Belgrade, November 6, 2025 – The “Mentor Award 2025” competition, which each year brings together and recognizes mentors who have made a significant contribution to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the provision of standardized mentoring services, was held in Belgrade.

The awards were presented in two categories – for startups and for mature enterprises – as part of the long-standing Standardized Mentoring Program implemented by the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) in cooperation with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

This year’s competition featured seven mentors who presented case studies from their mentoring practice.

In the startup mentoring category, the participants were:

• Sonja Jevremović, Agency for Regional Development of the Rasina District – Kruševac
• Amina Nikšić Kurtanović, Regional Development Agency of Sandžak – SEDA
• Vladan Rosić, Regional Development Agency “Zlatibor” – Užice

In the mature enterprises mentoring category, the following mentors presented their case studies:

• Ljiljana Marković, Regional Agency for Development and European Integration – Belgrade
• Marija Prokopić, Regional Development Agency Bačka – Novi Sad
• Biljana Stojanović, Regional Development Agency of the Pčinja District – Vranje
• Dragana Belenzada, Center for the Development of Jablanica and Pčinja Districts – Leskovac

Throughout the event, mentors shared their practical experiences, the challenges they faced, and the solutions they implemented to help enterprises overcome obstacles and improve their business operations. This exchange of real-life mentoring cases once again proved to be the most effective way to further enhance the quality of mentoring work in Serbia.

The best mentors were selected by their peers – fellow mentors from the audience, who evaluated their presentations.

The title of Best Mentor in the Startup Category went to Amina Kurtanović Nikšić, a certified mentor from the Regional Development Agency SEDA – Novi Pazar, for her standardized mentoring case with the company “Avis Žičana Jezgra” doo, Novi Pazar.

The Best Mentor in the Mature Enterprises Category was Biljana Stojanović from the Regional Development Agency VEEDA – Vranje, recognized for her mentoring work with “Radulović M&S doo “from Vranje.

On behalf of the jury — consisting of Nataša Jovanović (last year’s winner in the startup mentoring category), Lila Nađ Fodor (2024 winner in the mature SMEs category), Ana Žegarac (Project Manager, RAS), Srđan Beljan (Deputy Project Manager), and Shinichiro Kato (JICA Expert for the SME Project) — the awards were presented to the winners by Ana Žegarac and Shinichiro Kato.

The “Mentor Award” ceremony once again emphasized the importance of knowledge exchange, professional development, and collaboration among mentors who, through their work, contribute to strengthening Serbia’s business ecosystem and supporting the sustainable growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.