Members of ICT Cortex and the Čini Dobro Foundation donated tablets for the most distinguished students
Milatović emphasized that from the position of the President, he will appeal to relevant institutions and all social actors to create incentives for diligent, exemplary, and dedicated individuals and recognize their potential, thereby building a society on solid foundations President Jakov Milatović hosted a reception at Villa Gorica for distinguished students and the top graduates of high schools for the academic year 2022/2023. As announced by the President’s Office, Milatović stated that the reception will become a tradition, as a clear sign that effort and dedication in the field of education should not go unnoticed and unrecognized by the state. “Do not wait until you grow up to realize the significance of the moment you are in because a spectrum of opportunities lies ahead of you to earn much greater recognition for your talents and creativity than what brought you here today. Always be aware of the value you bring to Montenegro and the world, with your ability to make a difference and influence our common future. Although young, proudly represent the positive values from the tradition of our country and do not forget that unity, solidarity, and trust yield the most noticeable results“, said Milatović. He emphasized that from the position of the President, he will appeal to relevant institutions and all social actors to create incentives for diligent, exemplary, and dedicated individuals and recognize their potential, thereby building a society on solid foundations. “At your age, when you are at the crossroads between the adult world and childhood, I wish for you to remain curious, unwavering in your ambitions, to strive for excellence, and not allow anything to deviate you from the path of realizing your dreams. I do not doubt that in the coming years, you will further improve and work on self-development, and we will have the opportunity to meet again and celebrate your successes. Remain the best and be devoted to Montenegro because it needs you“, said Milatović. As a gift for their achievements, he presented vouchers for tablet devices to the top 62 high school students. “The devices are donated by ICT Cortex – the cluster for information technology, innovation, education, design, and technological development of Montenegro, and its members Čikom, Sky Sat, and Sky Express, as well as the “Čini dobro” Foundation. In addition to tablet donations, all students will have access to approximately 30 premium courses on the Cortex Academy platform, as well as 50 best-selling books in the fields of marketing, design, programming, project management, and technology,” stated the President’s Office. The content has been taken from the website Vijesti.me
The ICT Cortex cluster received a special award from the Union of Employers
At the solemn ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Union of Employers, the ICT Cortex cluster received a special recognition for the activities carried out in 2022: Recognition for a business policy that connects socially responsible business and information and communication technologies, and applies them in regular practice. The award was presented to Marketing Director Tanja Dukić, who thanked the Union of Employers for the award and expressed her satisfaction that the cluster’s contribution to the community was recognized through numerous projects, of which the Cortex Academy and the First Podgorica ICT Week stood out. “Established 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 that is necessary for the provision of digital innovations in industry and education, the Montenegrin cluster ICT Cortex has, in less than two years of operation, gathered 34 renowned IT companies that have recognized the importance and need for the existence of this organization for the digital development of Montenegro. We managed to connect with the academic and public sector, launch numerous projects, including the largest education program in the field of ICT education, the Cortex Academy, organize the first ICT week, realize several projects in the field of internationalization, and establish a foundation through which we will continue to give back to the community. in which we operate.” In her presentation, Tanja approached the idea of the “Čini dobro” Foundation, which gathers Montenegrin companies known for their socially responsible business for years. “Through the Foundation, united, we invest in healthy and progressive ideas, create opportunities for education, rely on green initiatives, and support the development of digital services. The“Čini dobro” foundation is open for new members of socially responsible companies, and I hereby invite you to join us, to do good together! ”
Vladan Tabaš is the new president of the Board of Directors of ICT cluster Cortex
