Opportunities

  • Common Agricultural Policy revision
  • Digitisation of agriculture as a future policy trend in Republic of Srpska, B&H
  • Demands on sustainability where IoT plays an important role
  • Increase in demand of IoT technologies by end-users
  • Subsidies to increase the use of IoT tools in agriculture
  • Available support programs for digital transformation in B&H

Strengths

  • Networking launched through the AgriTech Innovation Hub informal group;
  • Established initial strategic partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture which should be further developed through the development of the strategy and this business model;
  • Investment infrastructure projects ready for development projects;
  • Strategic partnership with the municipality of Kozarska Dubica, where the village of Knezica is located;
  • Team with many years of experience in the preparation of development projects.

Threats

  • Extremely small investments in scientific research development compared to developed European countries;
  • A small number of researchers and a pronounced brain drain;
  • Unsatisfactory level and quality of scientific productivity;
  • Low level of cooperation of the scientific research community with the economy. It is even more problematic that the analyses show that the work of higher education professors is in most cases not relevant for the needs of the state economy;
  • Obsolete and underused scientific research equipment;
  • Interdisciplinary is significantly marginalized, while in developed countries, visionary and innovative approaches are especially encouraged in order to create advanced technological solutions. This is particularly emphasized in the completed Horizon Europe Framework Program of the European Union, which explicitly encourages an interdisciplinary approach and cooperation between the different research and economy branches;
  • There is no systemic orientation towards the development of innovations in higher education institutions, nor is there an adequate system of evaluation and rewarding of innovators, ie management of intellectual property;
  • The economy does not invest in research centres that encourage the development of innovation;
  • Insufficient level of innovative activities, out-dated technological solutions in the economy and insufficient creative adaptation to existing world technologies;
  • Orientation to reproductive knowledge and learning for grades is dominating;
  • The education system is not primarily talent-oriented, but favours mediocrity and transience;
  • There is no organized and continuous professional development of teaching staff;
  • Out-dated plans and programs when it comes to new technologies, programming and design;
  • SMEs rarely develop competitive products by applying knowledge and innovation. Even when there are companies with certain developed ideas with TRL 6 and a higher degree of readiness, there are no adequate mechanisms to support such companies in developing a project application and business model for EU calls.
  • Youth entrepreneurship without stronger systemic support;
  • Innovation in SMEs occurs mainly through the procurement of equipment and ad hoc (under customer pressure);
  • The problem of networking and transfer of technology and knowledge by the diaspora.

Weaknesses

  • The business model in the development phase relies mainly on project funds;
  • Time-limited EU funded project.