The Link Up! Serbia II project will offer grants as a support to 6 regional development agencies (RDA) in the creation and implementation of technical assistance to cities and municipalities in Serbia from August to December 2020. Six RDAs will provide technical assistance to cities and municipalities and support them to organise their work with the diaspora and create and promote local and regional investment opportunities.
Diaspora Business Hub is established by the Link Up! Serbia II project, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the Serbian Development Agency and regional development agencies. It represents a unit established in ICMPD with the offices in Belgrade and Vienna with exclusive purpose of supporting domestic small and medium enterprises and local self-governments to find diaspora partners and investors, as well as helping the diaspora to find the most adequate partners and support in cities and municipalities and small and medium enterprises in Serbia.
Link Up! Serbia II is the second phase of the project, launched based on the results of research and cooperation with the Serbian diaspora in Austria, as well as proposals from regional development agencies in Serbia. The project is funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation with the budget of 1,669,454 euros. Research in the first phase showed that despite the long-standing and intensive contacts of the diaspora with Serbia and the regions from which it originates, there is still a growing interest in diaspora to invest in Serbia, and to support domestic small and medium enterprises in internationalization.