The management board of the Montenegrin ICT cluster Cortex, at the session held on 10th of November 2022, unanimously decided that Vladan Tabaš, executive director of the Čikom company, should be the head of this administrative body of the cluster. The newly elected president of the Management Board of the cluster, which gathers renowned Montenegrin IT companies, expressed his satisfaction with the trust shown by the Management Board and reflected on the period and achievements of the cluster so far. “In the first year of work on the Montenegrin IT scene, Cortex has laid recognizable foundations and built on them in the field of association and strengthening of the IT community, education at various levels, internationalization and promotion of digital standards and digital transformation. It is a great honor and pleasure for me to be trusted to be the head of the Cortex Board of Directors, and I hope that with my work and experience, together with the other members of the Board of Directors, I will help the executive team and all members of Cortex to continue on well-prepared paths. Our ambitions have been great since the start, but our strength is also great and is a guarantee of the success of the vision that is our guiding principle – a digitally transformed Montenegro with a strong IT sector capable not only of providing services on the local market but also of being appreciated in the international framework. ” – said Vladan Tabaš. Sanja Gardašević, executive director of the company Alicorn, performed the role of president of the Management Board of the Cortex ICT cluster, from the establishment of the cluster until the appointment of a new president, who will continue to be a member of the Management Board of the cluster, together with: Nenad Novović, Ivica Tatar, Dejan Petković, Aleksandr Bošković, and Nikolom Ljumović. Founded to be a leader in the digital transformation of the economy and public administration, as well as improving the framework and ecosystem necessary for providing digital innovations in industry and education, the Montenegrin ICT Cortex cluster has gathered 34 renowned IT companies over the past two years that have recognized the importance and need for the existence of this organization for the digital development of Montenegro. He managed to connect the academic and public sectors and launched numerous programs, including the largest program in the field of ICT education, the Cortex Academy, implemented several projects in the field of internationalization, and founded the “Čini dobro” foundation.
Professional training program at ICT Cortex
ICT Cortex, a cluster for information technology, innovation, education, design, and technological development in Montenegro, opens its doors to students again this year, through the Professional Training Program. Working in a team, experienced mentors, education, participation in great projects, working with the best IT companies, and great energy await you. Applications are open until December 10, and if you have questions, feel free to write to us on social networks, by email, or send a pigeon. Apply, become part of our team, and support us in the mission of digital development of Montenegro! Who are we looking for? Journalist! The year ahead will be marked by the establishment of the first Montenegrin comprehensive media for technology – the portal itspot.me! Our team is already working hard on creating a portal where we will deal with news from the world of ICT at all levels, promotion of opportunities within the local community, education, and debates on current problems and topics. What skills/traits do you need for this position? You master the basic journalistic forms You are interested in the world of technology in a broader sense You want to write about innovation, design, marketing, and the startup ecosystem You have a proactive approach to work You are responsible and respect the given deadlines You are independent, but you work well in a team You like to research and creatively approach topics of importance to the wider community What do we offer you? A chance to grow and develop with the support of experienced mentors Access to pieces of training by relevant local and global experts/organizations Daily contact with professionals who have decades of experience in various segments of ICT The opportunity to be part of an innovative community that includes the most successful Montenegrin IT companies and some of the most important partners of the innovation ecosystem A dynamic job with the opportunity to be part of great projects outside the daily routine An opportunity to perfect agile approaches to business At Cortex, we do not waste paper, but use numerous modern tools for functioning every day, among others: Slack, Google Meet, JIRA, Confluence, Google Sheets/Doc/Forms. If you are interested in all of the above, apply for the professional training program for the position of journalist and take advantage of the opportunity to become part of the team. We are waiting for you! Who are we looking for? Social Media Manager! Social Media Manager is a person who is in charge of managing business accounts on social networks of certain brands, these can be organizations, institutions, catering