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In the Spotlight Prepared by: Ms. Sandra Tinaj, Manager of the University of Donja Gorica (UDG)
Knowledge Factory Opened its Doors in Podgorica at the University Donja Gorica Knowledge Factory - the largest IT event in the region opened its doors in Podgorica, at the University of Donja Gorica, as the central event of the Open Science Days in Montenegro. The Knowledge Factory program consisted of one main element during the two days it was present. This included a presentation about software and hardware solutions, round table meetings, forums and discussions, as well as special programs for primary school, high school and college students. Participants were given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and entertain themselves through a series of additional activities at the event, as well being able to find out more about the latest software solutions and new trends in the IT world. Knowledge Factory, the largest IT event in the region, was visited by over two thousand visitors, as well as high level representatives from the Government and from other important establishments in Montenegro. Representatives from public enterprises and private businesses, representatives from scientific and educational institutions, along with primary school, high school and college students had the opportunity to get the latest news from the dynamic IT world.
At the start of the event, participants were addressed by the Rector of the University of Donja Gorica, Veselin Vukotić, by the President of ComTrade, Veselin Jevrosimović, by the Minister of Science, Prof. Dr. Sanja Vlahović, by the Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro for Economic Policy and by the Minister for the Development of an Information Society, Prof. Dr. Vujica Lazović. The Rector of the University of Donja Gorica, Prof. Dr. Veselin Vukotić expressed his satisfaction with the idea and with the initiative to organize the first Knowledge Factory event in Montenegro at UDG. He thinks that it created a good atmosphere and justified the purpose of promoting knowledge. He also stated that the vision of UDG was to build a new type of educational standard, innovative and research-related, that is already the norm in Europe, and should also be in Montenegro. He also sent a clear message that knowledge requires courage, passion, vision and work experience, all of which UDG reinforce and promote. He also states his belief that the result of this event will be the transfer of knowledge and sharing of values within young people all over Montenegro and in the region. The round table meeting entitled “The Place of Montenegro on the IT Map of Europe” was a central part of the first day of the event. Participants included representatives from the Ministry for Information Society and Telecommunications, from the Ministry of Science, from the Government of Montenegro, along with many other representatives from the university and from prominent IT companies in the region. A low level of investment in ICT across the region was defined as the main problem, along with the fact that money allocated for ICT is seen as a cost rather than as an investment. Software piracy was also identified as a problem, but the level of the problem has already diminished. A need for a greater number of locally developed mobile applications and software solutions was also identified. Young people in Montenegro use computers and the Internet mostly for entertainment. It is, therefore, necessary to attract them to more productive ways of using IT. The conclusion was that stronger cooperation was needed between IT companies, ministries and educational institutions, in order to create a favorable business environment which can help Montenegro to become competitive and visible on the IT map of Europe. The second day of Knowledge Factory was also full of interesting lectures and discussions which focused on the increasingly popular “cloud computing”. The President of ComTrade, Mr. Veselin Jevrosimović, spoke about the role of social networks in the modern world. The second day featured a number of business IT solutions along with presentations made by this year’s Knowledge Factory partners: HP, Microsoft, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Intel, IBM, Oracle, Cisco, Mtel, Sony, HTC, Sony Ericsson, LG, Computer Land and many others.
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The main topic of the second day was a round table meeting entitled “Women in Information Technology”. Conclusions from the round table meeting were that the gender divide in ICT is not a barrier to a business success and that successful careers are available for women in this domain. The basis of success in IT is to constantly invest in knowledge and skills. Education plays a key role for every person who builds his or her career in the information sector. It is necessary at all levels, from basic to higher level education, and requires as much practice as necessary. All of those who wanted to take a break between lectures and presentations at this year`s Knowledge Factory had the opportunity to enjoy the Chill Out Zones (Facebook zone, Gaming zone, Twitter zone etc).
