South Eastern Europe Network of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

We are already conspiring how to continue legacy. Jaka Vadnjal, Jasmin Halebic and I have stared to think about it in 2023. We expect Ivan Mihajlovic, Ilijana Petrovska, Ana Tomovska Misoska, Marina Letonja, Daniel Pavlov, Antonova Diana, Gelu Trisca, Gerd Wassenberg to join! Mayo Bojadziev is cheerleading for COST effort! So, let’s do it!

In deep sadness we are sending prof. Dragana Zivkovik from Zajecar, Srbija in a place, hopefully, better that this world. Let her rest in piece.

Summer Academy of the South Eastern Network of Entrepreneurial Education Universities (former Resita Network). The renowned Politehnica University of Timisoara from Romania is hosting the Academy. The Academy will focus on to tracks in particular conference on Reasons for Failure of SMEs and Strategic Planning session for the future on the Network.
Prof. dr. Corneliu Davidescu, Vice Rector and prof. dr. Marian Mocan, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Management of the Politehnica University of Timisoara has opened the morning session upon the Summer Academy kick off.
The Network has played a big role shaping the entrepreneurial mindset and the increase of the innovation orientation of the students the past seven years of its operation in the Romania, Albania, Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Montenegro, Germany and Macedonia. The Network has organized over 40 Summer School for students that were attended by over 500 students, five business case writing workshops for professors, join research activities, professor and student mobility and worked on development of Joint Master Degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The Network has also established the Journal of Innovation and Management. In the past the activities were supported by the DAAD, the German Agency for Academic Exchange, and it now focuses on how to finance the future activities.

HAPPENING NOW: Master Students School in
Ecological Entrepreneurship: Innovation Management for Technical Products and Intellectual Property at the Engineering Management Department of Technical Faculty of Bor, Belgrade University
The topic of the summer school is innovation management in ecological entrepreneurship as a response to the dramatically growing awareness of ecological aspects in the project planning and entrepreneurial practice.
It covers topics that range from Green Organizations (Businesses, Non-profits and Community Sustainability), Green Technology to Economics of Environmental and Social Issues and Sustainability to Strategies of Entrepreneurial Development.
Students coming from Macedonia, Montenegro, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria are gaining experience in eco-businesses thru work in groups, case study analysis, exchange of knowledge and experience by combining management, business, economics and technical sciences.
The students gained skills in Megatrends, Critical Thinking for Business Re-design, Innovation process, Initializing innovation, Examples of success stories from the wider region of SEE.
The school was delivered by prof. dr. Peter Schulte, Institute for European Affairs INEA, Germany; prof. dr Michael Graef, Worms University, Germany; prof. dr Adrian Tantau, ASE Bucharest, Romania; prof. dr. Ivan Mihajlović and prof. dr Đorđe Nikolić from the EMD, Technical Faculty in Bor, Serbia and prof. Makedonka Dimitrova University American College Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia. https://www.facebook.com/groups/menadzmentbor/

Summer School in Strategic and Innovation Management at University of Peja

Professors test the coworking space in Skopje. American College Skopje # hosts the meeting. #

Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta were graduate students at Columbia University's School of Architecture in 2010 when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. In one of their classes, they were assigned to develop a new innovation to help with disaster relief. Many students focused on designing shelters but, after speaking to a relief worker in Haiti, the two discovered that an often-ignored need following disasters was access to light. The pair focused on designing a solar-powered lantern and spent several years refining their design. Since founding LuminAid, the two young social entrepreneurs have donated their inflatable, waterproof, and solar-powered light to over 15,000 people in crisis around the world -- including over 3,000 earlier this year to support relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Nepal.

Their unique lantern -- called the LuminAID Solar Light -- is designed to meet the needs of people in the aftermath of a disaster but many outdoor enthusiasts have also become fans of its innovative design. After being charged in the sun for six hours, the LED light provides up to 16 hours of light -- a feature that not only makes it more eco-friendly but essential in emergency situations when batteries are hard to find. Due to its inflatable design, it also provides diffuse light like a lantern so it can be used to illuminate a room or tent. Moreover, since disasters often involve water, Stork and Sreshta made it waterproof and able to float.

They also made sure to add a sturdy handle to the light because, as Stork explains, "We heard that in the tent cities people really wanted something they could easily take to the latrine at night, so it was very handy to have a handle to carry it around." And, because they can be packed flat, 50 LuminAID lights can be shipped in the same space needed for 8 conventional flashlights -- an especially significant difference when humanitarian organizations are sending relief aid in large volumes.

When they founded their company, LuminAID, Stork and Sreshta used a crowdsourced fundraising campaign to raise the capital needed for their first batch of 1,000 lights. They have since created a Give Light Project where for each light purchased on their website, the buyer can donate a light to a project site. As part of their recent donation initiative in Nepal, they worked with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to distribute 1,000 solar lights in their Female Friendly Spaces Program, which provided safe spaces for girls and women who are particularly vulnerable following a natural disaster. Currently, they are running a new donation campaign focused on sending lights to Syrian refugees.

As the LuminAID has gone from class project to a real relief tool, Stork and Sreshta are more driven than ever to get it into the hands of those in need during disasters. As Sreshta explains, "conditions once the sun goes down can be very unsafe, especially for women and children. After the earthquake in Haiti, there were many cases of violence, kidnapping and r**e. Light is a basic human need, but [conventional technology] costs too much to ship and pack as part of disaster relief." Now, thanks to the work of these two creative innovators, more people will have access to the gift of light during the darkest of times.

To learn more about Anna and Andrea's invention and how to buy/donate your own LuminAID, visit their website at http://bit.ly/1DZGLHg. The newest model of LuminAID can also be ordered via Amazon at http://amzn.to/1O6W6Lc -- or in a 2-Pack at http://amzn.to/1O6Wjyb

For fun ways to encourage your Mighty Girl's interest in inventing, check out the toys and kits in our blog post, "Building Her Dreams: Building and Engineering Toys for Mighty Girls," at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10430

For an excellent book to inspire your Mighty Girl about female innovators and inventors throughout history, check out “Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women” for readers 8 to 13 at http://www.amightygirl.com/girls-think-of-everything

For two fun picture books about Mighty Girls who love to invent, both for ages 4 to 8, check out “The Most Magnificent Thing" (http://www.amightygirl.com/the-most-magnificent-thing) and "Rosie Revere, Engineer" (http://www.amightygirl.com/rosie-revere-engineer).

And, for many at-home project ideas to encourage your children's interest in invention, we also recommend two helpful parenting books: “Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors” (http://www.amightygirl.com/tinkerlab) and “Maker Dad: Lunch Box Guitars, Antigravity Jars, and 22 Other Incredibly Cool Father-Daughter DIY Projects” (http://www.amightygirl.com/maker-dad).

HAPPENING NOW
Summer School "From Megatrends to Business Models“
Technical Faculty of Bor, University of Belgrade

UACS teaching assistants Makedonka Dimitrova and Ana Krleska are attending a case study workshop at the Русенски университет "Ангел Кънчев" University in Ruse, Faculty of Business and Management.

More information and pictures on the link below:

http://www.uacs.edu.mk/news/case-stud-workshop-at-ruse-universit-_1209.aspx

Work in progress