The National Agency for Regional Development invites small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs to apply for free assistance in the form of mentoring, which includes a comprehensive support to the enterprises that are at a crucial moment of their development, so that they could overcome their current difficulties. The evaluations of the users of mentoring in recent years show that owing to this service, SME users achieved an average 10% increase in their sales, profits and number of employees.

Eligible to apply are business entities engaged in production or in provision of services, which are private equities and which paid their taxes and contributions. Entrepreneurs that have been conducting business operations for less than a year may also submit their applications for monitoring. The application deadline is May 6, 2014.

Based on the submitted applications, 100 entrepreneurs and enterprises will be selected that will be receiving 50 – hour mentoring services for free until the end of November 2014.  

All persons from the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja,  who are interested in  getting additional information, can contact the National Agency for Regional Development (Tel: 011/20-60-815 or E-mail: milan.vujovic@narr.gov.rs), as well as the Regional Agencies in Leskovac (the Centre for the Development of Jablanica and Pcinj Districts – Leskovac, Pana Djukica 42; Tel: 016/315-0115; 315-0119; www.centarzarazvoj.org) and Vranje (the Regional Agency for the Economic Development and Entrepreneurship of Pcinj District “VEEDA”- Vranje, 22. December bb; Tel: 017/412-207; 405-641; www.veeda.rs).

The National Agency for Regional Development standardized mentoring services for business entities as part of the project “ The Institutionalization of mentoring services for SMEs “,  which is financed by the Government of Japan through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. Further improvement of the service continued through a new three-year project entitled “The Establishment and Promotion of Mentoring Services for SMEs in the Western Balkan Countries – Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro”, whose second component is support to the introduction of a standardized mentoring service in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, on the basis of the model in Serbia.

The call for applications and the application form may be found at:

http://narr.gov.rs/index.php/Info/Konkursi/Javni-poziv-Mentoring-za-100-novoosnovanih-i-postojecih-MSPP

Source: Coordination Body