Program

REGISTRATION

• Exhibition walkthrough “Development and Achievements of SME100 Champions” –
  the exhibition will showcase all leading SME100 companies as well as the methodology,
  significance of the SME sector for sustainable economic development, and the Serbian
  economy in general.
• Networking opportunities for all attendees
• Optional guided tour of the “Museum of Industrial History and Heritage of the City of Niš” and STP Niš (by prior registration)

WELCOME TO SME100 2023 – WELCOME MESSAGE

• Nemanja Šormaz, CEVES, Director
• Milan Ranđelović, STP Niš, Director
• H.E. Urs Schmid, Swiss Ambassador to Serbia
• Naida Zečević-Bean, Director of USAID’s Office of Democratic and Economic Growth in Serbia

PLENARY PANEL I: TALENT AMID A GLOBAL SHORTAGE: HOW TO ATTRACT, DEVELOP AND RETAIN IT?
SMEs in Serbia have identified securing and retaining adequate talent as their number one challenge in further development. Considering the broader Serbian and international labor market context, the goal is to identify strategies that can assist businesses by presenting concrete examples from practice.

 

10:30AM – 10:5OAM INTRODUCTION – GLOBAL AND SERBIAN LABOR MARKET TRENDS

What are the market conditions that Serbian SMEs should consider at least until the end of the decade. What should they specifically be preparing for?

Panelists:

• Svetlana Kisić, Youth Achievements in Serbia, Chair of the Board
• Manuela Prina, Head of Skills Identification and Development, European Training Foundation
• Moderator: Kori Udovički, CEVES, President

10:50AM – 11:30AM PRESENTATION OF 5 BEST PRACTICES

• Boris Majstorović, Education 2 Employment Project;
• Goran Janković, InMold Plast; Marija Pantelić, Bosis; Tanja Milinković, Mikroelektronika; Enterijeri Janković
• Moderator: Olga Svoboda, Managing Partner, HROS.io Serbia

11:30AM – 12:00PM CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WITH ALL PARTICIPANTS

Moderators:

• Kori Udovički, CEVES, predsednica
• Olga Svoboda, Managing Partner, HROS.io Serbia

Workshops in parallel

WORKSHOP #1: DIGITALIZATION OF SMEs – HOW TO MAKE DIGITALIZATION WORK FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

ERP, MES, and product design in the digitalization of advanced SMEs in the manufacturing industry – sharing experiences on various stages of SME digitalization.

Moderator: Sanja Bojić, Faculty of Technical Sciences Novi Sad, Professor

• Presentation of best practice examples: DMV, SCGM, Nissatech, Desing, Uniplast and Unipromet, EBRD and the Center for Digital Transformation.
• Discussion

WORKSHOP #2: CORPORATE/FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF SMEs – Crisis as a Signal for Change

In anticipation of the financial challenges brought about by an economic crisis, presentation, and discussion of best practices for preserving and enhancing a company’s value.

Moderators: Marijana Radovanović, CEVES, Development Advisor, Dragan Bosiljkić, ESFA

• Presentation of best practice examples: Patent, Greiner-JP Packaging doo, E-Reciklaža, Urban Technics, Uniplast, Aura
• Discussion

WORKSHOP #3: GREENING TO INCREASE COMPETITIVENESS

An introduction to what lies ahead – regulations, trends, and opportunities for greening business. EBRD experts will share their experiences from the market and from the similar countries in transition.

Moderator: Aleksandra Miladinovic, EBRD

• Presentation of best practice examples: Sunce Marinkovic, Ion Solutions, Tetragon, Fush i CEEFOR
• Discussion

PLENARY PANEL II: CAN LEADING SERBIAN SMEs BECOME GLOBAL CHAMPIONS – WHAT INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT IS NEEDED?

By presenting the SME Barometer, we will highlight the state and changes in the SME sector in Serbia in 2023, with an emphasis on assessing progress in implementing initiatives launched at the SME100 event in 2022. We will engage in discussions with key decision-makers about identified priorities for the further development of the SME sector and its champions, progress in fulfilling SME100 initiatives, and the plans of key stakeholders regarding more intensive developmental support for the SME sector in the coming years. Topics will include the adequacy of the current institutional setup and support – does Serbia have enough development institutions dedicated to the SME sector, or is it time to build new ones? Also, the position of the SME sector compared to foreign companies, which receive significantly larger amounts of support, and large companies, which enjoy certain benefits like tax credits that are not available to small businesses. To prepare the barometer and panel as effectively and informatively as possible, CEVES has used data from its survey of 1,500 domestic SMEs and the SME sector competitiveness
assessment tool “SME Compass.”.

SME Barometer Presentation: Pavle Medić, CEVES, Deputy Chief Economist

Moderator: Nebojša Matić, Mikroelektronika

Panelists:

• Gabrijela Grujić, Director of the Office for Dual Education and National Qualifications
  Framework, Government of the Republic of Serbia
• Vukašin Grozdić, State Secretary, Ministry of Science, Technology Development, and Innovation
• Mirjana Kovačević, Head of the Center for Education, Dual Education, and Educational Policies, and Director of the Business Academy of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce
• Matteo Colangeli, Director for the Western Balkans region and Head of Serbia for the EBRD

CLOSING REMARKS BY THE ORGANIZERS – Kori Udovički, CEVES, President