How can we be the best we can be, how can our environment support us, how can we be innovative and how can we create partnerships? Finally, how can all of our lives improve as a result?

Dr. Valentina Ivanić

What would it look like if we were to create a Smart Specialization Strategy for the Western Balkans? What are our advantages, strengths, what are our weaknesses, how can we develop our strengths, how can we be the best we can be, how can our environment support us, how can we be innovative and how can we create partnerships? Finally, how can all of our lives improve as a result?

Step 1: Imagine that you are good at something! “Mountain Wreath“ – Petar II Petrović Njegoš

The first step of smart specialization is like laying the foundations for a mountain range. We must carefully analyze our resources and strengths, as Njegoš did in his “Mountain Wreath”. Perhaps we are ready to identify taboos as in the movie “Virdžina” (Virgina, director: Srđan Karanović, Serbia). “Virdžina” depicts a community facing challenges and taboo topics, but ultimately supports change.

Step 2: Imagine making a plan to develop your skill! “U suton” (At Dusk) – Mak Dizdar

Similar to Mak Dizdar’s poem “U Suton” the second step involves developing a plan for the future, where we must consider dusk in order to be ready for the light of dawn. Or like “Kod amidže Idriza” (Director: Pjer Žalica, Bosnia and Herzegovina), a film talking about the value of joint work and solidarity. This reflects the second step of smart specialization, the development of plans and strategies.

Step 3: Imagine you want to be the best! “Kad ti majka nagovori” (When your mother persuades you) – Tin Ujević

This step emphasizes the importance of choice. Just as the song talks about mother’s advice, in smart specialization we choose the sectors in which we can progress the most. “Underground” (Director: Emir Kusturica, Serbia): Just as in the movie “Underground” the characters go underground during wartime, smart specialization involves focusing on certain sectors where the country has competitive advantages, so that the captives in the underground can emerge out of it.

Step 4: Imagine that everyone around you supports you in being the best!

Ivo Andrić (Bosnia and Herzegovina): “In the evening, when the city is calm and dark, then mother comes and lies down by your bed.” Nikola Tesla about his mother: “When I was a child, my mother read me stories and fairy tales, which developed my imagination and love for books. Because of her, I became a great lover of reading.”

Step 5: Imagine that what you do can’t be copied by anyone!

“Bridge on the Drina” by Ivo Andrić follows the construction of the bridge on the Drina, going back centuries, highlighting the need for innovations in engineering and culture. “Before the rain” (Director: Milčo Mančevski, North Macedonia): illustrates the need to recognize cultural diversity and different perspectives. Through smart specialization, the Western Balkan region can better understand its unique characteristics and resources.

Step 6: Imagine that the world you live in cannot do without what you create!

As in the movie “No Man’s Land” (Director: Danis Tanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina), which illustrates the importance of cooperation and solving problems together. Smart specialization implies partnerships and cooperation in order to achieve the goals we have set. We cannot do without cooperation.

 

Dr. Valentina Ivanić, research associate at the Economic Institute, Belgrade