SARAJEVSKA REGIONALNA RAZVOJNA AGENCIJA SERDA DOO SARAJEVO

Their core work

SERDA is the Sarajevo Regional Development Agency, functioning as an intermediary that supports SMEs in Bosnia and Herzegovina with innovation management, technology development, and internationalization services. As a member of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), they coach local SMEs on accessing EU instruments and connecting with European partners. They also contribute to urban sustainability projects, bringing a Western Balkans perspective to nature-based solutions for cities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SERDA's H2020 participation has been remarkably consistent rather than evolutionary. From 2017 onward, their core mission remained SME innovation support through the Enterprise Europe Network, with three sequential BITNET-INNOSUP projects refining the same service model. The only diversification was the CONNECTING Nature project on urban sustainability, which ran in parallel but appears to be a one-off rather than a strategic pivot. The later INNOSUP iterations added emphasis on "client-centric approach," suggesting a maturation of their service delivery methodology.

SERDA is deepening its SME support model rather than broadening its thematic scope, making them a reliable partner for Western Balkans business development activities.

How they like to work

SERDA operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — consistent with their role as a regional development agency contributing local implementation capacity. With 45 partners across 18 countries from just 4 projects, they are embedded in broad European networks, largely through the EEN structure. They are best understood as a trusted local delivery partner who brings Western Balkans reach and SME access to larger European initiatives.

SERDA has worked with 45 unique partners across 18 countries, a wide reach driven largely by the multi-partner EEN and CONNECTING Nature consortia. Their network spans both EU member states and Western Balkans neighbors, giving them a bridging role between the two regions.

What sets them apart

SERDA offers something rare in H2020 consortia: direct access to the Bosnian SME ecosystem through an established regional development agency with EEN membership. For project coordinators needing a Western Balkans partner with real on-the-ground business networks, SERDA is one of very few credible options in the Sarajevo region. Their repeated participation in the same program line demonstrates reliability and institutional continuity.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CONNECTING Nature
  Their only funded project (EUR 195,000) and a thematic outlier — a large-scale urban nature-based solutions initiative, showing capacity beyond pure SME support.
• BITNET-INNOSUP
  Three consecutive iterations (2017-2021) of the same SME innovation support program, demonstrating sustained commitment and institutional learning in coaching Bosnian enterprises.