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.

Study visit: Bosnia and Herzegovina

The period behind us was marked by a study visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ICT Cortex team together with representatives of the companies Amplitudo, Bild Studio, Čikom, and Simes Inženjering and accelerator Digital Den was in Sarajevo and Mostar from 6-9. December. Within four days of a condensed schedule, we visited leading IT companies and innovative organizations in Sarajevo and Mostar, the companies Atlantbh, Authority Partners, Bosnia, and Herzegovina Futures Foundation, Fondacija Mozaik, Isatis, Klika, NSoft, Ministry of Programming, Mistral, PING Software & Services, Symphony, Verlab, and Zira. Our hosts in Sarajevo were representatives of the Bit Alliance association, while in Mostar it was the Science and Technology Park Intera, where B2B meetings with IT companies from Mostar were organized. This study visit was an ideal opportunity to connect and exchange the knowledge of the representatives of our delegation with the most important actors in the ICT market of BiH.

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.

RCF: Grants awarded for the development of professional education

The official ceremony for the awarding of grants from the Regional Fund for Challenges was held on February 2, 2021, at the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro. The ceremony brought together representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the Comoros Investment Forum, the German Embassy, KfW – the German Development Bank, and representatives of the award-winning consortia. The Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) is a financial mechanism designed to improve the employability of young people. This project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW). The main partner in the implementation of the project is the Chamber Investment Forum of the Western Balkans 6 (WB6CIF). At the meeting, it was announced that after the first call for project proposals, RCF received 205 declarations of interest from consortia and institutions dealing with professional education and training, as well as companies from the Western Balkans region. Of the total number of applications, 29 came from Montenegro. Following the further work of the Selection Committee, a decision was made to propose the two most successful projects from Montenegro for financing and receive investments in infrastructure and equipment in institutions for professional education, as well as training and development of all those involved in the implementation of the cooperative education program. The funds will be invested in the total amount of EUR 937,249. The consortium consisting of the High School of Electrical Engineering “Vaso Aligrudic” from Podgorica with partners Bild Studio, Alicorn, Data Design, Amplitudo, and Mont-inženjering received a grant of 511,509 thousand euros, while the consortium of the High School “Danilo Kiš” from Budva with partners Hotelska Grupa Montenegro Stars, Budva, Gospoština Lux, Budva, and Spencer & Hill Team, Bečići awarded a grant for 425,740 thousand euros. The ceremony was attended by Dr. Nina Drakić, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, Robert Heinrich Weber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Montenegro, Marija Lalatović, Director of the Directorate for General Secondary Education, Vocational Education and Adult Education, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Željko Uljarević, Director of KfW German Development Bank, Office in Montenegro. The meeting was moderated by Balša Ćulafić, project coordinator for the RCF on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce Investment Forum and coordinator for cooperation with international organizations in the Chamber of Commerce. The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Nina Drakić, pointed out that this project of the Regional Fund for Challenges is important for Montenegro and neighboring countries because it offers the necessary new knowledge, new personnel energy, that is, qualified employees and executors for our economy to be competitive. – An economy that develops under the influence of new technologies and market demands also implies an educational system that is constantly improved and adapted to the needs of the times. Digitization, automation, artificial intelligence, and other consumer demands will continue to demand and impose new qualifications of professional knowledge and education – said Drakić. According to her, the received grants will improve the work of eight economic entities and two educational institutions from Montenegro, and it is encouraging that even smaller companies are interested in improving personnel capacities and cooperation with educational institutions. She invited companies and educational institutions to apply in the following calls and announced that they will begin activities to announce a new one at the end of the month. German Ambassador Robert Heinrich Weber congratulated the consortiums from Montenegro that received grants for projects from the Regional Fund for Challenges. According to him, the promotion of employment and nurturing of professional education is the main focus in the activities carried out by KFW in recent years, and a very important topic when talking about the cooperation between Montenegro and Germany. – We know that cooperation between vocational schools and the private sector is necessary and extremely important. This is a way to finance and connect regional training centers and the private sector to develop programs that match the needs of the economy. A well-trained workforce is a key to sustainable economic growth and long-term survival of the market – said Weber. He points out that Germany wants to support Montenegro on its European path, and that we should be proud that the implementation of this project will provide a strong contribution to the competitiveness of Montenegrin companies on the common market of the European Union. Marija Lalatović, Director of the Directorate for General Secondary Education, Vocational Education and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, said that only through the cooperation of partners from the world of education and work, the vocational education system can follow the needs of the economy and the individual to he managed as well as possible on the labor market. She said that the results of this project will contribute to the further development of professional education, the improvement of knowledge and skills in priority sectors, greater employment of young people, and the creation of new jobs, as well as greater participation in lifelong learning.

