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On 18 March 2026, UNIDO released a press release about its participation in the FINNO 2026 Regional Conference. Further information about UNIDOs activities has also been shared at the POLICY ANSWERS final event on 19 March 2026.
At both events, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Balkans, with a strong focus on bridging gaps in finance, skills, and digital readiness.
A central highlight of UNIDO’s participation isthe role of the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre (SMIC), a regional hub supporting SMEs in adopting advanced manufacturing technologies and Industry 4.0 solutions. Hosted at the University of Novi Sad and supported by international partners, SMIC works to strengthen investment readiness, enable technology adoption, and foster cross-border industrial collaboration.
At FINNO 2026, UNIDO announced that the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre will serve as the Western Balkans regional chapter of the AIM Global Alliance on AI for Industry and Manufacturing. In this role, SMIC will act as a key platform for translating global AI expertise into practical solutions for regional industries, supporting SMEs in accessing finance, scaling innovation, and integrating into global value chains. Aleksei Savrasov highlighted at the event the systemic barriers preventing innovation from reaching scale: “Innovation does not fail because of a lack of ideas, it fails because we have not built a reliable bridge between validation and capital. From idea to scale is an ecosystem challenge. When companies can test in real industrial environments, generate measurable performance data, and enter markets with policy-backed support, growth finance becomes a decision based on proof not promise.”
At the POLICY ANSWERS event, he highlighted the research and preliminary findings and the “Western Balkans Industry 4.0 Readiness Dashboard” that UNIDO is developing. It includes a policy simulator that shall be developed for policymakers in the region to serve for evidence-based policy making. The dashboard can be accessed via the following link.
UNIDO also calls on governments, financial institutions and private sector stakeholders in the Western Balkans to scale up investment in innovation, strengthen skills development, and deepen regional collaboration ensuring that SMEs can innovate, compete and thrive in the digital economy.
For contact information please see the source page of the news: From Finance Gap to AI Leap: UNIDO Strengthens Western Balkans’ Digital Future Through AI and Innovation at FINNO 2026 | UNIDO and for more information about SMIC, visit Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre and to explore the Western Balkans Industry 4.0 Readiness Dashboard: https://community.smic-rs.com/components/53063/1CNpEQ953iMk.