academy of Belgrade.

The prizes for the 1st places in all mentioned categories were provided by BIP Norway and Telenor Foundation.

Kragujevac, 3rd December 2007.

510 students from 130 student companies gathered in Kragujevac at SE Fair opened by Serbia Minister of Youth and Sport, Snježana Marković.

Second Student Entrepreneurship Fair for the Šumadija region was organized in Kragujevac for the 130 student companies and 510 students coming from Kraljevo, Gornji Milanovac, Pača, Knice, Batočina, Aranđelovac and Kragujevac.

The Fair was officially opened by the Norwegian Ambassador in Serbia, Haakon Blankenborg, Serbia Minister of Youth and Sport, Snježana Marković and BIP general manager Jon Steiner Ostgard.

Kragujevac Fair offered large assortment of different services and products. Some of them were: blind-walker; tourist services; organization of parties; computer presentation of the school syllabus; electro-components; student guidance services, and many others.

According to the Fair jury the following companies won the 1st prizes:

1. The best business plan: Company “BE IN”, with the production of school uniforms, from Tourist-catering school Toza Dragovic, Kragujevac;
2. The most innovative product/service: Company “Strong”, for the organization of the sport activities for the students with special needs, from Tourist-catering school Toza Dragovic, Kragujevac;
3. The best stand/logo/image: Company “Jam Jam”, for the production of jams and sweets, from Tourist-catering school Toza Dragovic, Kragujevac.
4. The best multimedia presentation: Company “Happy day ”, with the organization of creative parties with development-educative games, from Secondary school Jagodina.

BIP Norway provided the prizes for the all wining companies including the costs related to the participation at the Summer Camp.

Kragujevac, June 23rd – Norweigan non-profit organization BIP (Business Innovation Programs), in partnership with the Regional Agency for Economic Development of Sumadija and Pomoravlje – REDASP, has been implementing the Student Entrepreneurship Program.

The Program includes training of students in starting, developing and realization of a small business and is offered as one of the activities in schools which are participating in the Program. More than 150 students have taken part in the Program and 25 student entrepreises have been registered in Kragujevac.

The aim of the Program is give young people necessary basic knowledge and experience in business management. The students have been transffered theoretical and practical entrepreneurship knowledge through products and services development, as well as through usage of real money for needs of their entreprises

The program includes 3 vocational schools in Kragujevac at the moment, two techical and a School for turism, and more than 80 students and ten student enterprises. In adittion to this, BIP has decided that , in cooperation with REDASP, a new computer training center will be established in Kragujevac. The goal of opening a classroom equipped with such a modern computer equippment is to enable the students, participating in the Program, to aquire ECDL certificate. In adittion, students will be free to use the facilities for other purposes connected to their work within student enterprises.

At the same time, the classroom will be used for different kinds of training which will be organized by REDASP for other clients and citizens.

In the project run by the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) in the municipalities of Obilic, Fushe Kosova and Glogovac in Kosovo, Business Innovation Programs is responsible for training local staff in counselling business start ups and local SME’s, as well as giving student enterprise training in the secondary schools and support to Business Centres established in the participating municipalities.

Three Business Centres are now fully operational and provide services such as individual counselling to local business and farmers, arranging local fairs, business plan development training and other business sector specific training and networking. The Business Centre premises will be enlarged during the summer to include space for computer centres that offer basic training programs and provide access to the Internet, primarily for individuals, businesses and municipalities participating in the project.

The Student Enterprise Program is implemented in four schools where 8 teachers are involved in training 32 student enterprises with an average of four students per enterprise. A visit to two of the schools in June, documented enthusiasm and motivation from both teachers and students involved. The business ideas presented showed creativity and varied from services to innovative products. All the efforts will be evaluated at a local fair in the municipality of Fushe Kosova in November 2006 when all 32 student enterprises and their products will be presented. The winner will be invited to participate at the national student enterprise fair in Norway in 2007.

Serbian Student Enterprises won trip to Norway

BIP implemented the subject Student Enterprises at six schools in Serbia in 2003. In 2005, there were 146 students with 39 enterprises competing for the title of “Best Student Enterprise in Serbia”. The winner was LoBoKo and its team of three boys from the Peter Drapsin Technical School in Belgrade. Another entrant, SITAM, from the Stefan Dicanski School for young people with hearing problems, won the special public award. Both LoBoKo and SITAM won a trip to the Student Enterprise Fair held in Fredrikstad on February 7, 2006.

LoBoKo produces plaster board holders and have, in addition, developed their own tool for manufacturing the holders. There is a market for the holders as these were previously being imported from Poland at a higher cost. The Enterprise will continue as an ongoing business after the school year is ended. SITAM produces wooden kitchen utensils. One of the teachers, Zlatomir Stefanovich, says that the Serbian Government wants to stimulate entrepreneurship also amongst handicapped people.

LoBoKo and SITAM met the Croatian Student Enterprise winners, House of Music, whilst they were in Norway. Among other things they visited the Nobel Peace Center and other sites in Oslo together.

35 Student Enterprises from Serbia, 4 from Bosnia and 1 from Croatia gave their best to show how creative, clever and consistent they can be when competing for prizes in three categories - The best business idea and business plan; The best presentation/stand; and The most innovative product. In addition an award was made to the overall best Student Enterprise.


Picture:
The best presentation / stand award went to SE “Different” where the students showed how to make beautiful, natural and edible table decorations and prepared delicious meals for various events


Picture:
The overall best Student Enterprise and first prize for the best business plan went to SE “Z.B.K.” for their gypsum panel support system.

At the same time the “Youth Entrepreneurship as National Interest” conference also took place. The conference was opened by speeches from the Deputy Minister for Education, the National Manager of the EU VET program, Executive Managers of the Procredit Bank and Business Innovation Programs, along with teachers' representatives involved in the program. The conference was also attended by a large number of teachers, experts in the field of educational system reform, representatives of the business sector, and representatives of institutions dealing with employment and the national labour market.

The goal of the conference was to provide direction for further development of youth entrepreneurship in Serbia through discussions and examples from national and international sources. The focus was on the potential benefits that the business sector, public institutions and the country in general can gain from youth education and entrepreneurship.

“I think the Student Enterprise (SE) concept and Entrepreneur training programs cover a need and have a great potential in Serbia” says Milos Stevanovic on his visit to Norway in October 04. Milos is the link between BIP and Civic Initiatives, BIP’s main partner in Serbia and Montenegro. “The programs are action orientated” he continues, they could be an answer to the question “what can I do for myself?” In a country where the unemployment rate varies between 20 and 30% there is a need for self development initiatives. The Student Enterprise Program is implemented in secondary schools in the citiy of Belgrade. There are plans to extend the program to Kragujevac, and also to include technical faculties. BIP will cooperate with Askim videregående skole in Norway to adapt the SE program for students with special needs like physical handicaps and concentration problems. Milos Stevanovic says that the interest from students, teachers and parents is enormous. When it comes to adult entrepreneur training, BIP has local partners in Subotica, Pozega and Kargujevac. BIP’s general manager, Jon Steinar Ostgård, is stressing the importance of having solid and well accepted local implementing partners in such programs.