Study Visit of CPME Researchers to Samobor and Zagreb – Part II, August 16–31, 2025

The research team of CPME – the Center for Project Management and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka – Prof. Saša Petković, PhD, Prof. Mirjana Milijević, PhD, and Assist. Prof. Jadranka Petrović, PhD – participated in the second part of a fifteen-day study visit to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Samobor and Zagreb.

The host of the study visit was the International Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) in Samobor (https://entrepreneurship-institute.eu/), and the program was led by Prof. Marko Kolaković, PhD, together with his team of associates. During the two weeks, the researchers:

In working groups with the IIE team and members of the Department of Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, worked on drafting the document “Blueprint for Improvement of CPME – Center for Entrepreneurship and Project Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka” and the Strategic Directions of CPME – 2025–2035. Visited the Student Incubator of the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, and Libertas International University, where they analyzed the similarities and differences in entrepreneurial education at public and private higher education institutions. Became familiar with the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Samobor in detail, including a presentation on economic policy measures for attracting investors and supporting entrepreneurial development delivered by the Mayor of Samobor, Dr. Petra Škrobot. The City of Samobor systematically and multilayeredly supports entrepreneurship — through financial incentives, tax reliefs, institutional and infrastructural support, as well as innovative measures aimed at specific groups (such as women entrepreneurs). This combination of measures has led to an increase in the number of newly established enterprises (158 in 2024) and positioned Samobor as one of the most entrepreneurship-friendly cities in the country. Visited the entrepreneurial incubator Mali Tehnopolis Samobor (MTS) and the management of the Samobor Entrepreneurship Center Ltd., as well as startup tenants of MTS. MTS serves as a business incubator for startup entrepreneurs and those in the growth phase, offering rental of office space, coworking, training, consulting, mentoring, and access to innovative technical infrastructure. MTS is equipped with industrial 3D printers and scanners (e.g., HP Jet Fusion 580 Color and ProJet® 7000) that entrepreneurs can use to develop prototypes and innovative ideas. MTS is the result of adapting the premises of the former Taborec barracks into a multifunctional business center, with the program already fully occupied by 2022. Visited Metal Forming CO Ltd., an innovative small company specialized in the production of exhaust systems, wind turbine components, and other metal products. Toured Samobor’s entrepreneurial district and held discussions with local entrepreneurs. Attended lectures by IIE representatives on Samobor’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and, in mixed working groups, exchanged experiences related to the process of drafting innovation and research development strategies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania.

A second group of CPME researchers will visit Samobor and Zagreb from October 17 to November 1, 2025, which will conclude a three-month stay of researchers from Banja Luka in five EU countries between December 2023 and November 2025. The experiences gained during the study visits will be used to strengthen the entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the development of curricula for targeted trainings of students, faculty, and companies, scientific research and publication of scholarly articles, as well as the implementation of new project ideas.

The activities were carried out within the project “Up-skilling Researchers for Sustainable Entrepreneurship based on Innovation Process Management” – USE IPM, supported by the EU (HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-03-01).

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