The event was co-organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

It gathered over 150 representatives of innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs), investors and policy makers from the region.

At the forum, the FIPA Director Jelica Grujic had a presentation on opportunities for investing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The conference aim is to raise the awareness of SMEs on the availability of equity investment in the region as well as the requirements of equity investors; to provide information to investors on the prospective supply of high-growth SMEs in the Western Balkans; and to recommend business environment improvements for equity investment. Matchmaking sessions between companies and investors were organized during the conference.

Instruments for financing innovative SMEs were presented, such as the Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility (EDIF), a new, 145 million Euro instrument to support innovative SMEs in the Western Balkans, and the 100 million Euro Venture Capital Investment Programme for early and growth stage companies operating in technology sectors. The EDIF is being backed by the European Commission, the European Investment Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the countries from the region.

Opening remarks were delivered by Hido Biscevic, RCC Secretary General; Kemal Kozarić, Governer of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Pelle Persson, Director of SIDA in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and David Lieberman, Head of Economic Recovery Office of USAID BiH.

Increasing access to finance in South East Europe is a key priority of the RCC Secretariat’s work, contained in the organization’s Strategy and Work Programme 2011-2013.