Continued collaboration under EuroCC 3 focuses on industry and public sector engagement, healthcare applications, and sharing HPC expertise and resources
On October 14, 2026, representatives of HPC Montenegro (NCC Montenegro) met with colleagues from NCC Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Verlab Institute in Sarajevo to discuss the continuation and expansion of their cooperation within the EuroCC 3 project.
Representatives of NCC Montenegro and NCC Bosnia and Herzegovina during their meeting at the Verlab Institute
Building on collaboration established through the previous EuroCC4SEE project, including a joint workshop on AI and HPC applications in healthcare organized at the Faculty of Medicine in Montenegro and recent collaborative research supporting the pharmaceutical industry, the meeting focused on new opportunities for joint initiatives and broader stakeholder engagement.
The participants discussed several HPC and AI use cases, particularly in healthcare and medical research, where both NCCs have relevant experience. Special attention was given to sharing expertise, human resources, HPC infrastructure, and experiences in engaging and supporting industry partners and public sector institutions. The discussion also addressed the promotion of results achieved through previous cooperation and opportunities to jointly assist companies in accessing European supercomputing resources through EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) access calls.
Discussion was focused on joint efforts and experience sharing aimed at industry engagement
The Verlab Institute also expressed its willingness to support research activities in Montenegro by facilitating connections with healthcare industry partners and exploring opportunities for access to relevant datasets.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both NCCs to strengthening regional collaboration under EuroCC 3, sharing knowledge and resources, and supporting the wider adoption of HPC and AI technologies in academia, industry, and the public sector.
A new scientific paper titled “Premium Domain Name Recommendation via Semantic Retrieval and Reranking of Fixed Aftermarket Inventories” has been published in the international journal IEEE Access. The research was conducted by Milutin Pavićević, Tomo Popović, Srđan Krčo, and Miodrag Vujković from the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) and DunavNET.
The study addresses the challenge of recommending relevant premium domain names from large collections of domains already available for resale. The researchers developed and evaluated an approach combining large language models (LLMs), semantic embeddings, vector search using FAISS, and different reranking strategies. Experiments were conducted on 30,000 domain names sampled from a collection of nearly 700,000 premium domains, with evaluations involving 22 industry experts and 180 students. The results demonstrated the potential of semantic retrieval to improve domain name recommendations while balancing relevance, diversity, and computational cost.
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The research also has clear potential for industrial application. Alicorn, a Montenegro-based software company specializing in solutions for the domain name industry, is already developing AI-powered domain name recommendation technologies, including its Name Sentinel platform. The methods investigated in this study could contribute to further improving such solutions, particularly through more effective semantic search and recommendation of premium domains.
The research represents another example of research and innovation supported by European initiatives and connected with the activities of HPC Montenegro (NCC Montenegro), contributing to the development of AI expertise and stronger links between academia and industry.
As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen the engagement of public enterprises and institutions in the use of advanced computing technologies, HPC Montenegro held a working meeting with representatives of the Port of Bar to explore opportunities for cooperation and the application of High-Performance Computing (HPC) in areas of strategic importance.
During the meeting, a presentation was delivered highlighting the capacities, services, and opportunities offered by HPC Montenegro, with a particular focus on the potential of advanced computing resources to support complex data analysis, evidence-based decision-making, and the development of innovative solutions in the public sector.
Port of Bar (source: lukabar.me)
Special attention was given to the potential application of HPC technologies in the analysis of European Union policies, regulatory frameworks, and strategic development priorities. The discussion highlighted how advanced computing and data-driven approaches could support more effective policy analysis, strategic planning, and informed decision-making, particularly in areas relevant to the maritime and transport sectors.
The meeting resulted in an agreement to establish cooperation with HPC Montenegro in the coming period, with both sides expressing their commitment to identifying priority areas and defining concrete activities where HPC technologies could contribute to the Port of Bar’s operational and strategic development.
HPC Montenegro and Port of Bar online meeting.
The meeting was attended by Sandra Tinaj and Božidar Vlačić and provided an opportunity for a constructive exchange of ideas, experiences, and perspectives on future collaboration.
Following the alignment of cooperation priorities and the identification of specific joint activities, the next working meeting is planned for November, when further steps and opportunities for implementing joint initiatives will be discussed.
This initiative represents another important step in HPC Montenegro’s mission to bring High-Performance Computing closer to public enterprises and institutions in Montenegro, promoting its wider adoption as a driver of digital transformation, innovation, and data-driven strategic development.
Podgorica, 1 October 2026 – NCC Montenegro participated in the second edition of AmCham Future Lab – AI & Tech conference, organised at the Science and Technology Park. Designed as a platform for strategic dialogue between the business, technology and institutional communities, AmCham Future Lab connects global technological trends with local business opportunities. The conference brought together international experts, business leaders, technology professionals and representatives of academia to explore how to accelerate the transition of AI from technological experimentation to practical business applications and generate measurable economic value.
The conference featured prominent speakers, including Alf Rehn, Professor of Innovation, Design and Management at the University of Southern Denmark, who explored human creativity and excellence in the AI era; Vladimir Vulić, President of Digitalizuj.me, who addressed AI-driven business transformation; and Dave Birss, Co-founder of The Gen AI Academy, who delivered a masterclass on strategic AI adoption and business decision-making. The programme also featured business case studies presented by NLB Bank and Roche.
