Concept of VOICT Project Office, best practice brochure

1. Project Office
Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT

3. Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT 1
Contents/
1. About VOICT
2. Activities & Services
3. Project Office
a. Origin
b. Genesis
c. Model
d. Service Portfolio & Catalogue
4. Results 2010 – 2013
Milan Šolaja
Jürgen Kappenmann
Marija Stanču Mirosavljev
Authors/

4. 2 Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT
Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT provides a single point of
contact with the best companies in Serbia, with a total
workforce of over 2,000 experienced IT professionals.
We build long-term relationships based on trust and qu-
ality, bringing expertise, experience and passion for ex-
cellence to each and every project.
The strategic objective of Vojvodina ICT Cluster is to in-
crease visibility of the Serbian ICT sector and put Novi
Sad on the regional and European map as the hotbed for
ICT in this part of the world.
VOICT offers nearshoring, outsourcing and Joint Ven-
ture opportunities with highly professional, reliable and
experienced partners. The cluster is a recognized partner
in the development and application of new ICT products
and services with high profit potential. VOICT is a key
partner in the development of individuals, companies and
regional businesses.
The mission of Vojvodina ICT Cluster includes coordina-
tion of its own and its partners’ efforts toward a strong
positive influence on social and business environment.
Selected opportunities when doing business with
VOICT members
• Software outsourcing, nearshoring
• Commercialization of R&D
• Joint applications for EU programs
• Free trade agreement with Russia
• Development of industrial applications
• Subcontract work & JV with cluster members
• Embedded software development
• Franchising
• Finding distributors
1. About VOICT (intro, vision, mission)
To the members, the cluster serves as a platform
for cooperation and provides a portfolio of services,
such as building capacities and competitiveness of
its members through training and education at the
Cluster Academy, building links with the education
system, creation of new business opportunities, ac-
cess to new markets, lobbying activities, etc. The
cluster also has an important role in building tighter
bonds in the triple helix Business – Education – Go-
vernment.

5. 2. Activities & Services/
Activities include the further strengthening of the asso-
ciation, its positioning as the most relevant Serbian ICT
institution within the country and abroad, building an
ever stronger network of international contacts, creating
new business opportunities for the members, compiling
and delivering sets of services to members and third par-
ties, lobbying for business environment improvements in
Serbia, and popularization of ICT both in terms of gen-
erating more ICT professionals and enabling more pen-
etration of these technologies throughout other sectors
of Serbian economy.
The most important services to members are:
- Lobbying and protection of IT companies’ interests
- Promotion of education for IT
- Training-on-demand for cluster members via the
Cluster Academy
- Project Office project development and
implementation services
- Promotion of members and increase of their
visibility
- Building strong relations among the members
- Opening doors of new markets for the member
companies
Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT 3

6. 3. Project Office/
4 Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT
Origin/a
Since March 2012 Serbia has the status of an EU acces-
sion candidate. Several EU programs are open to appli-
cants from Serbia. The most important programs for the
Serbian ICT sector are:
- Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program-
me 2007-2013 (CIP)
- EU 7th Framework Programme for Research 2007-2013
(FP7)
- Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)
Of course, after 2013 there are Horizon2020, COSME,
Danube Region Strategy, and other programs. Conside-
ring experiences so far, VOICT Project Office is well posi-
tioned to continue its work with these new opportunities.
However, the number of Serbian applications to these
EU programs and the respective success rate vary from
program to program. In particular, SMEs are struggling to
access the available programs. Serbian SMEs are often
not aware of the availability of these support programs
and administrative burdens and challenges in the appli-
cation process are (or are regarded as) rather high. At the
same time, support structures for this process dedicated
to SMEs are lacking.
The ICT sector is one of the most dynamic and promising
sectors in the Serbian economy. This is reflected in the
comparatively high number of applicants for EU funds.
Yet one of the major challenges for SMEs in the sector
is the lack of institutionalized support structures. VOICT
is one of the few BMOs in the sector that is genuinely
providing support and services to its members.

7. Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT 5
Genesis/b
In order to support SMEs in this sector to take advantage
of the available EU programs, VOICT teamed up with Ger-
man Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit –
GIZ, to build an internal service and competence unit with
• Integration VOICT trategy
2011-13S
• Status quo Analysis
• Follow-up Planning
• Service Catalogue
• Skill & HR Development Matrix
• Financial Plan
• Pricing & Contracting Model(s)
• Implementation in Defined
Phases
Organi-zational
Analysis
Sustainability
Business
Plan Development
Action
Plan
the capacity to successfully apply for respective EU
programs. This unit was named simply Project Offi-
ce. Its services and know-how are available to VOICT
members and external clients (non-members) alike.

8. Model/c
The objective in setting up the Project Office (PO) is to su-
pport VOICT in four different areas:
1. Enhance the service portfolio of the cluster to increase
attractiveness to current and future members.
2. Support its clients to gain access to EU programs and
build a knowledge base on this subject.
3. Strengthen the linkages between the research and busi-
ness communities.
4. Reduce the dependency of VOICT on bilateral donors by
generating projects for the cluster itself.
In its activities, the PO collects as much information as
possible on the challenges and opportunities for SMEs
presented by EU programs available in Serbia and the res-
pective application procedures. This information is utilized
to enhance the programs themselves and the framework
conditions in Serbia.
To summarize, the PO has two separate functions:
1. Service provider to SMEs
2. Dialogue partner for government, EU, and other
donors
6 Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT

