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Balkan delegation visits Dutch innovation & entrepreneurship initiatives |
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 15 representatives from business, government and higher education institutions in the Western Balkans visited the Netherlands to learn about Dutch entrepreneurship & innovation initiatives. The program included visits to the BViT Network, SenterNovem, Syntens, Science Park Amsterdam and more.
The visit took place during 13-19 April and was part of SPARK's regional Private Sector Development in the Western Balkans project (PSD).
Through workshops, discussions, presentations and role-games, the week-long study visit enabled the exchange of experiences on innovation and entrepreneurship between these Dutch organisations and the participants from the Western Balkans.
From University-based innovation and entrepreneurship practices, such as the Utrecht Centre for Education in Management and Entrepreneurship of the University of Utrecht, to private initiatives, such as the BViT Network, the idea of the study visit was to get representatives from business, government and higher education connected to each other. The framework for cooperation between these sectors is well-elaborated in the Netherlands, which served as a useful example for SPARK’s partners from the Western Balkans. But participants also learned that in trying to create more entrepreneurial and innovative practices, Dutch organisations face similar challenges as their own organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. Such challenges include, among others, how to ‘teach’ people to become more entrepreneurial; how to valorise academic knowledge; how to connect higher education institutions with the business sector and vice versa.
The following Dutch organisations and experts participated in the PSD Study Visit 2008:
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Professor Joop Vianen, Professor in Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-sized Business at Tilburg University.
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Codrin Kruijne, Junior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Utrecht Centre for Education in Management and Entrepreneurship of the Utrecht University.
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Dr. D.G. Andriessen of the Hogeschool InHolland Institute of Advanced Studies and Applied Research.
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Dr. Saskia Harkema, lecturer on entrepreneurship and innovation at the Haagse Hogeschool.
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Science Park Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship; Mr. Tristan van Doorn, external relations manager.
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Science Park Amsterdam; Mr. Johan Vos, Director.
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BViT Incubation Network; Mr. Pim de Bokx, Co-Director & Mr. Toon Buddingh’, Executive Director.
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The Hague Chamber of Commerce; Mrs. Paulien Dirkzwager, International Trade Advisor.
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SenterNovem; Mr. Jos van Meegen & Mrs. Eline Beemsterboer of ‘Leren Ondernemen’ (Learning for Entrepreneurship).
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Syntens, innovation network for entrepreneurs; Mr. René de Wit, team leader.
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Province of North Brabant; Mr. Rob de Groot, European programme manager, sustainable innovations.
- Innovation Lab of the Technical University of Eindhoven; Mr. Bart de Jong, start-up support.
The following organisations from the Western Balkans participated in the PSD Study Visit 2008:
- REZ Regional Development Agency for Central Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Serbian Agency for the Development of SMEs and Entrepreneurship
- Serbian Chamber of Commerce
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics – Serbia
- Kosovo Chamber of Commerce
- Ministry of Trade and Industry – SME Support Agency of Kosovo
- Prishtina Regional Enterprise Agency (REA) – Kosovo
- University of Pristina
- Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Macedonia
- European Business Association, Republic of Macedonia
- Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia
- Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED), Montenegro
- Directorate for SME Development, Montenegro
- Montenegro Business Alliance
- University of Montenegro, Faculty of Economics
The Agenda of the PSD Study Visit 2008 can be downloaded here 104.62 Kb
The PSD Study Visit 2008 Report can be downloaded here 1.40 Mb.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 08 August 2008 )
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