HPC Montenegro at the Eastern European Machine Learning Summer School (EEML 2026) in Cetinje

NCC HPC Montenegro took part as a partner of the Eastern European Machine Learning Summer School (EEML 2026), held from 27 July to 1 August 2026 in Cetinje. The school brought together around 300 participants from across the European Union — roughly half of them from Eastern Europe — along with researchers and companies from Montenegro, making it one of the largest AI and machine learning gatherings in the region.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (28–29 July), HPC Montenegro hosted a booth where our team spent two full days talking with participants about high-performance computing (HPC) for AI and machine learning. These conversations connected us with representatives from industry and academia — both from Montenegro and from across Europe — and gave us the chance to understand their computing needs and show how HPC resources can support their work.

On Thursday, 30 July 2026, HPC Montenegro delivered a welcome talk to all participants. We presented the activities of NCC HPC Montenegro, traced the history of the EuroCC initiative through the EuroCC1, EuroCC2 and EuroCC4SEE projects, and reported on how researchers and organisations in Montenegro have been using EuroHPC access. We invited participants from Montenegro to collaborate with us and to request our services, and we helped participants from the wider region and other parts of the EU find and connect with the National Competence Centres (NCCs) in their own countries.

Our involvement in EEML 2026 reflects the twofold mission of NCC HPC Montenegro: providing training support to help build HPC and AI skills across the region, and engaging with industry to bring the benefits of high-performance computing to companies and the wider economy.

We are especially proud that several members of the HPC Montenegro team provided hands-on support and training to participants throughout EEML, helping them with practical work and with mastering machine learning tools and concepts. Alongside this, members of our team and students also took part as volunteers in the organisation of the school and in EEML activities.

You can find out more about the school at www.eeml.eu. To learn more about NCC HPC Montenegro, or to discuss collaboration and access to our services, get in touch with our team.

NCC HPC Montenegro featured at the meeting of the President of Montenegro with AI experts

Representatives of NCC HPC Montenegro attended a meeting of the President of Montenegro and the President’s Cabinet dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence, held on 28 July 2026 in Cetinje. Around ten AI experts from Montenegro took part. Among those present were the President of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU), university representatives, members of the diaspora, representatives of the Montenegrin AI Association (MAIA), and representatives from industry. Participants exchanged views with the President and his associates on the directions for developing this field in the country.

The meeting also touched on the Master’s programme in Artificial Intelligence — the first programme of its kind in Montenegro, delivered with the support of NCC HPC Montenegro and the EuroCC projects. HPC Montenegro presented the goals and projects of the EuroCC initiative and the services offered by the NCC, with particular attention to supporting industry in accessing HPC resources. In the discussion on the need for data centres and HPC infrastructure in Montenegro, NCC HPC Montenegro was recognised as part of the platform for further steps in this area.

For NCC HPC Montenegro, this was an important opportunity to be presented at the highest level of public administration and to bring its capacities and results closer to decision-makers. We look forward to taking part in the further steps and activities aimed at strengthening the artificial intelligence ecosystem in Montenegro.

More about the meeting: the President of Montenegro’s Instagram and the post on X.

HPC Montenegro Explores ICT Sector Trends and User Needs for Advanced Digital Services

On 25 July 2026, representatives from NCC Montenegro attended the presentation of the Analysis of Montenegro’s ICT Sector Performance in 2025, organized by the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro and ICT Cortex. The event brought together leaders from business, public institutions, academia, and international organizations to review sector dynamics and future growth trends. NCC Montenegro participated as part of its ongoing efforts to monitor market developments, understand evolving IT needs, and identify opportunities and challenges in adopting advanced digital technologies.

Based on company financial statements, Montenegro’s ICT sector demonstrated positive growth. While the reported number of companies fell by 19% (due to market consolidation and the exit of non-resident entities), overall sector employment grew by 14%, total revenue increased by 12%, and aggregate profit surged by 93% year-over-year. IT services account for over 80% of all ICT companies and employ around 70% of the sector’s workforce, while telecommunications—representing just 4% of ICT firms—generate over 50% of total sector revenue. Software development and programming form the core of the ICT sector, accounting for 75% of companies, 66% of employees, and over 53% of total wages. However, economic activity remains heavily concentrated in Podgorica and coastal municipalities, highlighting a clear opportunity for broader regional development.

