A delegation of the Sarajevo Economic Region Development Agency (SERDA) led by the Agency Director Mr. Ševkija Okerić and comprised of Senior Manager, Ms. Sanela Dževlan, Senior Manager, Mr. Faruk Cerić and Senior Manager, Mr. Harun Rizvanbegović paid a visit to the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. The aim of the visit was to present the scope of activities conducted by SERDA and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IUS in order contribute to the economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to undertake and adopt global standards in all segments of operations through cooperation between the development agencies and higher education institutions.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the IUS Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım and SERDA Director, Mr. Okerić, proposes the following areas of cooperation: cooperation in establishing an IT techno park in Canton Sarajevo using experiences from Turkiye; cooperation on “Study in Sarajevo” project; drafting of joint projects and applications for EU and internationally funded projects available to BiH; exchange of information and experiences in order to boost economic development of Sarajevo macro-region and provide support in the process of BIH’s integration to the EU; joint support in linking small- and medium-sized enterprises from BiH and Turkiye; fostering and networking local communities and state institutions in the process of developing sectoral strategies and implementing concrete projects; cooperation in regional economic development processes notably in the area of education; possibility of including IUS students in internship and volunteering activities for the students to gain work experiences through SERDA’s “Innovative Start-up Business Centre.”
SERDA was established in 2003 as a result of an initiative of the European Commission and the Office of the High Representative to BiH. Its founders are Canton Sarajevo, City of East Sarajevo and City of Sarajevo. It covers 19 municipalities from the Federation of BiH and 13 municipalities from Republika Srpska. The focal activities include projects supported by the international community in BiH and the local partners. SERDA has thus far built a network of 350 institutions across EU and candidate countries. The project areas include tourism, agriculture, wood sector, metal sector, IT, environmental protection, energy efficiency, market infrastructure, support to the development of micro, small and medium enterprises, education, etc.
