Celebrating Two Years of ICT Cortex Cluster: A Community with 1,388 Employees and Revenues of €162 Million
The newly elected President of Montenegro, Mr. Jakov Milatović, congratulated on the results, promised continued support, and emphasized the cluster’s importance as a pillar of technological development, and consequently, economic growth and social prosperity.
The ICT Cortex Cluster celebrated two years of existence, during which it brought together renowned ICT companies and communities in Montenegro. Through such synergy, it created new business opportunities, contributed to digital transformation at the national level, and promoted Montenegro internationally as a significant destination for IT investments.
In the past year, the cluster initiated eight projects worth 20 million euros, organized over 30 events, enrolled 400 participants in the Cortex Academy, launched a housing security project, and expanded the Cortex community with 11 new members.
Vladan Tabaš, President of the Board of Directors of the ICT Cortex Cluster, addressed the attendees at the celebration and highlighted their proud achievements.
“40 Cortex members employ 1,388 workers in the IT sector, and last year we had revenues of €162 million, with a profit of over €11.5 million. We are growing rapidly, and in recent years, we have multiplied our revenues, turnover, and the number of employees. The number of companies has also increased,” Tabaš stated
He also mentioned the significant influx of IT professionals from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, who have brought additional knowledge and wisdom, expressing hope that they will be excellent catalysts for the development of Montenegro’s ICT scene. Tabaš presented certificates of appreciation to partners who provided the greatest support in implementing activities in 2022, including representatives from the EBRD, UNOPS, Crnogorski Telekom, Help Montenegro, and a special acknowledgment for the personal contribution to ICT Cortex’s work to Mr. Džemal Lekić.
The event at the CUE Hotel was attended by the newly elected President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, who, during his ministerial mandate in the Government of Montenegro, supported the idea of the ICT Cortex Cluster.
“It is my pleasure to be here with you tonight, to congratulate you on your second birthday, to congratulate this exciting, growing ICT community in Montenegro on all that you have achieved in the past two years. Today, this is a respectable community of 40 members with revenues of almost €200 million. In my capacity as the President of Montenegro, I promise to further and even more strongly support your work, effort, and dedication because I genuinely believe that you are an important pillar of technological development and, as such, a support for economic development and social prosperity,” Milatović said in his address.
Tarik Zaimović, Executive Director of ICT Cortex, reminded everyone of the cluster’s new project, Cortex Village, worth €16 million, which will address the housing needs of 115 employees and their families. He also announced new projects.
“Now we want to go a step further and launch the first phase of the ICT Hub construction. We already have seven companies that are very willing to invest in this complex, which will create an environment that will enable them to generate new income, new startups, and new investments. Within it, we want to have a research and technology center and show how to collaborate with the academic community in the true sense of the word. We have shown that from scratch, which we had in housing, we know how to lead investments worth €16 million,” Zaimović announced.
The success of this magnitude is attributed to the friendship and synergy among employees in the ICT sector, noted Branimir Bukilić, President of the Assembly of ICT Cortex, and reminded everyone of the challenges that lie ahead for this community.
“I would like to mention the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3), which has profiled the ICT sector as a horizontal branch of the economy. Together with my colleagues, I would like to transform it into a vertical branch of the economy, which the figures we have presented indicate is possible. Therefore, I would call on everyone to invest maximum effort and energy to achieve this in the coming period,” Bukilić stated.
The celebration of the second anniversary of the ICT Cortex Cluster was preceded by the Second Annual Assembly, during which new members of the Board of Directors of the cluster were elected: Miloš Milošević (Fleka), Filip Vulić (Ai Solution), Filip Anđelić (Oykos Development), and Branimir Bukilić (Data Design). In addition to them, the Board of Directors retained its membership: Vladan Tabaš (Čikom), Dejan Petković (Coinis), and Danilo Purić (Bild Studio).
