The main objective of this assignment was to identify options for further competitiveness improvement in BiH industrial sectors, based on the needs and potential for utilisation of ICT on individual company level as well as on sectorial level.

The identified and proposed measures for ICT utilisation were presented through the prism of three horizontal themes as critical aspects for utilisation of the innovation potential: (i) Innovation activity, (ii) Interaction among the actors and (iii) Knowledge flows. They were observed as relevant, both for the individual SMEs as well as for the interventions on the sector level.

The consulting team identified opportunities for improvement of business sophistication, increase of international competitiveness, improved integration into global value/supply chains, digitalisation, advanced use of ICT and modern technologies, as well as utilisation of flows of information and knowledge as a central driver of economic growth and innovation.

The team elaborated a study on utilisation of ICT on company and sector level with the title: “Information technology - Fuel for SME Competitiveness”; the study included according to the ToR:

• Desk research on existing materials from various sources (best practises, similar approaches etc.),
• Improvement proposals for each individual company documented as “Brief description of needed intervention” (as per ToR) based on field visits to up to 30 companies (grant recipients of EU ProLocal)
• Improvement proposals for each intermediary presented as “Brief description of needed intervention” based on field visits to up to 10 intermediaries (development agencies, chambers of commerce, associations etc. not limited to the grant recipients of EU ProLocal)
• Definition of interventions and support measures for individual companies and intermediaries within the horizontal themes of the assignment: Innovation activity, interaction among the actors and knowledge flows

Additionally the team planned and organised three round tables with purpose of consultation relevant to the findings of the desk and field research and wrote and edited the comprehensive ICT study for publishing in English and BiH language.