The “StepUp with Cortex” project successfully finalized

The “StepUp with Cortex” project, which the ICT Cortex cluster implemented in cooperation with the Capital City of Podgorica, with the support of the Kingdom of Norway through the “Norway for you – Montenegro” project, was closed by marking the final event of the project on November 14, 2022. In the period from March to November of this year, five training programs were implemented, a total of 10 trainers were engaged, and about 100 employees from 12 companies underwent training; employees from the ICT Cortex executive office also successfully completed agile project management training; recommendations were made for improving the business environment for IT companies at the level of the Capital City. The following companies participated in this project: Alicorn, Amplitudo, Archimede, Bild studio, Codepixel, Codeus, Data Design, DigitalBee, Fleka, Logate, Omnitech, and Oykos Development. The final event of the project was attended by training participants, representatives of companies – project users, trainers, and lecturers, as well as representatives of the Capital City and ICT Cortex. The cooperation of the Capital City and ICT Cortex on this project is another confirmation of joint action aimed at improving the overall business environment and creating an innovative ecosystem for IT companies at the level of the Capital City, where conditions are created for the development of innovative products and their placement on international markets.

The “StepUp with Cortex” project of ICT Cortex and the Capital City of Podgorica improved the competitiveness of 12 small IT companies

ICT Cortex, in cooperation with the Capital city of Podgorica, realized the project “StepUp with Cortex”, which was supported by the Kingdom of Norway through the project “Norway for you – Montenegro”. The “StepUp with Cortex” project, which the ICT Cortex cluster implemented in cooperation with the Capital City of Podgorica, with the support of the Kingdom of Norway through the “Norway for you – Montenegro” project, in the period from March to November of this year, was aimed at improving and education of employees from 12 member companies, to improve competitiveness through the upgrading of institutional, administrative and organizational capacities and business skills of employees. The following companies participated in this project: Alicorn, Amplitudo, Archimede, Bild studio, Codepixel, Codeus, Data Design, DigitalBee, Fleka, Logate, Omnitech, and Oykos Development. The final event of the project was organized yesterday, which was attended by training participants, representatives of companies – project beneficiaries, trainers, and lecturers, as well as representatives of the Capital City and ICT Cortex. Chief Project Officer,, Ferida Mandić, emphasized the importance of this project. “The “StepUp with Cortex” project, in the period from March to November of this year, was aimed at the training and education of employees from 12 member companies, to improve competitiveness through upgrading the institutional, administrative, and organizational capacities and business skills of employees.” pointed out Mandić and added that the results of the training were very successful. “Five education programs were implemented, a total of 10 trainers were engaged; about 100 employees from 12 companies underwent training; employees from the ICT Cortex executive office also completed agile project management training; recommendations were made to improve the business environment for IT companies at the level of the Capital City.” Director of the Center for Information System of the Capital City, Džemal Lekić, pointed out that the administration of the Capital City is dedicated to the improvement of the sector of micro, small and medium enterprises, which is one of the key factors for accelerated economic development. “The ICT sector in the capital is recognized as one of the most important sectors for the future economic development of Podgorica because it supports all other sectors of the economy. In recent years, the administration of the Capital City has recognized digitization as one of the priorities in the development of Montenegrin society in terms of processes that can affect the improvement of the quality and standard of life of citizens. The goal is for ICT to become a strong sector of the economy that could become Montenegro’s leading export activity. Through the cooperation of the actors in the ICT community, there will be an increase in the number of employees, primarily professional staff, so the development and application of ICT are of crucial importance for economic development”, stressed Lekić. The project manager of the UNOPS office in Montenegro, Armen Čekić, pointed out that he was particularly glad that the ICT sector recognized the benefits of human resource development. “The development of human resources is the most important for the development of a company, and for the growth of the economy, which also entails the development of technology. So it should be continuously developed. I also hope that the others will follow this approach to their further development”, Čekić concluded. Trainer and NLP coach at NLP Network, Danka Ćetković, expressed her gratitude for the idea of such a project and emphasized that she is very proud of her students. “We hung out and worked together for three months, and at first it wasn’t easy, but over time we realized that the hidden goal was to connect, that we are not competing with each other, but supporting each other. The topics we covered were everyday ones that everyone needs. Especially in the IT sector, because the focus is on professional knowledge, and technological knowledge, to be the best programmers, and designers. That’s how it should be because the ICT industry is the bright spot of our economy. However, for it to be able to deliver everything that is expected, someone must also think about people. Who will develop all that, master it… Because it is an industry that changes very quickly, is very flexible, and prioritizes efficiency, short deadlines, and innovation. So we have to support people, work on their development, communication and negotiation skills, to overcome their fears, nervousness and the like”, described Ćetković. At the very end, participants were presented with certificates and certificates of completed training, where they shared their impressions from the training. A lot of interaction, group work, and exercises, as they said, facilitated the learning process and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge, and they recommend this type of education to people from different spheres because it is of great benefit to everyone. The cooperation of the Capital City and ICT Cortex on this project is another confirmation of joint action aimed at improving the overall business environment and creating an innovative ecosystem for IT companies at the level of the Capital City, where conditions are created for the development of innovative products and their placement on international markets.