facilities, and companies, etc., and creating campaigns for the needs of their online appearance. ICT Cortex owns 4 accounts, namely: ICT Cortex, Cortex Academy, “Do Good” Foundation, and “It Spot”. What qualities/skills do you need for this position? You should be familiar with how social networks are used You are a creative person and think proactively You have a love for writing You have an eye for detail You are curious and like to learn new things and learn As in all other jobs, it is very important that you are an organized person, that you have good communication skills, and that you have the ability to work in a team, but also to solve problems independently. What will you learn doing this job? To properly manage social networks To design a complete online campaign for your target group To use the results of the implemented campaign and improve it To allocate the budget correctly To give guidelines for visual identity and what to pay special attention to Rules for writing posts Other activities in the marketing sector At Cortex, you will also have the opportunity to apply your knowledge practically, with the help of experienced mentors. What do we offer you? Lots of space to learn and explore the world of digital marketing An opportunity to be at the source of information, knowledge, contacts, and world trends The chance to constantly grow, develop and get out of your comfort zone Access to all courses and pieces of training by the most eminent local and global experts/organizations Daily contact and opportunity to learn from professionals who have decades of experience in business, marketing, strategic planning, education, project management, IT An innovative work environment that includes the most successful Montenegrin IT companies and the most important partners of the innovation ecosystem At Cortex, we do not waste paper, but use numerous modern tools for functioning every day, among others: Slack, Google Meet, JIRA, Confluence, Google Sheets/Doc/Forms. Do you like marketing and want to have social networks on your little finger? Sign up for the Professional Training Program for the position of Social Media Manager and take advantage of the opportunity to become part of the team, we are waiting for you! Who are we looking for? Administrative assistant! What does the job of an Administrative Assistant entail? Management of executive orders Sending documentation to accounting (invoices, statements, contracts) Use of existing and adopted new software systems in business Ordering office supplies Registration and de-registration of workers Management of personnel files of employees Keeping records of taxi transportation costs Keeping records of expenses Other obligations: Support in the organization of meetings Support in the organization of events and conferences Taking minutes at the meeting of the Board of Directors Assistance in the HR function of the organization by maintaining up-to-date personnel records Dealing with correspondence, complaints, and inquiries Assisting all team members What do we offer you? The chance to constantly grow, develop and get out of your comfort zone Access to all courses and pieces of training by the most eminent local and global experts/organizations Daily contact and the opportunity to learn from professionals who have decades of experience in business, marketing, strategic planning, education, project management, IT An innovative work environment that includes the most successful Montenegrin IT companies and the most important partners of the innovation ecosystem At Cortex, we do not waste paper, but use numerous modern tools for functioning every
ICT week – Podgorica week of ICT events
The Capital City of Podgorica, in cooperation with the ICT Cortex association, organizes ICT WEEK of ICT events. It is a series of events on topics from the field of information and communication technologies, which are spread over 7 days of rich content. The main sponsor of the ICT week is the honorary member of the cluster, Crnogorski Telekom, and the organization of the event was supported by the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro, the Central Bank of Montenegro, and Sky Express. The ceremonial opening of ICT week is planned for Monday, October 3, when the winners of the Capital City Competition for the support of the startup ICT community will be presented, who will be presented with vouchers to go to the biggest IT exhibition, the Web Summit conference in Lisbon. On the first day of the ICT week, the II networking gathering of representatives of the ICT community organized by the cluster will be organized, along with the music program of the L’ombelico band. Tuesday, October 4, is reserved for two thematically separate events: at 10am. in the CUE hotel, the cyber security conference “Integrator” organized by the cluster member, Sky Express, will start, while in the afternoon, for all gaming fans, there will be organized Gaming night – presentations of Montenegrin gaming studios and their pioneering steps in this