Visit of EIT Manufacturing Delegation in N. Macedonia

On June 7^th and 8^th 2023, EIT Manufacturing visited N. Macedonia having a set of fruitful meetings with key stakeholders of the national manufacturing innovation ecosystem.

The visit started with a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Economic Affairs of the Government of the Republic of N. Macedonia, Mr. Fatmir Bytyqi. Topics, such as strengthening the manufacturing industry of N. Macedonia, boosting the innovation ecosystem, skills development for the manufacturing workforce and fostering national and international collaborations, were discussed. The common goal of supporting the growth of the manufacturing sector was also addressed during the meeting with the “Fund for Innovation and Technological Development of N. Macedonia”, a government-supported initiative for innovation and research. In addition, in meetings with representatives from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Economy similar topics were deliberated aiming to foster stronger ties between EIT Manufacturing and the N. Macedonian National Authorities.

The EIT Manufacturing team had the opportunity to invite and meet the newly appointed EIT National Secretary, Mr. Aleksandar Stamboliev initiating the discussion for the collaboration lines, towards stimulating and strengthening the presence of EIT in North Macedonia.

From left to right: Mr. Aleksandar Stamboliev – Business Accelerator UKIM and EIT Secretary, Dr. Vivian Sophou – Business Creation Manager of EIT Manufacturing South East, Mr. Fatmir Bytyqi – Deputy of the Prime Minister, Dr. Niki Kousi – Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, Dr. Konstantinos Georgoulias – Director for EIT Manufacturing RIS and EU Affairs, Mr. Lazar Nedanoski – Executinve Director of Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF) during the meeting at the Government Building

EIT Manufacturing’s delegation, Dr. Konstantinos Georgoulias, Director for EIT Manufacturing RIS and EU Affairs, Dr. Niki Kousi, Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East and Dr. Vivian Sophou, Business Creation Manager of EIT Manufacturing South East, also met with representatives from the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia and the Macedonian Chamber of Commerce. All parties exchanged interesting views on industry promotion and market access, innovation and technology transfer, skills development and workforce training.

In addition, EIT Manufacturing had productive meetings with Industrial stakeholders and visited the campus of the University of Skopje, aiming to enhance the collaboration between academia and industry and address the challenges of the manufacturing sector. Of particular interest was the meeting with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Smart Learning Factory, where the EIT Manufacturing funded project “Learn4SMEs” project achievements were showcased.

From left to right: Dr. Konstantinos Georgoulias – Director for EIT Manufacturing RIS and EU Affairs, Dr. Niki Kousi – Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, Trajan Angeloski – President of Macedonian Chamber of Commerce and Deputy CEO of Ariljemetal, Dr. Vivian Sophou – Business Creation Manager of EIT Manufacturing South East, Mr. Lazar Nedanoski – Executinve Director of Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF) at the Ariljemetal HQ

Finally, access to funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities were discussed in meetings with Accelerators and Investors of the N. Macedonian ecosystem, covering a range of topics related to manufacturing innovation and entrepreneurship. EIT Manufacturing shared insights on their programs and initiatives designed to accelerate the growth and scalability of startups in the manufacturing domain.

From left to right: Dr. Niki Kousi – Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, Dr. Vivian Sophou – Business Creation Manager of EIT Manufacturing South East, Dr. Konstantinos Georgoulias – Director for EIT Manufacturing RIS and EU Affairs, Mr. Lazar Nedanoski – Executinve Director of Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF), Ph.D. Bojan Jovanovski, Smart Learning Factory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering during their meeting at the University Campus

From left to right: Dr. Vivian Sophou – Business Creation Manager of EIT Manufacturing South East, Dr. Konstantinos Georgoulias – Director for EIT Manufacturing RIS and EU Affairs, Dr. Niki Kousi – Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, Mrs. Katarina Krecheva – FITD – Fund for Innovation and Technology Development, Mr. Lazar Nedanoski – Executinve Director of Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF) at the Fund for Innovation and Technology Development offices

From left to right: Mr. Lazar Nedanoski – Executinve Director of Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF), , Dr. Konstantinos Georgoulias – Director for EIT Manufacturing RIS and EU Affairs, Dr. Vivian Sophou – Business Creation Manager of EIT Manufacturing South East, Durim Zeqiri – Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia, Dr. Niki Kousi – Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, Drilon Iseni – Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia at the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia 

Our delegation was glad to be hosted throughout its visit by the Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF) and its Executive Director, Mr. Lazar Nedanoski.