Goal– The USAID Competitiveness Project is a four-year, $14.7 million initiative launched in October 2007 to promote economic growth by substantially increasing the competitiveness of Serbian SMEs in leading sectors to increase sales, exports, investment and jobs.

Sectors– Based on the findings from a study of 12 sectors in Serbia, the Project identified sectors with the greatest potential to compete in international markets: ICT, tourism, film and production, construction services and building materials, auto parts, wood processing and furniture, and renewable energy. The Project reinforces the competitiveness of sectors through policy reforms, workforce development, and communications efforts.  

The Project is undertaking both transactional and transformational activities to meet these objectives. Transactional activities include targeted sales and marketing efforts, such as trade shows, market research, and B2B meetings, while transformational activities seek to enhance the long-term competitiveness of a sector, such as supporting firms to attain international certifications and standards; building industry groups/associations to advocate on behalf of a sector; implementing workforce development initiatives that build technical skills and international branding efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of investing in Serbia. 

 Overall results to date:

 The Project to date has facilitated:

• More than $90 million in sales, exports and new investment in target sectors;
• 6 (4 FSC CoC and 2 TS 1649) firms and 28 (27 PMP and 1 LEED) individuals in attaining internationally recognized certifications;
• Establishment of two industry associations and significant support to a third in integrating private sector support
• More than 1,000 people trained in marketing, trade show participation, international standards, and other areas.  

 Sector Specific Results:

Film and Production: The Project has developed the “Film in Serbia” promotional campaign and website (www.filminserbia.com); facilitated establishment of the Serbian Film Commission focused on bringing foreign productions to the country; supported Serbian production companies to attend key industry trade shows; and direct support to international producers in conducting scouting visits of Serbia for their projects.  These activities contracted deals of $20 million, with contracts worth over $150 million pending. 

Tourism:Supporting development of the Convention and Meetings industry through branding and training to both the public and private sector stakeholders; trade show participation and marketing Serbia as a convention destination at key events; and capacity building to introduce best practices in lead generation and bidding for events. These activities have resulted in $17 million in revenue.     

Construction Services: Facilitated the establishment of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Serbia (ACES) and its membership in the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), which is the worldwide organization for internationally recognized standards in managing construction projects. Adherence to FIDIC standards makes Serbian companies more competitive when bidding on local and regional projects and has thus far enabled Serbian firms to conclude contracts worth at least $38 million.     

Wood Processing and Furniture: Worked with Serbian producers to expand their customer base in targeted EU markets and expanded awareness of and access to the FSC Chain of Custody certification which demonstrates wood products are made entirely from sustainably managed forests.  Exports in these sectors have totaled $1.6 million.    

Renewable Energy:Conducted a public awareness campaign on the benefits of biomass and introduced an access to finance program to facilitate the purchases of boilers and pellets for home heating. Providing direct support to introduce energy efficiency measures in manufacturing firms and to seek finance for renewable projects in wind and hydro. Results to date include a $9 million investment in a pellet manufacturing plant in Serbia and $645,000 in sales of boilers and pellets.       

ICT: Supported participation of selected Serbian software companies at key global IT events. 25 companies and 2 clusters supported through a combination of technical assistance and grants, resulting in more than $4 million in sales. 200 participants in the Project’s PMP-supported training programs certifications with 26 PMPs certified.

Green Building:Actively working to develop and promote green building culture in Serbia. The Project invested $20,000 into the Scholarship Program for the first LEED® Green Associate course in Serbia which attracted close to 100 professionals, and is facilitating the incorporation of Green Building into the curricula of technical faculties in Serbia. Supporting Serbian manufacturers in accessing green building niche markets, both locally and internationally by developing a Green Building Products System (GBPS). The system will incorporate existing ratings guidelines to create an online database and inventory of green building products and their manufacturers in Serbia to facilitate sales of these products. 

The Project is implemented by Booz Allen Hamilton.