First DLN Meeting Held in Kragujevac within the A4SUSTINNO Project

As part of the A4SUSTINNO – “A distributed one-stop shop for more Sustainable Startups and INNOvative SMEs” project, funded by the Interreg ADRION Programme, the first meeting of the Distributed Local Network (DLN) was held in Kragujevac on March 11, 2025. The event was organized by the Regional Agency for Economic Development of Šumadija and Pomoravlje (REDASP) as part of Work Package 2 (WP2) and under Deliverable D2.1.1, which focuses on establishing and operationalizing regional innovation ecosystems.

Strategic Context and Project Objectives

The meeting was opened by Mr. Nenad Popović, A4SUSTINNO Project Manager, who welcomed participants and presented the project’s objectives, implementation timeline, and strategic relevance. He emphasized the project’s alignment with the EU Cohesion Policy and Serbia’s national development strategies, particularly those promoting smart, sustainable, and inclusive regional growth.

A key message was that A4SUSTINNO is not a short-term intervention, but a structured, long-term initiative aimed at improving regional innovation performance through coordinated, multi-level stakeholder engagement.

DLN Concept and Operational Goals

Participants were introduced to the DLN as a dynamic and inclusive platform intended to:

• Map existing support services (e.g., pre-incubation, mentoring, access to finance)
• Clarify institutional roles to ensure complementarity and reduce overlaps
• Identify gaps in the current support infrastructure and propose targeted interventions
• Facilitate the development of advanced support schemes that integrate sustainability, digitalization, and human capital development

The DLN is expected to evolve over time, expanding to include new partners, services, and financial instruments, and adapting to changes in the policy, technological, and economic landscape.

Stakeholder Presentations and Service Mapping

The meeting brought together representatives from the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Business Innovation Center (BIC), State Data Center, University of Kragujevac, National Employment Service, Development Business Center Kragujevac, and MIND Group.

Each stakeholder presented their institutional background, service portfolio, project experience, and target groups. A service mapping exercise revealed that while the region has a solid support infrastructure for startups and SMEs, coordination between institutions remains informal and fragmented. This results in inefficiencies and limits the full potential of the existing ecosystem.

Stakeholders highlighted the need for improved institutional communication and better alignment across different governance levels, as many actors operate under the authority of different ministries (e.g., Education, Economy, Innovation, Local Government).

Alignment with Regional Strategies

The importance of aligning DLN activities with local and national development strategies was emphasized. Participants referenced the Ten-Year Urban Area Development Strategy for Kragujevac and surrounding municipalities, as well as the national Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development of Serbia 2030, both of which correspond to EU Cohesion Policy objectives.

One key initiative discussed was the planned establishment of an Innovation District within the State Data Center in Kragujevac. This emerging hub for startups, academia, and the private sector is expected to significantly strengthen the regional innovation landscape. DLN members will be involved in the preparatory ecosystem analysis for this initiative.

Key Agreements and Next Steps

Several concrete next steps were agreed upon during the meeting:

• Structured Questionnaire as a complementary tool to the initial stakeholder mapping conducted within the Distributed Local Network (DLN) framework : REDASP will develop and distribute a standardized questionnaire to collect data on stakeholder services, mandates, resources, and challenges.
• Service Gap Analysis: The collected data will be analyzed to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement or new service development.
• Operational Model for DLN: A draft model will be created to define roles, coordination mechanisms, and communication protocols among DLN members.
• Network Expansion: The DLN will remain open to new stakeholders to ensure inclusivity and long-term sustainability.
• DLN Meeting 2 Preparation: The next meeting will focus on reviewing the results of the initial analysis, refining the DLN structure, and agreeing on short-term priorities, including the potential development of new support services.

The first DLN meeting marks the beginning of continuous activities that will be carried out throughout the project and are intended to continue beyond its formal duration, contributing to a more integrated and effective regional innovation ecosystem in Šumadija.