Agreement on founding Regional Startup Center in Leskovac signed – Construction to be completed by end-year

The mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanovic, has signed the agreement on the founding of the company Regionalni inovacioni startap centar, with the co-founders – the Academy of Vocational Studies Southern Serbia, the Faculty of Technology and the Center for Development of the Jablanica and Pcinja Districts. The city will have a 40% ownership share, whereas each co-founder will have 20%.

The construction, worth RSD 85 million, is financed by the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia with RSD 77 million, whereas RSD 8 million was secured by the city. The local self-government will also set aside an additional RSD 6.5 million for the execution of the finishing works, and the public procurement procedure for equipment worth RSD 25 million, which will be fully financed by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations, is in progress.

The center should be completed by the end of the year and will provide support to startups through a mentorship program which will be implemented by the Science-Technology Park Nis.

– As for the equipping of this facility, the public procurement procedure for the selection of the most favorable suppliers is in progress. The value of the planned equipment is RSD 25 million, and the funds are fully provided by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations. The construction works should be completed by the end of the current year, after which the focus will be on providing support to the development of innovation activities. For the operations of the center, the Government of the Republic of Serbia will secure an additional RSD 5 million, of which 4 million for the operations of the startups and 1 million for the Science-Technology Park in Nis, which will be in charge of providing mentorship support. In order to round out the entire complex of the Regional Innovation Startup Center, next year, the City of Leskovac is planning to build a traffic route in that space, which will enable easy access to the center – said mayor Cvetanovic.

According to the project manager, Toma Dasic, in the next phases, the plan is to register the company with the Register of Innovative Activities, as well as program support for entrepreneurs and startups in the initial phases of development.