The Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia is a national public institution dedicated to supporting innovation development in Serbia. It provides a comprehensive portfolio of support programs targeting startups (SMEs), investors, and scientific research organizations. As the key state institution responsible for fostering innovation, the Fund manages funding aimed at stimulating innovative activities.
Operating under the supervision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, the Innovation Fund seeks to strengthen the links between science, technology and the economy. Its mission is to promote the development of innovative entrepreneurship through the following activities:
▪ Supporting innovative entrepreneurship, particularly in the early stages of development;
▪ Facilitating collaboration between scientific research orgnizations and private companies to support the the development and commercialization of innovations;
▪ Enabling the market entry of new products, technologies, and services;

▪ Establishing long-term institutional support for innovative entrepreneurship in cooperation with international financial institutions, organizations, donors, and the private sector.
Since the beginning of its operational activities in 2011, the Europian Union`s support to the Innovation Fund has played a crucial role in strengthening innovation financing in Serbia and enhancing cooperation between the research and private sectors.
The Fund cooperates closely with international financial institutions and donors in providing financing for innovation development. Funding decisions are made on a competitive basis by an independent Investment Committee, following professional peer review and technical evaluation procedures.
The Innovation Fund has served a catalytic function in the ecosystem, generating bottom-up demand for innovation financing. IF activities laid the founding pillars for the entrepreneurial community, which now boasts regular events,  ompetitions, and multiple funding windows and efforts to link research institutions to private sector partners.
The IF has positioned itself to leverage the EU accession funds and prepare Serbia to benefit from future structural funds for enterprise development by developing implementation procedures for effective operations.

TOPICS OF INTEREST
TOPIC IDs:
▪ DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS
▪ DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-LEAGUE-OF-ACADEMIES
▪ DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA
▪ DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-VIRTUAL-TESTBEDS-STEP-Virtual worlds test beds
TOPIC Deadline: 03 March 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time
 Deadline for the expressions of interest: 31.01.2026