Center for Digital Transformation of CCIS – From Digitalizing the Economy to the Global Recognition of Serbian Startups

By establishing the Center for Digital Transformation, we set a clear mission for ourselves: to help the Serbian economy - especially micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises - keep pace with global technological changes. Today, digitalization is not a luxury but a prerequisite for survival. Companies that adopt new technologies become faster, more efficient, more accurate, and more competitive; they reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, and open new business models. This is why, from day one, the CDT’s goal has been to provide systematic support that enables companies to understand, implement, and leverage digitalization in a way that delivers real, measurable results.

Over the years, we have built the most structured support model in the region. With more than 7,000 registered companies, over 1,000 completed digital transformation processes, ISO 17024-certified consultants, a Digital Academy, a database of verified IT vendors, and the first AI program for SMEs - all of this has made digital transformation accessible and measurable. We have worked with companies from nearly every sector, helping them adopt new technologies and keep pace with the global market.

In this process, we realized that Serbia not only has enormous potential for digital transformation but also possesses talent capable of developing advanced technological solutions that can compete on the global stage. That is why, in addition to supporting the traditional economy, we have opened a new chapter - providing domestic startups with systematic and strategic support to grow in international markets.

Our international journey began at the Web Summit in 2024, where we jointly presented, for the first time, our vision for the global recognition of Serbia’s innovation ecosystem. This was followed by a series of GITEX visits throughout the year - from Morocco, through Singapore and Berlin, all the way to Dubai and GITEX Global. In each of these markets, Serbian startups demonstrated exceptional knowledge, potential, and readiness to compete with the best. They won pitch competitions, attracted the attention of investors, and achieved results that confirm Serbia has innovative teams deserving of a global stage.

This cycle of international activities continued with our return to the Web Summit in Lisbon, where we appeared as an ecosystem that is no longer breaking through - but becoming recognized. In addition, GITEX Serbia 2027 has been confirmed, an event that will, for the first time, bring one of the world’s largest technology platforms to our country and open entirely new opportunities for the domestic economy and startups.

According to the European Commission’s report, Serbia is recognized as one of the most innovative countries in this part of Europe, with innovation results reaching 51.5% of the EU average in 2025. This places Serbia 31st among EU and neighboring countries, above the average of emerging EU nations.

Through the Scale Up mission, we aim to serve as a bridge connecting domestic innovative teams with the largest international markets, events, investors, and partners. CDT remains an institution supporting the traditional economy through digital transformation, but today, alongside that, it also opens doors for startups - enabling them to grow faster, connect with the global ecosystem, and compete shoulder to shoulder with the best.

If in previous years we helped companies in Serbia enhance their operations through digitalization, today we are helping our startups take the next step - to enter the international stage, secure their place in the global innovation economy, and demonstrate that Serbia possesses the potential, talent, and vision recognized worldwide.