Three best start-up ideas selected during the ETF’s Start-up Academy finals

The Start-up Academy of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ETF) was completed by the final competition held on 3 June at the ETF premises, in the presence of numerous guests, mentors, judges and students who had a chance to learn about innovative business ideas presented by the seven teams of the first generation.

At the beginning of the finals, those present were addressed by Dean of the ETF Prof. Saša Mujović who, having expressed his gratitude to the UK and US embassies to Montenegro and the Ministry of Science for their support to the project, stressed its importance for the start-up community, but also for the economy and higher education system of Montenegro.

Minister of Science Dr. Sanja Damjanović presented awards to the three best-ranked teams. On the occasion, she said that she was happy that the organisation of that type of “creative competitions” was becoming increasingly common in Montenegro. She also pointed out that the Science and Technology Park, where the works were just commencing, would be a place where great ideas of these young people would be transformed into businesses, as well as that students, professors and alumni of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering were a key factor in boosting and strengthening an innovative economy. “These types of events are in fact facilitating a very important thing, and that is the connection between the academic and business sectors, and what we really want to see is the business sector integrating these people and their ideas in its companies”, minister Damjanović added.

The first place and a cash prize of EUR 1000 was won by the IAMS team. The second place and a sum of EUR 500 went to the Orhis team, while eTim team won the third place and a cash prize in the amount of EUR 300.

The IAMS team won by presenting a project that combines ecology and 3D printing in an innovative way. Starting from the fact that the world produces over 300 million tons of plastic a year, much of which is disposable, the team has designed a filament for 3D printers, which allows for recycling for needs of 3D printing. In this way, a group of young people – Slaven Minić, Ivona Vujošević, Aleksandar Miličić and Milica Kovačević – wants to help improve the state of the environment in our country, as well as to reduce the cost of item production through 3D technology.

Inspired by the way and speed of life we ​​live, the ORHIS team presented an automated smart pot that provides better, easier and more interesting plant cultivation. Their product provides the user with the knowledge and assistance necessary for cultivation. The accompanying application performs monitoring and provides information on all important parameters. The project team involves Boris Jovanović, Miloš Jelovac, Luka Manojlović, Ognjen Šubarić and Vladimir Đurišić.

eTIM team offered a solution to the problem of gaining work experience for students after graduation and improving the student-employer relationship. Velimir Dobrović, Nikolina Mraković, Marko Ukšanović, Miljan Garović and Filip Šarić designed an application that connects students and employers, providing students with the opportunity to have (un)paid internships during their studies, as well as to get short-term or seasonal employment. In this manner, students would be enabled to complement their theoretical knowledge with the necessary practice in a timely manner, as well as to make their own income. On the other hand, employers would be provided with a new, hard-working workforce, which can be trained for adequate task completion.

The panel of judges that rendered the decision on the best teams included: Alison Kemp, UK Ambassador to Montenegro, Kyle B. Hatcher, Deputy Chief of the Political and Economic Section in the US Embassy to Montenegro, Dr. Sanja Damjanović, Minister of Science of Montenegro, Prof. Saša Mujović, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Montenegro, Igor Noveljić, CEO of Electric Power Company of Montenegro, Vesna Bracanović, President of the Board of Directors of Montenegrin Electric Power Distribution System and Ivan Vučinić, Senior Manager in the CKB Bank IT Department.

The ideas presented resulted from intensive and continuous work with the following mentors: Snežana Ivanović (Director of Siemens LLC Podgorica), Branko Mitrović (Director General of Telenor Montenegro), Nenad Novović, (Director of Amplitudo Company) Ljubo Knežević (Adviser to the Prime Minister of Montenegro for Energy), Dušan Banović (Director of the Sector for Resident Users in T-Mobile Montenegro) and Dr. Đuro Stojanović, (Co-founder of Uhura Solutions, a UK-based AI fintech start-up).

The goal of the Academy is to provide students with additional skills in the field of start-up ecosystems – the art of starting their own business and creating new branches in the economy of Montenegro. The training started in February this year. Despite the difficulties caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the students engaged in intensive work on the development of start-up ideas, and the mentors were willing to help them develop their ideas to a stage acceptable for the competition finals.