The Director of the Institute for Development and Innovation, Nenad Jevtović, took part as a panelist at a conference focused on balanced and inclusive economic empowerment of regions in the Republic of Serbia.
The event, titled “Regional Development of Serbia – Smart Specialization and Smart Regions,” was organized by the National Convention on the European Union (NKEU) in partnership with the European Movement in Serbia (EPuS) and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC).
In addition to the participants’ agreement that it is necessary to continuously strengthen the capacities of local authorities on this topic, and the fact that economic development requires synergy between the academic community, the non-governmental and private sectors, as well as the state itself, Nenad Jevtović also looked at the issue from the perspective of demographic changes. Taking into account that demographic changes require a pragmatic approach and an awareness that not all places in Serbia can survive and develop high-tech businesses, he emphasized: “We must be prepared for sacrifices, and it is not possible for all parts of the country to develop in the same way and for innovation incubators to exist everywhere. There will be potential losses in some municipalities.”
He also stated that there is no single answer to the question of economic development, and that the existing potential of a specific region should be taken into account when designing its development path.
