Details of the Kick-off Conference Program for the CODES Project

The CODES Kick-off Conference, scheduled for November 22, 2024, at 10:00 AM in Code Hub Mostar, is a key opportunity for everyone interested in shaping the future of the cross-border business ecosystem. This event will bring together experts, entrepreneurs, and innovators to exchange knowledge, experiences, and best practices.

The Kick-off Conference will serve as an opportunity to present the CODES project, introduce planned activities, and initiate dialogue around the three key project components.

The Kick-off Conference will be opened by Vedran Šimunović, Director of INTERA Technology Park, who will outline the main goals of the conference and emphasize the importance of strengthening cross-border cooperation in entrepreneurship and innovation. The next speaker, Mateja Arapović, Project Manager of the CODES project, will provide a detailed presentation of the project and its key activities.

Following the introductory presentations, Đorđije Brkuljan from the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tehnopolis will introduce the audience to the topic of innovation labs and their significance in developing new business ideas and products. This topic will be further explored in a panel discussion featuring Dr. Ante Panjkota from the University of Zadar and Mladen Kostić from VML Engineering. The panel will address whether innovation labs can become drivers of the business scene in the cross-border area, discussing how these spaces enable the transformation of prototypes into tangible products and how they can support the creation of new entrepreneurial initiatives.

The panel discussion titled “The Startup Scene in the Cross-Border Area: Fewer Startups—A Lack of Interest or a Focus on Quality?” will feature Vedrana Ajanović from BIT Center, Josip Milić from the City of Zadar, and Ivona Tolić from Swiss EP. The panel will explore the current startup scene in the region, the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, and strategies to enhance the quality of startups, including approaches to fostering their development and strengthening interest in entrepreneurship.

Following this, Mateja Arapović will explain why coworking spaces have been recognized as a significant tool in the CODES project and its two preceding editions. The panel discussion titled “Coworking Spaces in the Cross-Border Area: A Tool for Community and IT Sector Development” will bring together representatives from various coworking spaces, including Đorđije Brkuljan from Code Hub Nikšić, Nermin Šehić from Tershouse, the largest coworking space in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mia Miočević from Code Hub Mostar. The discussion will focus on how coworking spaces can contribute to community and IT sector development in the cross-border area by fostering collaboration and idea exchange among young professionals and entrepreneurs.

The CODES kick-off conference will provide an opportunity to gain new perspectives through discussions on key topics for business development, as well as to establish new connections and potential collaborations.

Don’t miss this opportunity – participation in the conference is free, but you need to secure your spot via the registration form at the provided link.

INTERA Technology Park, as the lead partner, is implementing the CODES project in collaboration with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tehnopolis from Nikšić, BIT Center from Tuzla, the University of Zadar, and the City of Zadar. The CODES project is co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A IPA Programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021–2027.

November 15, 2024