Construction of first building of Innovation District in final phase – Preliminary agreements signed with Oracle, Honeywell and Palo Alto

The first building of the Innovation District in Kragujevac is in the final phase of construction. This complex will, among other things, house the Security Operations Center, which will provide services to the entire public administration of the Republic of Serbia, as well as public enterprises and companies that need such services.

– The first building of the Innovation District is attracting particular attention, which is the work of young and award-winning domestic architects, and its appearance will be further complemented by a kinetic facade whose installation is in progress. The construction is being financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia, and the value of the building is slightly more than EUR 20 million – emphasized Mihailo Jovanovic, Director of the Office for Information Technology and Electronic Government, who toured the construction site with the Mayor of Kragujevac, Nikola Dasic.

Dasic emphasized that the opening of the first building of the Innovation District was of fundamental importance for the further transformation of Kragujevac and its positioning as a center of modern technologies.

– Kragujevac is no longer recognizable as the former city of cars, but is developing a wide range of industries and growing into the center of information technologies in Serbia and the Balkans. Connecting the State Data Center, the Innovation District and the future Science and Technology Park will create a rounded ecosystem, and its additional strengthening will be represented by the opening of the faculty for artificial intelligence, information security and computing – emphasized Dasic.

The Innovation District represents the largest construction site of innovation infrastructure in Serbia, but also a unique complex that will unite numerous contents related to innovation, digitalization and artificial intelligence in one place, emphasized Jovanovic.

– Right next to the State Data Center, we will have space for companies that use its services. Preliminary contracts have already been signed with three large IT companies - Oracle, Honeywell and Palo Alto, which will use the space in the Innovation District – said Jovanovic.

According to Jovanovic’s announcement, the application for issuing a use permit will be submitted to the local government by September 4, and it is expected to be received by mid-September.

The development of the Innovation District, as announced, continues with the construction of new facilities, and foundations and a large garage space have already been built under the five planned buildings, which will enable the continuation of construction in accordance with the needs of future users. Work on the second building is well advanced, and its completion is planned for the first quarter of next year. The laying of the foundation stone for the next building, which will represent the heart of the Innovation District, is expected in September. A special part of the new complex will be the preserved building of the former Small Grain Center, which will preserve part of Kragujevac’s industrial heritage and connect it with modern innovation facilities, said Jovanovic.

Kancelarija za informacione tehnologije i elektronsku upravu Beograd

Innovation District Kragujevac

Oracle

Honeywell

Palo Alto

Mihailo Jovanović

Nikola Dašić