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.

Animated Cortex logo – from idea to realization

Visual identity significantly affects the first impression of any organization. Brands that have a carefully designed and standardized visual identity appear more serious, professional, and easy to recognize and remember. Having in mind the mission of our organization, to be the leaders of the digital transformation of Montenegro, and at the same time to be a link with the international market, the task of developing a logo that will be a mark of the Montenegrin IT market, carried a serious dose of responsibility. We decided to use our greatest strength – the synergy effect that comes from connecting the best cluster experts in this field! This time we united the teams of Fleka and Bild studios, which, in addition to daily communication and joint work, created two great solutions. Taking into account the opinions of all founding members of the cluster, in the end, we decided on an animated logo signed by the designer from the ranks of Bild studio – Davor Golubović. In order to bring you as close as possible to the concept of our logo, we will look at each unit separately. Also, below you will have the opportunity to read the experiences of the designers themselves in this creative process. Why Cortex? We wanted to use the name to indicate that we are a connecting point of the members and that our existence protects their interests and strengthens the IT sector. This is why CORTEX – is a membrane of the brain that connects the whole brain and holds information about language, senses, and feelings. When pronouncing, he also draws on CoreTech. 1. Anatomy The ICT Cortex logo consists of two parts that are inseparable, but at the same time well developed even as functionally independent components. Special attention is paid to the typography itself, which is a combination of technology font and human hand. You will notice that the upper part of the Cortex print has a humanistic character, so the finer and more natural ends of the letters are written by hand, while the lower ends are geometric, more stable, and sharper. A strong contrast that is compatible shows that, although different, only together can we make changes. The fluidity of the logo actually represents the life that is constantly in motion, changing and evolving. Let us now pay attention to the other motifs that our logo contains: Lambda The wavelength is marked by the Greek alphabet letter lambda. Apart from the fact that, in addition to frequency, it is a descriptive unit of waves, and thus also brain waves, it has the role of representing the mathematical, precise dimension of the logo. “Thought” As a decorative upper part of the letter “x,” there is a form that draws association to thought. Unlike lambda, it is a product of thinking, and therefore the starting point for creativity and ideas. 2. Flexibility of form The flexibility of the shape creates the added value of the logo. An indefinite form that is constantly changing opens up opportunities for “intentional” forms to achieve a certain emotional reaction (seriousness, playfulness, calmness). Also, the logo dynamic indicates how as a cluster we are actually an organization ready to adapt in line with digital trends. 3. Application The ICT Cortex logo will be animated in 80% of application cases, especially when it comes to digital channels. However, when it comes to traditional channels of communication, such as the media and the press, the logo will be static, but certainly in its well-recognized form and shape. The advantages of the animated logo are that it provides opportunities for experimenting and further creative development. And how did it all look from the designer’s point of view? Miloš, what are the impressions of collaborating with colleagues from Bild, and how much did you all contribute to the synergy effect and elaboration of ideas? “Working with colleagues from the profession, from other companies is always a good opportunity for quality discussions within multidisciplinary teams. Internal company procedures and culture have a great influence on the way we work, so it is always good to have an exchange of expert opinions outside the existing environment, which can often contribute to a better end result. This was also the case here, where the designers were able to give each other constructive criticism in more iterations, to make the final proposals even better. ” Miloš Milošević, CEO & Product Design Lead, Fleka Ksenija, how challenging was it to create a logo like this and how did the whole collaboration with Flek go? “Working with stains? The answer is simple – cooperation has changed the competition and improved the process. Perhaps the best side of the project is that the designers of the two houses that have been working in this field for the last 10+ years have connected, and the fun (for us, the designers) was guaranteed. What I will definitely remember about the project and the collaboration is that at some point I tried to undermine Bild’s solution, since at that time it seemed like “wow, but how” for the given deadlines, to which the designers responded with fire. On Judgment Day in front of the Cortex team, we came out quite satisfied, presenting two diametrical solutions, which, to the satisfaction of the whole team, are signed by Davor Golubović (Bild Studio) and Vuk Bojanić (Fleka) and thus made it difficult for the client to choose. “ Ksenija Planić, Creative Director, Bild Studio Davor, how did you come up with the idea for the animated logo, and what inspired you the most? “The logo was created as a product of thinking about what a brand is in the digital age, the nature of the materials on which it is applied, and the perceptions of the brand through the logo. A logo as a bearer of a brand is a trademark by which the material to which it is applied is branded or, in direct translation. Traditionally, these are physical, static materials such as paper, wood,

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.