Business Incubator of Technical Faculties Belgrade (BITF) is a business support organization, established eight years ago in partnership between four technical faculties of the University of Belgrade (Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical and Technological/Metallurgical), the Municipality of Palilula and the Democratic Transition Initiative, based on the best international experiences. They joined the EBN network in April 2016 and have a lot to bring to young, technically educated people who want to start and develop their own business  and stay in the country. They also focus on the creation of spin-off companies and promote the knowledge and technology transfer from universities to the economy.

To date 600 of their students passed the different training programmes on entrepreneurship, 300 young people engaged within BITF companies (including 25 returnees from abroad), 52 small start-ups established, 45 innovations developed, 10 patent applications and 1 service center developed (set of legal, accounting and financial services, business plan,  protection of intellectual property).

BITF succeeded to scale up its own model into the first functional science technology park in Serbia according to the successful results it had achieved from the beginning of business operations, and thanks to the Swiss Government who recognized its potential and gave unconditional support in this process. In January 2015 BITF started the project Science and Technology Park Belgrade – the new export instrument of Serbia.

STP Belgrade needs to create the conditions for the establishment and development of a number of startup companies, using a methodology that has been developed at the Technical Faculties in Belgrade. The park should bring together high-tech development companies and hire young scientists, thus speeding up the country’s technological development. According to forecasts, the complex in Zvezdara, the urban neighborhood of Belgrade, should host around 100 high-tech development companies with around 1,000 engineers in three-four years’ time.

Main focus is on technology development companies that have great potential to improve the competitiveness of the Serbian economy through innovation and value-added products and services. STP Belgrade primary members are technology development companies in the field of:

BITF resettlement to the STP Belgrade has created the appropriate conditions for young people interested in business operations in a very short period of time. Small start-up companies achieved to revive this complex very effectively, knowing that it had been empty for years before starting the Project. So far, 20 companies  entered the Park and initiated their operations here.