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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia one of leaders in development of artificial intelligence

Belgrade, 22 December 2023

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated today that the goal is for our country to have exports in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector of more than €10 billion by the end of the mandate of the next government.

At the official conference on the occasion of the end of the “StarTech” programme “Open Horizon for Innovation” at the Palace of Serbia, where the second edition of NALED's Gray Book of Innovation was presented, Brnabic pointed out that 104,000 people are currently employed in the ICT sector, and that the goal is to reach 140,000 employed.

She pointed out that Serbia now has an economic development that is more dynamic and that keeps young people in the country, and brings back those who left to go abroad.

The Prime Minister reminded that in 2012, Serbia had exports of the ICT sector of €375 million, and that this year it will amount to between €3.6 and €3.7 billion.

We did not define artificial intelligence and biotechnology because they are modern, but because we have the best results in that sector, Brnabic emphasised.

Our economy, she noted, still lags behind the European Union in terms of productivity, and we will invest there with the help of artificial intelligence.

Serbia has asserted itself as one of the leaders in the development of artificial intelligence, so we have become part of the global partnership for artificial intelligence, where there are only 29 countries in the world, pointed out the Prime Minister and said that Serbia must be even braver in this area in the coming period.

Executive Director of NALED Violeta Jovanovic pointed out that the Star Tech project has been supporting domestic innovators for three years and that the goal of the programme is to encourage the transformation of the traditional economy into an economy of innovation and knowledge.

Many of our grant winners finalized their projects, employed workers and contributed to the economic progress of our society, Jovanovic stressed and noted that they presented their projects at international conferences, affirming Serbia as a country suitable for investments and innovations.

She added that Star Tech and Philip Morris show that, together with the government of Serbia, foreign investors and domestic entrepreneurs can be initiators of initiatives that create a place for Serbia in the company of the best.

General Director of Philip Morris for Southeast Europe Aleksandar Jakovljevic said that this company has invested $5 million in the StarTech project over the past three years.