A Swiss-Serbian model helping small businesses join big value chains
Aleksandar Goračinov
Director of SME HUB
Aleksandar Goračinov, Director of the Swiss-Serbian SME HUB, talks about how this public-private partnership combines Swiss development principles and local market insight to help small and medium-sized enterprises grow sustainably.
SME HUB is a public-private partnership that advances domestic companies through Swiss development support. What are the key results after two years of the initiative?
We have witnessed that Serbian companies have the capacity to improve and position themselves as competitive suppliers, as well as to develop into long-term partners. This is through the system we have carefully set up within SME HUB to support that transformation. More than 24 small and medium-sized enterprises have gone through a transformation process worth a total of 1.6 million Swiss francs. Some have already been integrated into the supply chains of large companies, while others are in the final stages of reaching the necessary standards. What they all share is the capacity for growth and the ability to implement change. Our goal was not simply to distribute non-repayable financial resources, but to establish a system in which development capital operates under real market conditions. SME HUB is the intersection of development and investment – a place where development funds, knowledge, and trust become tools for long-term change. This formula – carefully managed and balanced between donor principles and local realities – is precisely what sets us apart.
How do you specifically provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises?
What I always emphasise is that we do not offer one-off support, but lead an entire process. We designed SME HUB to be a systemic solution that works on the ground. We combine financial assistance with the expertise of an entire team of professionals and consultants, tailored to each company’s specific needs, guiding them through changes that increase their competitiveness. Through carefully selected criteria and clearly defined strategies, we enable companies to identify their development priorities, strengthen their organisation, and lay the foundations for sustainable growth. In that sense, SME HUB is a system that breathes alongside companies, with all actors involved in the broader development ecosystem.
From funding to strategy, SME HUB turns local potential into sustainable success
What makes the SME HUB systemically important and recognisable in the business environment?
I like to emphasise that SME HUB has been set up as a systemic platform, not as a classic project. Why do I stress this? Our model links the principles of Swiss development capital with the sensibilities of the domestic economy, ensuring that capital and the market do not collide but mutually reinforce each other. We operate at the intersection of small and medium-sized businesses and large companies: on one side are firms that want to grow, on the other are large systems looking for reliable partners, and we stand in between, as a facilitator designing tailored, measurable actions integrated into real business flows. This is why we are recognised as a connecting point: companies do not just receive grants, but a system and the support of consultants who enable them to grow sustainably and become part of larger market structures. This strategic framework was developed together with our Swiss partners, with full confidence in our capacity to manage both capital and change.
How ready are small and medium-sized enterprises to work with large companies and adopt the standards such cooperation requires?
The belief that companies are ready to work with large corporations often proves true, but only when there is a clear vision, plan, and strategy guiding them through that transition. SME HUB does not operate as an external corrective tool to “fix” mistakes, but as a development partner. We help companies define clear internal standards, improve quality control, organise processes, and position themselves as part of a wider value chain. Such a transformation does not happen overnight. It requires a willingness to change one’s mindset, to view the organisation as a system, and to base operations on long-term foundations. And this is where SME HUB proves to be a valid model, because we connect development capital with the real needs of companies and demonstrate how systemic intervention can generate measurable and sustainable change.
What is Switzerland’s contribution to this initiative, and how important is such a partner to you?
Support from the Swiss government, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, to the domestic economy is not only financial but also strategic. Through SME HUB, which was created as a result of a public-private partnership between the Swiss government and the domestic company ICT HUB, a methodology has been shaped, rooted in analytics, quality, and clear expectations. Such an approach motivates us to continually improve the model and remain committed to principles that deliver results. Thanks to this partnership, at SME HUB, we have built a system that operates not on assumptions, but on data and real-world experience. For us, this means credibility, but also the responsibility to show that change is not only possible, but achievable when there is trust and commitment to the goal.