The Kingdom of Norway supported the ICT Cortex cluster project – “StepUp with Cortex”

Five projects aimed at increasing the competitiveness of small businesses in Montenegro through their transformation, among which the ICT Cortex cluster project – StepUp with Cortex, are supported by the Kingdom of Norway through the project “Norway for you – Montenegro”, which is implemented by UNOPS in partnership with UNDP. The “StepUp with Cortex” project, which the ICT Cortex cluster implements in cooperation with the Capital City of Podgorica, will be aimed at improvement and education in the field of business skills, in order to improve the competitiveness of our companies through strengthening the skills of employees. The companies that will participate in this project are Alicorn, Amplitudo, Archimede, Bild, Codepixel, Codeus, Data Design, DigitalBee, Fleka, Logate, Omnitech, and Oykos Development. “We will use the received donation in the amount of 50,000 dollars to strengthen the skills of over 100 employees in the members of the ICT Cortex cluster. The focus of the training will be on the development of knowledge and competencies in the areas of business communication, project management, sales, finance, and leadership. The IT sector and the segment of small and medium-sized enterprises form a pillar of the economic development of Montenegro, and we consider the capital city a very important partner for the development of the business environment and the creation of an innovative ecosystem”, said the director of the ICT Cortex project office, Ferida Mandić. “This project is a confirmation that by working together with the ICT cluster, we can improve the business environment for IT companies in the territory of Podgorica, where the conditions are created for them to develop innovative products from our city and place them on the international market,” added the director of CIS in the capital, Džemal Lekić. The project “Norway for you – Montenegro” will support entities that provide support for the development of small businesses in cooperation with municipalities, which will improve the operations of at least 70 small businesses, through the improvement of marketing and negotiation skills, the introduction of innovative approaches in the technological process, the improvement of business communication, project management, finance and leadership, the introduction of digitization, as well as the promotion of best practices for quality, safety and trust in the production of small businesses through the implementation of relevant ISO standards.

Applications for Cortex academy are closed!

At exactly midnight, applications for the largest education program in the field of ICT in Montenegro were closed, with a total number of applications – 1,292. The Cortex Academy combined all the education programs of the members of the ICT Cortex cluster, and at the same time provided an additional, online form of education in five areas: programming, project management, software testing, marketing, and design. Considering a large number of applications and the different motives of Cortex Academy participants, in the next step the following groups will be distinguished: Participants of the Cortex Academy in ICT Cortex member companies Educators: Alicorn, Amplitudo, Bild studio, Coinis, Codeus, Codepixel, Data Design, Digital Bee, Logate Academy, Oykos, Omnitech, Optimus Smart Academy, Sky Sat In January, this group of participants is expected to have interviews and/or a selection task at the company that conducts the course in question. The start of education is planned for February 2022. Participants of online courses SEEKING EMPLOYMENT in the field of programming (students and seniors) This group refers to candidates seeking employment in the field of programming. After completing the online training and the selection project, which is necessary to do, candidates have the possibility of employment in companies that are members of ICT Cortex. The deadline for listening to the online course is from January to May. The first condition is to successfully meet the conditions imposed by the course itself. At the end of the course listening period, in May, these candidates will receive a practical task, the successful completion of which will be the ticket to work in companies. Participants of online courses WITHOUT SEARCHING FOR EMPLOYMENT in the field of programming (students and seniors) This group refers to participants who applied for courses in the field of programming to retrain or upgrade, without looking for employment in the field of programming. The group also applies to participants who have applied for courses in other fields: project management, design, software testing and marketing, regardless of whether they are looking for employment in those fields or not. These participants are expected to conscientiously use the opportunity for additional education and fulfill the conditions required by the courses themselves. No additional tasks by ICT Cortex. High school students applying for the Cortex internship: Let’s do IT! For these candidates, the primary online course is the Complete PHP From Scratch Course for Beginners, which is taken from January to March, followed by the first elimination test (March 2022). From March to May, candidates take the next course Object Oriented PHP and MVC, followed by the second elimination test (May 2022). If both tests are passed successfully, the candidates are followed by an eight-week internship in ICT Cortex companies. High school students who take courses for their improvement, without applying for Cortex practice These participants are expected to conscientiously use the opportunity for additional education and fulfill the conditions required by the courses themselves. No additional tasks by ICT Cortex. All registered candidates will receive detailed instructions and information on further steps via e-mail notification. Great support in the realization of this project was given by Help Montenegro (through the Reeconomy project), Crnogorski Telekom, and Cortex Fondacija, which are the initiators of the online courses. Certainly, the greatest gratitude goes to the members of ICT Cortex, the educators who opened their doors to all future members of the ICT community, eager to acquire new knowledge! Alicorn, AmplitudO, Bild studio, Coinis, Codeus, Codepixel, Data Design, Digitalnam Academy, Logate, Oykos Development, Ominitech, Optimus Smart Academy, SkySat For support in the realization and successful promotion of the Cortex Academy, ICT Cortex is also very grateful to other partners: the universities of Montenegro, Donja Gorica, Mediteran, the secondary vocational school in Podgorica, secondary vocational schools and gymnasiums in Berane, Bijelo Polje, Nikšić and Pljevlja, as well as and representatives of the Capital City of Podgorica and the municipalities of Berane, Bijelo Polje, Nikšić and Pljevlja, and our honorary member IPC Tehnopolis.