Representing HPC Montenegro, Sanja Nikolić participated in the panel discussion “Beyond the Hype: How AI Is Transforming Business in Montenegro.” She highlighted the critical role of advanced computing infrastructure, high-quality data and specialised expertise in accelerating AI adoption, emphasising the opportunities available to Montenegrin companies through the European supercomputing ecosystem, EuroHPC and AI Factories. Drawing on concrete examples of Montenegrin companies successfully leveraging European supercomputing resources, she demonstrated how access to HPC infrastructure can accelerate innovation, support the development of AI-driven products and services, and create new opportunities to strengthen international competitiveness.
NCC Montenegro’s participation in AmCham Future Lab highlighted the importance of connecting Montenegro’s business community with HPC infrastructure and AI expertize, while reinforcing the Centre’s role in supporting the adoption of advanced technologies and strengthening the national innovation ecosystem. The event also provided valuable networking opportunities, facilitating discussions with business representatives on potential collaboration, training opportunities and access to European supercomputers.
The National Competence Centre Montenegro (NCC Montenegro), operating within the EuroCC3 project, was presented at INFOFEST 2026, the largest regional festival of information technology achievements, held from 27 to 30 September 2026 at Hotel Avala Resort & Villas in Budva, Montenegro, under the slogan “Human in the Loop”.
This year’s edition of the festival brought together several hundred participants from Montenegro and the region, including representatives of the technology and telecommunications industry, banking, energy, public administration, education, and the academic and media communities. Over three days, the programme addressed cyber resilience and new regulatory frameworks (NIS2, DORA), the role of the IT community in responding to natural disasters, digital infrastructure and energy, the labour market, the digital transformation of public services, education for a world shaped by artificial intelligence, child protection online, trust and security in the digital space, and the impact of AI on the media. The key message of INFOFEST 2026 was that while artificial intelligence is changing the rules, decisions and responsibility must remain with people.
The EuroCC3 project and the activities of NCC Montenegro were presented by Bojana Mališić, member of the EuroCC3 project team, as part of the INFOFEST Impact Forum, the festival’s special closing programme dedicated to projects, funding and impact. She outlined the role of the National Competence Centre Montenegro in building the national HPC and AI ecosystem, democratizing access to European supercomputing infrastructure, and supporting SMEs, academia, and public administration in adopting advanced digital technologies, including the opportunities available through the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which provides free access to world-class European supercomputing infrastructure and expertise.
Panel Session: Are We Ready for EU Funds?
As part of the INFOFEST Impact Forum, a panel session titled “Are We Ready for EU Funds? Building a National Ecosystem for Developing Competitive Projects” was organized, bringing together representatives of key national institutions, academia, and the innovation ecosystem: Marko Vukašinović (Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation), Bojan Vujović (Ministry of European Affairs), Branka Žižić (University of Montenegro, Office for Internationalization), Bojana Mališić (University of Donja Gorica, EuroCC3), and Valentina Radulović, MSc (Science and Technology Park of Montenegro, Director).
The panel addressed the readiness of Montenegrin institutions, universities, and companies to successfully apply for and implement projects funded through European Union programmes. The discussion focused on the need to build a connected national ecosystem in which public administration, the academic community, innovation infrastructure, and the business sector work together to develop competitive project proposals, strengthen capacities for project preparation and management, and establish strong international partnerships. Particular attention was given to the role of competence centres such as NCC Montenegro in connecting national stakeholders with European initiatives, providing access to advanced computing resources and expertise, and helping SMEs and research teams turn ideas into fundable, high-impact projects.
The panel session demonstrated that access to EU funds is not only a matter of individual project proposals, but of a coordinated national ecosystem — one in which competence centres, institutions, and the business community jointly create the conditions for Montenegro to make full use of European opportunities in research, innovation, and digital transformation.
A new scientific paper developed within the AI-AGE research project, implemented by the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) and the University of Montenegro, has been published in the international journal Current Medical Imaging. The study, titled “Deep Learning Discrimination of Colorectal Cancer using Retinal Fundus Photographs: UK Biobank Case-Control Study,” explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify retinal imaging patterns associated with colorectal cancer.
Using 1,600 retinal fundus images from the UK Biobank dataset, the researchers developed a deep learning model based on EfficientNet-B3, achieving an AUROC of 0.945 on an independent participant-level test set. The findings suggest that retinal images may contain valuable information about systemic diseases beyond the eye, opening possibilities for future non-invasive screening and risk assessment approaches. However, further clinical validation is required before such methods can be considered for practical healthcare applications.
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The research represents an important achievement for the AI-AGE project and demonstrates the growing potential of advanced AI methods in biomedical research in Montenegro. The project benefits from synergies with HPC Montenegro (NCC Montenegro) and the EuroCC initiatives, which support the development of national competencies in High-Performance Computing (HPC), data analytics, and artificial intelligence. This collaboration contributes to strengthening the research infrastructure and expertise needed for computationally demanding medical AI applications.
The AI-AGE project is implemented by the Faculty for Information Systems and Technologies at UDG and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montenegro, with funding from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro.
NCC HPC Montenegro welcomed a representative of Korsakov Group in mid-September for talks on cooperation and the use of advanced technologies in tourism. The activities of NCC HPC Montenegro were presented, European EuroCC3 initiative, developing the HPC/AI ecosystem, strengthening digital skills, and supporting industry. The services offered by the center free of charge were also presented — from consultations and HPC/AI maturity assessments to proof-of-concept development and access to European supercomputers.
Particular focus was placed on the application of artificial intelligence in tourism, as one of the strategic sectors of the Montenegrin economy. The participants exchanged ideas on concrete directions for cooperation and joint activities that would put HPC and AI technologies to work in developing tourism services.
