Third National Grant Award Ceremony Successfully Held in Bosnia and Herzegovina

April 23, 2024, Sarajevo

Five new skill-building projects from Bosnia and Herzegovina received investment commitment letters in a ceremony hosted by the Regional Challenge Fund in Sarajevo. The Germany- and Swiss-supported Fund recently announced the winning applications in the third round of its program which provides grants for vocational education and training (VET) courses designed jointly by the companies and VET providers from the Western Balkans region.

A complete list of winners is available here.

The Regional Challenge Fund (RCF) enhances the sustainable competitiveness of businesses in the Western Balkan 6 on the way to the EU single market by financing VET providers and addressing skill needs in cooperation with companies.

“In three open calls so far, RCF has committed 4,26 million euros to support a total of 12 vocational education and training projects from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 80 partnering enterprises. We remain dedicated to contributing to the country’s economic growth by upgrading the skills and knowledge of youth to produce a job-ready workforce that companies here need,” said Balša Ćulafić, RCF Project Coordinator, Chamber Investment Forum WB6.

The third round of applications, organised last year, attracted 155 expressions of interest from the region, 20 of which were from BH. The Selection Committee selected the five most successful projects to finance in the country with 1,8 million euros. The funds will be used to improve the infrastructure of six educational institutions and deliver training to the participants in the cooperative education program.

The Foreign Trade Chamber (FTC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the project partners, hosted today’s ceremony, and its vice-president Ahmet Egrlić stated: “It is truly a great honor to host the third grant awards of the Regional Challenge Fund, a project that has been strengthening the competitiveness of the economy in the Western Balkan region since 2020. We are particularly pleased that from Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have five consortia, grant recipients, with a total value of €1,857,133. The FTC BiH and other chambers, members of the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum, have justified the trust of partners and contributed to the successful implementation of the first three calls, and we believe in new calls that follow.”

In 2020 the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development commissioned 64.43 million EUR for the Regional Challenge Fund and the funds were commissioned to the KfW Development Bank.

Lea Thurm from the German Embassy in BiH highlighted today the support that this country provides to the region and Bosnia and Herzegovina on their path to the EU.

Speaking of the great interest that educational institutions and companies show year after year in the RCF calls, she emphasized that this demonstrates the existing need and interest in vocational training to help young people stay in this country and see a perspective for themselves.

On behalf of the German Development Bank (KfW), Dr. Klaus Müller, Director for Southeast Europe and Turkey, addressed the attendees.

“The idea of the RCF is becoming a reality. We see that a large number of consortia have applied to our call, which proves how strong this project is. I know that the selection process is very ambitious and that it took you a lot of effort and time to prepare your projects, but in the end, it is most important that we provide as many young people as possible with an opportunity to find a job and secure a better future,” said Müller, adding: “We know that cooperation in this region is not always easy, which gives importance to the RCF, but when you gather so many participants with different backgrounds, you see not only that cooperation is possible but also that it provides an exchange of knowledge and experience, and we within the program work according to EU principles, which is also important for the region.”

In 2022, the Swiss Government showed interest in financing the RCF and thus contributed around 10 million EUR to fund cooperative training projects in the region. The contribution was made through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which increased the Fund’s volume to nearly 75 million EUR.

Siroco Messerli, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Swiss Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, conveyed that the Swiss example shows how vocational education and training are the backbone of a successful economy, and therefore Switzerland provides €20 million to schools and the private sector in the Western Balkans to make vocational training attractive to young people.

Earlier this month a new piece of modern equipment worth close to 25,000 EUR was delivered to the University of Sarajevo – Faculty of Veterinary Science, which will be used by students for performing ultrasound examinations on animals. The donation was a part of the project “Dual Education System as a New Tool for Improving Practical Skills and Vocational Training of Veterinary Medicine Students” that won the RCF grant for the consortium lead by the Faculty with five local companies.

Sedin Hondo, Advisor to Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, Canton Hercegovacko-neretvanski, expressed satisfaction that the project of Konjic High School and a company from this canton is one of those selected for funding, particularly because this project is aimed at contributing to the development of tourism.

“The implementation of this project will contribute exactly to those segments that the Regional Challenge Fund advocates for, which include: modern equipment and technologies for learning through work, improved internal infrastructure relevant for cooperative vocational training, qualified VET teachers trained in line with business needs, a better image of vocational education and training and the institution itself within the community, as well as a possible increase in enrollment of interested students,” stated Hondo.

The grant award ceremony gathered representatives from the diplomatic corps, universities, relevant cantonal ministries, and companies.

For any additional questions and information, feel free to contact RCF representative Sven Dominković at the email: Sven.Dominkovic@rcf-wb6.org or Adisa Pobrić, email: adisa.pobric@represent.co.ba.