S&T Country Report - Albania - WBC-INCO Net

Name of
initiative:
Innovation Center Banja Luka (ICBL)
Contact person: Zoran Gajić (General Manager of EXIT Centre)
Email: zoran.gajic@exitcentre.org
Website: Not available
The Innovation Centre Banja Luka (ICBL) will be a base of innovation in Republic of
Srpska, providing relevant incubation and business development services, as well as
market-oriented and professional consulting, training and conference facilities. The
driving force and central goal behind the ICBL is the paramount need for creation of
future-oriented jobs, especially based on knowledge and technology, and to assist
entrepreneurs in creating successful companies.
Within the implementation process, the preliminary study report with basic plan of
content was carried out (September 2007). The Centre will be open at the end of
2008.
The Centre shall be organized as a foundation owned by Republic of Srpska, City of
Banja Luka, University of Banja Luka and The Norwegian institution appointed by
Norwegian authorities. The EXIT Group will assist in the management of the centre
and provide in-house and external consulting services on business terms. The ICBL
will combine incubation, consulting and training departments, including conference
facilities. The centre will offer 30 start-up and 15 plain offices, laboratories, meeting
rooms, classrooms for training, amphitheatre with 150 seats, copy/print centre and
other services.
The incubator will help to develop business ideas and create jobs. It will provide an
entrepreneurial and learning environment, ready access to mentors and investors,
and visibility in market place for app. 30 tenants, offering a mix of office and meeting
room space to ensure that units of different sizes are available to suit tenants at
different stages of growth.
A professional and independent consulting element, offering business consulting
services in-house and to the general market is a necessary part of the centre.
Consulting services will cover wide range of business areas, including project
construction and project management, financing, organizing, marketing, innovation,
networking, business planning and technology consulting. The training element of the
centre will be combined with conference facilities, offering opportunities for
organization of seminars and conferences on local, regional, national as well as on
international level.
Industry/Sector (technology area): Knowledge-based economy (with focus on
Information and Communication Technologies, Agricultural and food production,
Processing industry, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries,
Tourism, Organic production and certification, etc).
International activities: Co-operation with Norwegian Authorities and SIVA (The
Industrial Development Corporation of Norway).
page 21/BIH