November 2011
In the Spotlight: Milocer Economic Forum 2011 Prepared by: Ms. Sandra Tinaj, Manager of the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) As in each and every year, prior to this one, the 2011 “Milocer Development Forum” was exceptional. It started on September 12th, when Ph.D. Professor Veselin Vukotic, Rector at UDG, and President of the Governing Board of the Montenegrin Association of Economists, stated in his opening remarks that the forum did not intend to provide solutions to the current challenges that are faced by this region, but rather aimed to provide an environment in which experts from various fields could exchange ideas, observe challenges from various perspectives, and promote a European set of values that focused on openness and freedom, along with a culture of dialogue, entrepreneurship and creativity. From September 12th to 14th 2011, the forum attracted around 500 participants which included nine panels, 63 panelists and moderators, and three lectures which were given by professors from Slovenia, Italy and Austria. Five companies and several other institutions also had the opportunity to give presentations.
“The Balkans and the EU”
Discussions
When referring to experts, it is important to point out that the organizers did a great job by attracting not only regional delegates, but also international ones. Therefore, visitors who attended the 2011 “Milocer Development Forum” had the chance to listen to experts from Italy, Austria, the United States, Canada and the Middle East in addition to regional experts living and working within the area of the former Yugoslavia. All of them came together with one objective: to share ideas about “The Balkans and the EU”, which was the main topic of the forum.
Throughout the three days of the forum, these nine panels generated an infinite number of ideas and conclusions, as for exemple: observations made about the Montenegrin accession process viewed through a prism of unemployment, perceptions of the EU as a system of values, viewing a knowledge based society within the EU as an empty phrase, and looking at the role of companies as reinvesting profits into further production.
As Professor Vukotić stated, the forum itself was organized on the principles of cutting-edge organizations and on similar meetings in other places in the World and this was publicly confirmed by professors and businessmen of international standing. ‘Risky’ rules were also promoted, such as “the panel starts and ends with no delays” and “discussions last for up to 7 minutes”. These rules introduced a level of seriousness and elegance to the forum, and with this came a degree of vividness and interactivity. The forum was well covered by media from Montenegro and from surrounding countries. The topics presented at the Forum will be published in international economic magazine published in Montenegro (in English). Magazine is called “Entrepreneurial Economy” (volume XVII), and it’s distributed by UDG.
Agenda At the very beginning of the forum, the organizers introduced a special award, a plaque and cash, for any individual who, at the end of the forum on September 14th, could state that he or she had neither heard, nor learned anything new. No one applied. A nine-point agenda was introduced to give visitors an insight into various aspects of the pre-accession process to the EU, to the future of the EU and to a vision of Montenegro within the EU. The agenda included the following panel discussions: 1. Agriculture, tourism and economic development 2. Ecology and development 3. Entrepreneurship and entreprenurial ideas (student round table meeting) 4. Population and development 5. Training and development 6. Investment funds 7. The capital market in Montenegro 8. What is next on the path to the EU? – a dialogue with the Montenegrin Prime Minister, Mr. Igor Lukšić 9. Where does the EU lead us? – Jože Menciger
One of the forum panelists observed the Montenegrin accession process through a prism of unemployment. Professor Vukotić stated that unemployment was becoming a more and more dominant problem not just in Montenegro, but in the West in general, especially in the lives of people between the ages of 16 and 24. He also said that simply the fact of joining the EU would not solve this problem. However, it was an undisputed fact that the European market creates opportunities for new projets, new companies and thus new jobs. The emphasis was on an economic approach to solving the unemployment problem, primarly through eliminating barriers to business, by increasing economic freedom, and, to a lesser exent, through the redistribution and state protection of so-called national smart projects. He also said that Europe, and also the Montenegrin accession process to the EU, should be perceived as the adoption of a certain system of values and way of thinking, as a market for ideas. Discussions about the role of a company, along with the way capitalism is viewed in this part of the world, ended with the conclusion that the current perception of a company’s role, to maximize profit, was incomplete and misleading. While delivering his ideas to the audience, Professor Jože Menciger from the Faculty of Economics, Ljubljana, Slovenia, mentioned one interesting fact. He said that the concept of creating a knowledge based society, as stated in Lisabon’s strategy, 2000 - 2005, was wrong and was actually only an “empty phrase”. Professor Menciger believed that this was the case because, “Knowledge is more mobile than capital.” Thus, Europe neither produces knowledge or products today, but China does, however, because of mobility. In all, bearing in mind the history of the “Milocer Development Forum”, the number of panelists and visitors who attended, coupled with the level of their intellectual capacity, it is not surprising that the award that was offered at the start of the conference was not actually given. That is the reason why this forum has been successfully realized for the 16th time in a row.
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