National WIN Innovation group in Serbia

In addition to numerous direct contacts and the participation of two members of the national WIN innovation group at the transnational meeting in the Czech Republic, a half-day online meeting of WIN Innovation group was held on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. All members attended the meeting: Dragana Panajotović (Executive Director, ABW Serbia Belgrade and national WIN Innovation group coordinator), Zoran Milovanović (Director of the Loznica Branch, National Employment Service of the Republic of Serbia), Milica Pavić (representative of ASP, Tourism Organization of the City of Loznica/TOGL), Ljilja Matković (Owner/CEO of the EKO Team enterprise, Loznica), Marija Ignjatović (Co-owner/CEO of Novitas Consult, Šabac, an enterprise employing persons with disabilities, who is an expert in social entrepreneurship) and Nadja Ćirović (Researcher in the Institute “Mihajlo Pupin” CIRNT / Science and Technology Policy Research Center, Belgrade). Since the members are from different cities, all meetings are organized online. Though small, this group is cohesive and includes representatives from key regions in Serbia regarding the pilot area.

This most recent meeting was a dynamic brainstorming session that provided a strong foundation for further development and selection of ideas for implementing the pilot project in the Loznica region.  

During the meeting, proposals and ideas were discussed regarding the pilot project and the introduction of innovations to improve the position of women in the labour market, as well as efforts needed to integrate the target group into economic flows. After analyzing the results of the Comparative study and the Analysis of local, regional, and national employment policies, key challenges and goals were identified. Some of the initiatives and proposals discussed for the pilot region included: suggestions for potential training programs, strengthening the connection between younger and older generations of women to create synergy in promoting and commercializing women’s products, and ideas for social enterprises and circular economy initiatives.

Given that women form the majority of the workforce in the tourism and hospitality sectors, but remain an underutilized resource, it is crucial to enhance their skills to improve tourism services and address existing gender stereotypes.

Future meetings of the national innovation group will refine these ideas to determine which are the most realistic and sustainable for development in the pilot. The next meeting is planned for mid-January.