Belgrade, June 29, 2023 - With the support of the EU Delegation in Serbia, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the best project proposals received so far in response to the Challenge call for innovative solutions for the green transition of Serbian economy have been selected. This public call was announced as part of the "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia" project in February and will remain open for applications until the end of 2026.

After the first round of received applications, among more than 160 proposals for innovative solutions, 48 teams were selected to receive mentoring and technical support for further development. In the first phase, the selected teams will undergo training in areas such as business planning, knowledge of legal regulations, product promotion, technologies for improving air quality, and market research. They will also receive assistance in the preparation of specific analyses and project documentation.

After the end of this phase, which will last until the end of September this year, co-financing will be provided for the best project proposals so that they can be implemented in practice. Part of the co-financing, valued at over one million euros, will be provided from the project funds.

Public and private companies, research institutions, civil society organizations, farmers' associations and cooperatives, local governments, and managers of protected areas participated in this Challenge.

Innovative business solutions are proposed for decarbonization (reducing dependence on fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy sources), accelerating the circular economy (preserving and more efficient use of natural resources), reducing environmental pollution, especially air pollution, as well as for the protection and preservation of nature and biological diversity.

You can see the list of selected solutions on the links: pillars 1 and 2, pillar 3 and pillar 4.

The Challenge call for innovative solutions for the green transition of the Serbian economy was published within the project "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia," which, with the technical and financial support of the European Union, and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional funding from the Governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.