9. In order to ensure the sustainability of the intervention, the approach was built on an elaborated business plan and bu-
siness case, i.e. the costs of the unit should be covered by fees from its services and other income of the unit.
The demand for the services and work of the VOICT PO can be categorized in two groups:
1. Internal Beneficiaries / Clients
1.1. VOICT members
2. External Beneficiaries / Clients
2.1. Companies (Serbian and international)
2.2. Other clusters (Serbian and international)
2.3. Successful projects (creating business opportunities for members rather than the PO via the supply of IT solutions)
2.4. Local (public) self-government bodies (focus on e-government, ICT solutions etc.)
2.5. Public utility companies
VOICT Project Office
Central Competence Centre
VOICT
Members
External
Clients
Service ProviderSingle
point of
contact
Public &
Private
Organizations
Knowledge
& Dialogue
Partner
VOICT PO Service Catalogue
Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT 7

10. 8 Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT
Service Portfolio & Catalogue/d
The PO developed the following service catalogue, which
provides, together with the pricing model for each servi-
ce, the binding basis on which all services and training
sessions are offered and charged. Of course, these servi-
ces are free of charge or with minimal charge for VOICT
members, while at the same time are offered commercia-
lly to third parties

11. Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT 9
# Service Description
1 Screening of calls
1.1. Screening of national calls for proposals and tenders
1.2. Screening of bilateral calls and opportunities
1.3. Screening of EU calls for proposals and tenders
1.4. Screening approved projects for business opportunities
2 Database
2.1. Access to the database of projects
2.2. Collection and distribution of information on active calls
2.3. Business intelligence on technologies and developments relevant to different calls
3 Coordination & Consortia
3.1. Coordination of the VOICT members' participation in calls
3.2. Coordination of activities with third parties (consortium building)
4 Project Development
4.1. Project Development
4.2. Project Writing
4.3. Project implementation support and monitoring
4.4. Managing project development
5 Project Management
5.1. Managing project implementation
6 Post-project Reporting and Analysis
6.1. Processing project data, reporting, analysis of the process
7 ICT Service Providing
7.1. ICT service/product providing to other successful projects
8 Lobbying and Raising Awareness
8.1. Lobbying for improvement of call procedures with national authorities
9 Training
9.1. Introductory trainings
9.2. Proposal writing training

12. 10 Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT
4. Results 2010 – 2013/
Overview of Project Office activities - list of international and national projects, along with status and financial data:
# Project Title Source of Funding Status Overall funds € Funds to VOICT
€
International projects
1 CIRENE - Cross-border ICT Research Network IPA CBC HU-SRB Completed 19,370.00 16,464.50
2 CompComp - Computer Industry Competency Based Cross-border Business
Building
IPA CBC HU-SRB Completed 11,501.00 9,775.85
3 PPP4BroadBand - Tackling the "Broadband Gap" in SEE Rural areas through PPP
model
IPA SouthEastEurope (SEE) Implementation 77,955.00 66,261.75
4 ICT ICE - ICT Innovation Clustering and Entrepreneurship IPA SouthEastEurope (SEE) Rejected 0.00 0.00
5 ConnecIT IPA CBC CRO-SRB Rejected 0.00 0.00
6 CHET - Cooperation Hub for Engineering Technologies IPA CBC CRO-SRB Rejected 0.00 0.00
7 SmartCities CIP ICT-PSP Rejected 0.00 0.00
8 Cluster Academy RSEDP2 Rejected 0.00 0.00
9 Center of Excellence USAID Implementation 63,500.00 36,200.00
10 E-parliament - the way to improving democratic processes SIDA Application 0.00 0.00
11 DBE - Digital Business Ecosystem FP7 Application 0.00 0.00
12 ED4ICT - European Bridges for the ICT Entrepreneurship Experience Sharing FP7 Application 0.00 0.00
13 KA3 - Sustain the COMunity Knowledge through the ICT / ICT.COM Life Long Learning Programme Application 0.00 0.00
14 Enterprize-University partnership – towards better employability - ENTE TEMPUS Application 0.00 0.00
15 STudent EnterPrize University Project – STEP UP TEMPUS Application 0.00 0.00
16 Fostering students’ entrepreneurship and open innovation in university – industry
collaboration - iDEA Lab
TEMPUS Implementation 23,492.00 21,142.80
National projects
17 Project for newly established innovative clusters in 2010 MoERD (Ministry of Economy
and Regional Development)
Completed 10,000.00 5,000.00

13. Project Office Vojvodina ICT Cluster - VOICT 11
18 Development of 6 curricula for Cluster Academy MoERD Completed 5,600.00 2,800.00
19 Improvement of existing video surveillance system for the city of Novi Sad Pilot
project
MoERD Completed 21,000.00 10,500.00
20 Preparation and printing of VOICT's promo material for CeBIT Vojvodina Government Completed 1,454.55 727.27
21 PO capacities raising, Information system development for communication
between VOICT's members
Vojvodina Government Completed 11,818.18 5,909.09
22 Co-financing of VOICT's contribution in 2 running IPA HU-SRB CBC projects Vojvodina Government Completed 4,545.45 2,272.73
23 TV Informatics Digital Agenda Rejected 0.00 0.00
24 SoftBizz RNIDS 4PI Rejected 0.00 0.00
25 Studiraj IT RNIDS 4PI Rejected 0.00 0.00
26 Co-financing approved EU projects, improvement Project Office performance,
support competitiveness growth via support to clustering
Vojvodina Government Implementation 15,800.00 7,900.00
27 Compilation of feasibility study for connecting VOICT members via fiber optic
infrastructure of the City of Novi Sad
NARD (National Agency for
Regional Development)
Implementation 14,900.00 7,450.00
28 DanubeIT conference and B2B meetings Ministry of Internal and External
Trade and Telecommunications
Implementation 15,800.00 7,110.00
Totals 296,736.18 199,513.99