Exciting news from Veles! 
The Center for the Development of the Vardar Planning Region, opened Vardar Innovation Hub to mark a major leap forward in supporting innovation across the Vardar Planning Region. 
Starting with the greeting speech of Marko Kolev- the Mayor of Municipality of Veles, the event features inspiring speeches from key figures including:– Sasho Moshev, Director of the Center for the Development of the Vardar Planning Region;
-Marijana Milevska, Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Economic Development Preda Plus, and
– Eleni Feleki from the Association of Information Technology Companies of Northern Greece (SEPVE)
Together, we’re sowing the seeds of progress and growth for our entire region. 
The opening of the hub also marks the beginning of the startup program to support tourism innovations in the Vardar region. The goal of this program is to provide active knowledge and support for the development of innovative businesses in the tourism sector through the guidance of various mentors in this field.
In August, the Center for the Development of the Vardar Planning Region published an open call for business ideas in the tourism sector. A total of 16 ideas were submitted, and 10 were selected to participate in the program.The startup program begins with a Design Thinking workshop led by Solveo five-day crash course designed to equip participants with the tools and techniques they need to turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality. 
From September 21st to September 23rd, the program will continue with 48 hours Hackathon with distinguished mentors who will provide valuable support to participants in the process of creating their business solution
The Hackathon will finish with a unique opportunity for all participants to pitch their game-changing business ideas to potential investors.
This is just the beginning of an exciting journey filled with events and initiatives that will shape our future. 
Stay tuned as we bring you more updates on our journey!
These activities are part of the INNO-ECOSYSTEM project, which is co-funded by the European Union and national funds of the participating countries through the Interreg IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program. 
