Description
Serbia’s innovation ecosystem had potential but lacked structured mechanisms to concentrate resources and collaboration around its strongest sectors. To accelerate growth and global competitiveness, USAID launched the Serbia Innovates initiative, implemented by ICT Hub, to develop the country’s first Innovation Superclusters—a proven global model for innovation-led economic transformation.
CEVES's Role
As analytical lead, CEVES was responsible for research and methodological support in the selection of supercluster domains, working in partnership with the Center for Public Policies.
Key Results / Outcomes
• Designed a methodology for identifying and evaluating innovation domains using qualitative and quantitative criteria.
• Conducted ecosystem mapping and desk research, assessing Serbia’s innovation strengths, gaps, and opportunities.
• Carried out 100+ key informant interviews with business leaders, academia, innovation hubs, venture capital, and government.
• Shortlisted 10 candidate domains and supported the participatory selection of four final superclusters
o High-tech agriculture & food industry
o Biotechnology
o Gaming industry
o Web3 and blockchain technologies
• Produced two analytical studies that informed USAID and ICT Hub in designing the supercluster development phase:
o Global Opportunities for Cluster Development
o Regional Opportunities for Cluster Development
