Daniela Gašparíková, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro

Opening remarks at the launch of the second phase of the project "Norway for You - Montenegro"

I’m pleased to have an opportunity to join today’s event and to re-iterate UNDP’s commitment to work with the Ministry of Economic development and broad range of partners to create a vibrant innovation ecosystem in Montenegro.

I say nothing new by stating that innovation is the driver of progress. One of the main reasons why countries decide to invest significant amounts of funds, sometime relative to their development, into R&D is driven by their expectation that accumulated knowledge, once applied, will be turned into innovation which can be commercialised driving their economic growth, productivity and job creation. Secondly, these investments can help any country, regardless of their development stage, to find new or unconventional solutions to address challenges they face.

The scale and ambition of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030  commands just that. With ‘leave-no-one behind’ at its core, it will require resourcefulness and innovation from all of us – public and private sector, civil society and individuals alike.  

The Global Innovation Index 2021, just released yesterday, ranks Montenegro at the 50th position out of 132 countries, which means that Montenegro is not starting from the scratch. According to the GII, Montenegro is part of the limited group of middle-income economies which is catching up with  innovation in line with its development status.

For example, Montenegro has recognised the importance of research and development, as well as innovation and has been progressively increasing  its public funds allocation for R&D.    While starting from a modest baseline, the trend is positive and I’m convinced that interventions announced today will contribute to its acceleration. In light of Montenegro’s closer integration with the EU and access to larger regional markets, its readiness to take advantage of innovation and technology transfer opportunities these markets offer will be key for flourishing of its innovation-based industries and community. 

These interventions build on already established legal framework in the field of innovation,  a roadmap for implementation of the innovation policies, innovation program priorities defined in accordance with the key components of the S3 strategy.

We are thankful to the Government of the Norway and H.E Mr. Jørn Eugene Gjelstad personally, for the confidence and support shown through joining hands with the Ministry of Economic Development and UNDP around innovation in Montenegro. Norway's experience in the field is extensive, and the initiative we are promoting today will contribute to making this experience and accumulated knowledge available to the Montenegrin innovation community.

UNDP is committed to supporting the development of an innovative and sustainable development in the country. Creative and innovative individuals and communities deserves institutional support. Combined with UNDPs accumulated knowledge in the field of innovation, we would like to support his community by promoting three pillars of success in innovation:

1. Anticipation and foresight – looking into the future and bring innovation to bear for well-being of people;
2. Create an innovation culture where people feel safe to fail and are rewarded for their learning;
3. Co-design and build on the strengths and needs of the system as a whole;

In conclusion, let me use this opportunity to extend our gratitude to all our partners in this endeavour, and I look forward to working with all of you on its successful implementation.