Selection process
Pre-selection phase
Each project proposal was evaluated by three in-house experts from 22 areas of expertise.
The projects are evaluated according to the defined criteria: degree of innovation, quality of the prepared project, market potential, applicant capacity and project impact.
All projects that will receive an average grade of at least 51 points continue in the next phase.
Experts
Pursuant to the Law on Innovation Activity (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia” No. 79/13, 137/13, 41/14, 44/15, 6/16, 53 / 16,190 / 16 and 64/18) Innovation Fund and Technological Development establishes and maintains an electronic Register of experts who assist in the evaluation and giving of expert opinion.
Link to the register of professionals.
Selection phase
The projects are reviewed by the Investment Approval Committee (KOI) – an independent body composed of a team of five foreign experts that will make the final decision on which projects will be approved financially. At the request of KOI, some companies are invited to peach.
For projects to be selected by the Committee, before making a final decision, the FITR team contacts the applicant in order to submit the necessary documents to determine the eligibility of the applicant, the eligibility of budget expenditures, and the completeness of the complete documentation. A final decision is then taken by the Committee.
Investment Approval Committee
The Investment Approval Committee consists of 5 members,elected and appointed by the Government of Republic of North Macedonia. The Committee reviews and approves the submited project proposals for all instruments for the Fund’s support. The members of the Comitee are selected from experts with at least ten years of international experience in the field of investment in innovation.
Don Lewis
For over 25 years, Don Lewis has offered thousands of students entrepreneurship education opportunities, through teaching, coaching, and mentoring student entrepreneurs at the Texas A&M University.
Don Lewis has been a faculty member in the Department of Management and then Marketing at the Mays Business School, at Texas A&M University since 1999.
Lewis received his BBA in Management and MBA in IT from Texas A&M International University. His professional areas of interest include issues in marketing entrepreneurial and small business education and providing students with international business opportunities.
Ines Kaps
Ines Kaps is an experienced international program manager and has more than 22 years of management consulting on her belt. She has been leading teams in both boutique consulting firms, at KPMG and was running her own company in Switzerland. She is known for delivering global multimillion dollar digital transformation projects in the pharma and engineering industry. Ines is a serial entrepreneur and a start-up and career coach.
Today she is running her accelerator coaching program for mid-sized consulting firms. The goal is to increase the number of women on director and partner levels.
Ines holds an executive MBA from the Henley Management School (UK), a Master in Business Strategy from École supérieure de commerce Rennes (F) and a Master in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Klagenfurt (AUT).