site.btaSkopje Launches National AI Center Project

The Republic of North Macedonia on Wednesday officially launched the Vezilka project for a national AI center. Unveiled in the presence of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, the initiative will connect the country's scientific community, public institutions and private sector with the European infrastructure for AI development.

The project, which is to be implemented over a three-year period, will be carried out by the Faculty of Information Sciences and Computer Engineering at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation. The total budget amounts to approximately EUR 6.2 million, with around half of the funding - 3.1 million - provided as a grant by the European Union through the Horizon Europe programme and the EuroHPC initiative, while the remainder will be state co-financing.

According to Digital Transformation Minister Stefan Andonovski, the project represents "a historic step in the country's digital development and an attempt to build a lasting system, rather than implementing individual and short-term digital projects." He added that North Macedonia is becoming "an active part of the European network of artificial intelligence centers."

Vezilka will function as an affiliated center of the Pharos AI Factory in Greece. The partnership will provide direct access to European supercomputers and advanced data spaces, which will be available to public institutions, companies, start-ups and researchers in the country.

The project is "an investment in the future and in the potential of Macedonian scientists, researchers, students and companies," Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said. He added that the National Artificial Intelligence Center would create "new opportunities for local universities, research centers and technology companies, enabling ideas developed in North Macedonia to compete at the European and global level."

A key focus of Mickoski's remarks was "the development of Macedonian language models and digital tools in the Macedonian language". He said that "the presence of the Macedonian language in these technologies is a matter of cultural continuity, scientific development and national self-confidence."

The project envisages the creation of a national system for the deployment of AI in five key sectors: healthcare, energy, public administration, language and culture, and agriculture.