promising industry, with the central event 3Hills competition “League of Legends” and accompanying entertainment. The third day of ICT Week is dedicated to young innovators. Various types of workshops, quizzes, and competitions in the field of programming, gaming, and IT innovations will be held at the stands of IT companies and innovative organizations, and the content planned for this day will delight the younger population the most. The final event of the first season of the ICT education program, Cortex Academy, will also be organized as part of ICT Week, on October 6. On the same day, a meetup dedicated to women in ICT is planned in Kuslev’s house – Women in tech, in which successful women who confirm with their work that women deserve a place in this promising and rapidly growing industry will take part. On Thursday, October 6, Crnogorski Telekom will present advanced solutions for the digitization of small and medium-sized businesses to the business community at the Hilton Hotel. “The role of fintech in the democratization of the financial environment” is the name of the CBCG Fintech conference, which, for the second year in a row, is organized by the Central Bank of Montenegro in cooperation with ICT Cortex and the Association of Banks of Montenegro. In addition to representatives of the central banks of Europe and Asia, international fintech companies, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Mastercard company, as well as the Montenegrin banking and ICT sector – members of the Montenegrin ICT Cortex cluster – will take part in the event. The opening ceremony of the regional CBCG Fintech hackathon – a 48-hour competition in creating fintech solutions – will be organized as part of the conference. The third conference this week, dedicated to ICT, will be organized the next day, on Saturday, October 8, under the name IT Spot. The conference will be opened by Janek Rozov from the Government of Estonia and using the example of his country, he will point out the possible directions for the digitization of public administration. The conference will discuss trends in IT, the importance of the ecosystem, but also the development of leaders who will initiate and implement digital changes in society, and smart cities… Representatives of the regional IT scene will appear on stage, as well as experts in the field of human resource management and smart cities. The closing of the ICT week is planned for Sunday, October 9 at the Hilton Hotel, after the announcement of the winners of the II CBCG Fintech Hackathon. The main sponsor of the ICT Week is the honorary member of the cluster, Crnogorski Telekom, the leader in the telecommunications market in Montenegro and an active participant in the digital transformation of Montenegro.
High school students started a free internship within the Cortex Academy
Students of Montenegrin secondary vocational schools from Nikšić, Podgorica, Bijelo Polje, and Rožaje who actively attended training in the field of web and mobile application development as part of the Cortex Academy – an education program implemented by the cluster for information technology, innovation, education, design and technological development of Montenegro, have started a free internship in ICT Cortex member companies. As part of the practice, the students were divided into teams, within which nine students from Bijelo Polje and Podgorica, and four from Nikšić were assigned to the field of web application development, while eight students from Podgorica were active in the mobile application development segment. Namely, the students will cooperate with mentors from the companies Coinis, Fleka and Data Design until September, with the aim of improving their skills in the field of web application development, after which the final competition awaits them in September, where the best teams will be awarded. As part of the practical part of the training, participants who opted for the mobile application development segment began an internship at the company Amplitudo, and soon we are expecting the start of education at the honorary member of the ICT Cortex cluster – Crnogorski Telekom. The cooperation with secondary schools from four Montenegrin municipalities is an upgrade of last year’s successful cooperation with ETŠ “Vaso Aligrudić”, which aimed to improve the educational process, with a focus on practical teaching within the direction for the development of web and mobile applications. The participants had the opportunity to work on real projects for 7 weeks, and to create professional work habits through intensive cooperation with mentors from cluster members. We remind you that the Cortex Academy is an education program that includes courses in programming, project management, design, marketing, and software testing. In the previous months, the participants of the pieces of training in the member companies of the cluster, and through the materials available on the online platform, improved their knowledge of some of the most sought-after positions in the ICT market.