The event also highlighted the priorities of Montenegro’s new Smart Specialisation Strategy for 2026–2031. ICT retains its horizontal role in enabling the digital transformation of other priority sectors while being recognized as a vertical driver of economic growth. Almost 40% of the resources planned for the first two years of the Strategy’s implementation will be directed toward the ICT sector and digital transformation initiatives. Furthermore, discussions focused on AI Strategy priorities, supporting mature IT firms, boosting software export potential, and helping junior professionals adapt to AI-driven labor market shifts.

Insights gathered from sector monitoring and stakeholder engagement allow NCC Montenegro to directly align its services with industry demand by identifying HPC/HPDA/AI-related business challenges, targeting companies capable of developing computationally intensive use cases, and streamlining industry access to EuroHPC infrastructure and AI resources. NCC Montenegro will continue collaborating with the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, ICT Cortex, and the broader business community to advance national digital capabilities and connect local innovation with European supercomputing assets.

NCC Montenegro Visited Logate to Discuss HPC/AI Opportunities

NCC Montenegro continued its outreach activities with a visit to Logate, one of Montenegro’s leading technology companies. With two decades of experience in software solutions for telecommunications, banking, and enterprise clients, Logate manages over 20 million user accounts daily for more than 200 companies across Montenegro and the region. Its strong engineering capacity, industry-focused products, and international presence make it an important partner for discussing advanced digital solutions.

During the meeting, NCC Montenegro presented its service portfolio, support activities EuroHPC access opportunities, AI Factories framework and HPC/AI reference cases in Montenegro. NCC Montenegro also presented the upcoming FFplus Open Calls, which support European SMEs and startups in adopting HPC and generative AI through business experiments and innovation studies.

The visit opened discussion on project ideas, potential HPC/AI use cases, technical requirements, application pathways, and future cooperation. It also represents another step in strengthening the link between EuroHPC opportunities and Montenegro’s ICT companies with strong innovation and international growth potential.

NCC Montenegro Team Participated in the “AI Economy” Scientific Event at MASA

Podgorica, 18 June 2026 – Members of the National Competence Centre for HPC in Montenegro – NCC Montenegro participated in the scientific event “AI Economy”, held at the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA) and organized by the Department of Social Sciences, through the Committee for Economic Sciences, Demography and Anthropology.

The event brought together representatives of academia, researchers, experts and stakeholders from different sectors to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy, education, professions, business models, digital transformation, healthcare, cybersecurity and broader societal change.

The participation of the NCC Montenegro team focused on connecting the topic of the AI economy with the challenges and opportunities of small economies, the development of local digital and AI capacities, and the role of education, communication and interdisciplinary skills in the emerging technological environment. A key message was that small economies should not remain only consumers of ready-made AI solutions, but should develop their own knowledge, infrastructure, research capacity and sector-specific expertise in order to actively participate in the AI economy.

The event was also used as an opportunity to feature the activities of NCC Montenegro, the EuroCC3 project, and the possibilities offered by the European HPC ecosystem to researchers, universities, the public sector and industry in Montenegro. In this context, the importance of HPC access was highlighted for the development and testing of AI models, large-scale data processing, advanced analytics, organizational digital transformation and the development of innovative industry-oriented solutions.

The NCC Montenegro team emphasized that the application of AI in the economy is not only a technological issue, but also a matter of human, institutional and infrastructural capacity building. For this reason, NCC Montenegro activities include support for accessing HPC resources, training, consultancy, academia-industry collaboration and awareness raising on how HPC and AI can contribute to business development, research, innovation and the improvement of education.

Participation in this event represents another step in strengthening cooperation between academia, industry and the public sector, particularly in areas where AI, HPC and data-driven approaches can contribute to competitiveness, efficiency and sustainable development in Montenegro.

NCC Montenegro will continue to promote the use of European HPC resources, strengthen local capacities and support organizations in Montenegro interested in developing advanced digital, AI and data-driven solutions.