Members of Cortex winners of numerous recognitions and awards

ICT Cortex was founded by innovative Montenegrin IT companies, which employ some of the most awarded and recognized experts in the field of entrepreneurship, management, and innovation. On Tuesday, July 6, 2021, the awards ceremony was held by the Association of Managers of Montenegro. Laureates for 2020 were selected. On this occasion, an award was presented to our President of the Management Board Sanja Gardašević, for the best manager of micro-enterprises in Montenegro for 2020 – Alicorn. “When we founded Alicorn, we were driven by the desire to create a company we would love to work in. A company that, if one of our dear people asked us, we could say – “this is the right team for you”. We have achieved great results and grown many times over the past three years, but as a manager, I am perhaps most proud of the fact that we have managed to preserve the culture of the company that we care about. ” – Sanja pointed out while talking about the importance of the recognition. In previous years, member companies have been recognized by the business community, through numerous awards from the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, the Union of Employers of Montenegro, as well as the Association of Managers of Montenegro. In 2020, the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro presented the award for innovation to our founding member Amplitudo, and this is also one of the most important awards in Montenegro. The Union of Employers of Montenegro presented the award for “Best Manager in the Economy” in 2018 to Ksenija Iković, creative director of the member company Bild Studio, while Studio Fleka, whose executive director is Miloš Milošević, won the award for contribution to entrepreneurship for Central and Southeast Europe – “Creators of the Century” for 2018. This recognition, for years now, highlights entrepreneurs, companies, and individuals who have contributed to the development of the community in which they create. In the category of small companies, Ivica Tatar, co-founder and Strategy Lead of our member company Logate, was elected manager of the year in 2017, while Tarik Zaimović, director of member company Bild Studio, was named manager of the year for the category of small companies in 2016. We are proud of the results of member companies so far and we believe that we will have many more recognitions as an association that acts synergistically on the entire economy in Montenegro. The strength is in our people who are dedicated to strengthening the IT industry, and we are happy when the community in which we operate recognizes this.

Despite the pandemics, IT companies are growing in all business segments

ICT Cortex – cluster for information technology, innovation, education, design, and technological development of Montenegro, analyzed the business results of the 30 most successful IT companies in Montenegro, and as the criteria for ranking success, the amount of revenue in 2020 was taken. The total revenues of the analyzed companies in 2020 amounted to € 56,256,439, which is 18% more than in the previous year, while the total profit doubled in comparison to 2019 and amounted to € 10,916,675. Special attention was paid to the results of 10 founding members of ICT Cortex: Alicorn, Amplitudo, Bild Studio, Codeus, Codingo, Coinis, Data Design, Fleka, Logate, and Oykos Development, which successfully closed the business year with growth in all segments. ICT cluster members achieved revenue growth of 25%, of which 79.12% of revenue generated was exports – a total of € 12,183,955.99. “For now, the IT sector is successfully resisting the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and our goal is to create conditions for the IT sector to become the backbone of Montenegro’s future development and a strong economic activity that will create leading export products. We are proud of the business results of our founding members, and we are especially pleased with the fact that IT exports in 2020 increased by almost 30%. The outcome of the analysis confirms that IT is a promising branch, export-oriented, and further investment in IT can certainly provide an incentive to recover and strengthen the entire economy. – said Tanja Dukić, Marketing Director of ICT Cortex. The number of employees in the companies in 2020 was 704, of which 278 people are employed the founding members of ICT Cortex, which plan to create over 100 jobs by the end of 2021. “IT companies have increased the number of employees compared to 2019, and the growth trend is expected this year as well because companies need to hire new staff. As an inclusive association, we aim to unite the IT community and jointly achieve an increase in the number of employees and the necessary skills for the development of the IT sector, which will ultimately reduce the outflow of talent from Montenegro. ” – adds Dukić. It is expected that 2021 will be very successful. According to a survey conducted by the executive office of ICT Cortex among the founding members, the planned revenue growth in 2021 will be about 30%, of which as much as 80% will be generated on the basis of projects for foreign markets. ICT Cortex is an association that brings together the innovative IT community, with the aim of being a leader in the digital transformation of the economy and public administration, as well as improving the framework and ecosystem necessary to ensure digital innovation in industry and education. “The cluster has 11 members so far, and we are pleased that many IT companies have already expressed a desire to become part of the ICT Cortex family. We invite all interested companies and organizations to join us, and the request for joining can be sent to the email address contact@ictcortex.me “- conclude from the ICT cluster Cortex.