ICT Cortex is a true example of synergy
Podgorica, PR press service – ICT Cortex is a real example of synergy and shows that it is a strong sector, which is moving on an upward trajectory and which is well worth investing in, it was announced at the ceremony marking the first year of operation of that cluster. The president of the cluster assembly, Nenad Novović, said that a lot had been achieved in a very short time. “The professional association of companies in Montenegro is not that common, but in this case, I think it turned out very naturally,” said Novović. He presented the honorary accession to the cluster to the representative of the Ministry of Economic Development, Marijeta Barjaktarović Lanzardi. The President of the Management Board of the cluster, Sanja Gardašević, said that more than a year ago, the pieces of what is today ICT Cortex began to fall into place and that work is being done to achieve the six goals that 11 companies gathered a year ago. “First of all, we wanted to establish a professional inclusive organization, to implement education programs for both new and existing staff and to find a way to keep the existing staff, to work on the internationalization and strengthening of the potential of our products, to strengthen the innovation and competitiveness of the cluster members themselves, to influence the digital transformation of society and to implement programs of socially responsible business”, said Gardašević. “We signed a memorandum on cooperation with the Central Bank of Montenegro, we also achieved cooperation with the Capital of Montenegro, we connected with numerous organizations, universities, schools and business associations,” Gardašević pointed out. She also stated that an internship was conducted for high school students with the Vaso Aligrudić School of Electrical Engineering, and training was also organized for employed members of the association. “The crown of our work in the field of education is the Cortex Academy, which managed to unite all the education programs of the cluster members and provide an additional online form of education in five areas. We are extremely glad that we had 1,292 applications, which speaks of the great need for a program of this type and the great impact we can achieve through projects like this,” explained Gardašević. ICT Cortex today, as she said, has 29 members, and they have over 600 employees. “We estimate that the export of member companies participates in about 18 percent of the total export of goods of Montenegro for the year 2021. It is a strong sector, which moves on an upward trajectory. Total revenues have almost doubled over two years. We see that profits have increased, that exports have almost tripled, and that the number of employees is constantly growing, which all shows that this sector is very much worth investing in,” Garadšević pointed out. The executive director of the cluster, Tarik Zaimović, said that he is particularly proud because ICT Cortex is a true example of synergy. “We managed to connect directors and owners of companies very well. What we did not succeed in, and what was not even possible for the year, was to connect the people who carry the work. That is our plan for this year. We intend to open three committees, namely the Committee for Human Resources and Education, the Committee for Internationalization and Sales, and the Committee for the Empowerment of Women in IT,” said Zaimović. One of the capital projects, as he added, is a project to provide housing for 120 IT families, and the intention is to retain the best IT staff with this program, to provide them with savings of up to 45 percent for solving the housing issue, buying an apartment. “Also, we received a serious grant for half a million euros, which was earmarked for equipment at the Vaso Aligrudić School. We intend to do the second phase of infrastructural equipping of schools and we will decide that for Nikšić and Bijelo Polje. For this year, we intend to educate 300 high school students. We do that in six municipalities. At the same time, we train 15 professors and educate an additional 250 participants, who are young people and students, who are trained in member companies. The goal is to have 80 junior staff produced, of whom we will most likely hire,” said Zaimović. The plan, as he announced, is to visit Eastern, and Western Europe, and America in the coming period, all to find new jobs, and partners, open representative offices in Montenegro and increase exports. “This year, we intend to apply for a large tender and unite a large force of the best companies in Montenegro. Together with the Central Bank of Montenegro, we plan to organize the second Fintech conference and Hackathon. We are making plans with the Central Bank of Montenegro so that this year the Hackathon will be on an even bigger, regional level, and there will be a significantly larger fund for the best team and idea for the development of Fintech”, said Zaimović. The director of the Foundation “Čini dobro”, Aleksandra Bošković, said that “Čini dobro”, a non-profit association founded by ICT Cortex, aims to empower young people, invest in education, help with healthy innovative ideas and contribute to the digitization of society. “I am proud that throughout last year and 2020, we focused our work on the local community and on the segments of society that needed it the most. In the coming period, the Foundation will be mostly focused on education and will provide support to ICT Cortex in all the projects it will lead,” said Bošković. As she stated, the target groups are talented pupils and students, employees of the Foundation’s members, educational institutions, and organizations. “In the previous year and a half, we donated over 80 thousand euros, launched the website cinidobro.me, and increased the membership by three new members. We helped socially disadvantaged families and donated over 50 thousand euros. We reached almost 200 families, and we helped in the distribution of school equipment, textbooks, clothes,
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.
