Investment of 30 Million Euros: Croatia's Largest Innovation Hub Expected to Employ Between 1,000 and 1,200 People!

New Winds

“The construction of the Technology Park Split was very important to us, and we gave it all the energy we had. On this journey, which has lasted since 2018, we’ve faced every possible obstacle that can occur in the development of a public project. But we succeeded, and that was important to us because the building of the Technology Park, the first of the four planned in the first phase, is becoming the anchor for the development of this part of the city, the area around Dračevac, which has enormous economic potential,” emphasizes the director of Split – RaST.

For Batinić and his team, the real work is just beginning. Although the Technology Park is open, it’s not yet finished. The interior design for some of the office spaces is just beginning. Meanwhile, groups of entrepreneurs and those planning to become entrepreneurs are touring the space. The tour lasts an hour, and everyone who visits is impressed, says Batinić. As part of the Open Days, which started at the end of July and have been extended until the end of August, around 190 entrepreneurs have signed up for the tour. Batinić says they were quite surprised by this interest, and they were especially pleasantly surprised by the fact that most of the companies involved are developing high technologies.

Ultimately, this space is intended for them because the primary purpose of the Technology Park is to create conditions for the successful development and growth of high-tech companies in Split. Batinić says that the interest in visiting the space during the Open Days confirms that such companies exist in Split. However, there should be many more of them.

"With the opening of the Technology Park, we hope to contribute to the diversification of the entrepreneurial mindset in Split, which is currently worryingly focused on tourism. A large number of young people are only focused on tourism because it brings good earnings with little effort and work. However, we hope that this will change with this project. Through the Technology Park, entrepreneurs will get affordable office space, allowing them to focus on business development. As managers, it is important to us that the building is functional, content-rich, and self-sustaining, which is the true meaning of entrepreneurial support infrastructure," says Batinić.

In the new building at Dračevac, which will cost slightly more than 30 million euros to build, everyone is welcome, but priority will be given to IT and ICT entrepreneurs.

In addition to the aforementioned coworking space, which currently accommodates ten people but has room for 52, the building also has 14 incubation offices intended for startups, i.e., beginner entrepreneurs who have been in business for less than five years. There are also offices for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises that span three floors of the building at Dračevac.

Rental Conditions

Batinić says that eight offices are ready for occupancy, while the remaining approximately 6,000 square meters are in a rough construction phase. Due to the specific process of project design and construction, the city had to carefully consider which rental model to offer. They decided on a rough construction approach, i.e., empty modules that the city will furnish, leaving it to the entrepreneurs to choose the space and its size. "Since the offices are modular and the space is still empty, an entrepreneur can choose a larger or smaller office if they wish," explains Batinić. Also, tenants will be invited to select the space they want to rent based on a ranking list that will be created based on the evaluation of all applications.

"Entrepreneurs must prove that they operate in the high-tech sector, present what they do, their management team, the market, how they contribute to the Smart Specialization Strategy, and the niches of the Adriatic Croatia Industrial Transition Plan..." explains Batinić the criteria that future residents of the innovation hub at Dračevac must meet.

The rental price, he says, is fixed for all offices. Furnished offices will cost 12.70 euros per square meter plus 3.5 euros in common utilities per square meter. The price of unfurnished offices is slightly lower – 11.50 euros. Applications for renting these spaces will open a bit later than initially announced – on September 2. Due to the high interest, the director of Split – RaST says they postponed the start of the competition because they want to allow everyone to see the space in person.

In addition to offices, entrepreneurs in the new space will have access to meeting rooms and shared kitchens. There will also be a conference center with four multimedia rooms, a 3D lab offering 3D modeling, scanning, and printing services, and a data center, as well as commercial facilities – a kindergarten, a shop, a restaurant, two cafes, and a fitness center. The tender for this commercial rental is proceeding as planned and opens today.

Once fully operational, which should be during the next year, it will be a small city of its own, where entrepreneurs who will hopefully change Split and Croatia with their ideas and knowledge will develop. In addition to physical space, they will also have access to an incubation program run by the Split Development Agency – RaST, which will include various training and mentoring sessions.