NCC Montenegro at ICMO 2026 and Special Training Session on HPC/AI for Business Community

The National Competence Centre Montenegro (NCC Montenegro), operating within the EuroCC3 was presented at the ICMO 2026 International Conference on Management and Organization – “Sustainability by Design: Rethinking Strategy, People & Digital Futures”, held in Przno, Montenegro.

The conference brought together more than 300 participants from over 45 countries, with more than 30 keynote, invited, and editorial speakers, and a Scientific Committee comprising researchers from 46 countries, including representatives of all 27 EU member states. ICMO 2026 served as a high-level platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience between researchers, journal editors, doctoral candidates, institutional leaders, and business community representatives.

The EuroCC3 project and the activities of NCC Montenegro were presented by Stevan Čakić, member of the EuroCC3 project team, who 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.

Special Training Session: HPC/AI for Business Competitiveness

As part of the conference programme, NCC Montenegro organized a dedicated special session and training titled “Exploring HPC/AI and Management: Driving Organizational Competitiveness in the Digital Era”, specifically designed for SMEs and the wider business community.

The training addressed the growing need for small and medium-sized enterprises to leverage advanced digital technologies — including High Performance Computing (HPC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data — as strategic tools for enhancing competitiveness, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. Participants were introduced to key concepts and practical applications of HPC and AI in areas such as demand forecasting, financial modelling, predictive analytics, and data-driven business models, as well as the opportunities available through EuroCC3 and the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which provides free access to world-class European supercomputing infrastructure and expertise — including to SMEs and startups.

A particular highlight of the training was a real-world research use case titled “How the Institutional HPC Infrastructure Turned 50,647 Policy-Document URLs into a Reproducible Country-Year Research System”, presented by researcher, Bozidar Vlacic, from the and the Católica Porto Business School & CEGE, Universidade Católica Portuguesa and University of Donja Gorica. The use case demonstrated in concrete terms the transformative power of HPC for research and business analytics: using EuroHPC supercomputing infrastructure, the research team processed over 50,000 candidate policy-document URLs, successfully downloading and converting nearly 37,000 PDFs — totalling 92.6 GB of data — into a clean, analysis-ready country-year database spanning 55 countries over the period 2007–2021. A task estimated to take nearly 30 days on a standard laptop was completed in a single overnight cluster run of under 16 hours, compressing time-to-evidence dramatically and making a previously unfeasible large-scale empirical study operationally credible. The resulting research system examined how industrial policy signals in public documents relate to national innovation capability — measured through R&D intensity, scientific publications, and resident patents — delivering directly actionable insights for both policymakers and business analysts.

This use case illustrated to the business community how HPC is not only a tool for science and engineering, but a strategic enabler for data-driven management, policy analysis, and competitive intelligence.

NCC Montenegro at ICMO2026

EuroHPC Allocation secured resources for project “Very-High-Resolution Atmospheric Reanalysis over Montenegro”

A research proposal submitted under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking Development Access call (EHPC-DEV-2026D06-045) has been successfully evaluated and officially approved, marking a continued commitment to HPC-driven atmospheric research in Montenegro.

The project, titled “HPC Development for Very-High-Resolution Atmospheric Reanalysis over Montenegro (1994–2008) Using the WRF-NMM Modeling System and ERA5 Reanalysis Data”, has been granted 4,000 node hours on the LUMI-C partition for a period of 12 months. This represents a continuation of the previously completed project on the LUMI HPC system, which successfully delivered very-high-resolution atmospheric simulations over Montenegro using the same modelling framework.

Lumi HPC

The research builds upon the NMM (Nonhydrostatic Mesoscale Model) dynamic core, originally developed by Prof. Zavisa Janjic, and aims to produce very-high-resolution atmospheric simulations reaching horizontal resolutions of up to 400 metres over the Montenegrin domain, driven by ERA5 reanalysis data. Building on the results and experience gained in the previous allocation, the project continues to advance ongoing research in numerical weather prediction and atmospheric modelling on state-of-the-art HPC infrastructure.

This allocation enables IHMS to further advance research in numerical weather prediction and atmospheric modelling, leveraging the capabilities of state-of-the-art HPC infrastructure, said Angel Marcev, Principal Investigator (PI) of the project, from the Institute of Hydrometeorology and Seismology of Montenegro.

The National Competence Centre (NCC) Montenegro provided support throughout the application process within the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking framework.