DOT-COM Activity: Bosnia - Excellence in Innovation Project
DOT:dot-ORG
Country: Bosnia-Herzegovina
Funder(s):
Short Description: The Excellence in Innovation (EI) project aims to utilize information and communications technology (ICT) as part of USAID's efforts to generate employment and promote the expansion and competitiveness of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Phase/Type of Activity: Signed Award Status: Active
Start date: December 03, 2007 End Date: December 02, 2010
Contact
Steven Rynecki , Senior Program Officer
Academy for Educational Development Email: Tel: 202-884-8948
Contact
Janice Brodman , IE Technical Director
Education Development Center Email: Tel: (617) 618-2620
Full Description: The project, funded by USAID/BiH, works within the Economic Growth program area of Private Sector Competitiveness, focusing on the Private Sector Productivity element by providing assistance to and collaborating with:
a) BiH entrepreneurs and firms to establish and operate sustainable "e-BIZ Centres/Enterprises" that offer high impact information and communciations technologies applciations and services to SMEs in targeted and supporting sectors; and
b) SMEs, in order to improve their capacity to fully utilize the high impact ICT applications and services offered in collaborating e-BIZ Centres/Enterprises to improve their competitiveness. The "Excellence in Innovation" Project furthers USAID/BiH's FY 2006-2010 Strategy, for which a top economic growth priority is increasing the competitiveness and growth of SMEs in the local, regional, and global marketplace.
The project is an exciting initiative that utilizes a unique and powerful approach to expanding effective and productive uses of ICT among SMEs in BiH. Most importantly: (1) it is demand-driven, based on market analysis of expressed and pent-up demand; (2) it utilizes a sustainable approach to addressing both demand and supply sides, by working with BiH entrepreneurs to create "e-BIZ" Centres" that provide high impact ICT-facilitated services that can quickly and significantly improve the competitiveness of SMEs in selected sectors.
This approach has been utilized successfully in a similar type of project in Macedonia, resulting in significant growth in several target industries and sustainable, profitable e-BIZ Centres (see the Macedonia e_BIZ activity).
Development Sector(s): Enterprise Development, Information Technology, Technology Transfer
Core funding for the DOT-COM Alliance is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture & Trade, Office of Infrastructure and Engineering (EGAT/OI&E), Office of Education (EGAT/ED), and Office of Women in Development (EGAT/WID), under the terms of Award numbers: GDG-A-00-01-00009-00, dot-GOV; GDG-A-00-01-00014-00, dot-ORG; GDG-A-00-01-00011-00, dot-EDU.