The Minister of Digital Transformation, Stefan Andonovski, today officially presented the project “Vezilka”– National Centre for Artificial Intelligence, a capital project of historical significance for the digital transformation of the Republic of Macedonia.
The project, with a total value of approximately 6 million euros, is being implemented with financial support from the European Union through the Horizon Europe program and the EuroHPC initiative, and is co-financed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and FINKI – the project leader.
“This is a capital project of historical and national importance– a new chapter in the digital development of Macedonia, where the Government, universities and industry jointly build a national system for artificial intelligence, with ‘Vezilka’, our country becomes an active part of the European network of artificial intelligence centres. This is an essential step for our scientific, technological and innovation community,” emphasized Minister Andonovski.
The centre will be an affiliated unit of the European AI factory "Pharos" based in Greece, which will provide Macedonian institutions, researchers, companies and startups with access to European supercomputers and advanced data spaces.
The project also has a clear social mission - to create a national ecosystem for responsible and trusted application of AI in the following five priority areas:
First and foremost: Language and Culture - the goal of this project is primarily the systemic development of Macedonian language models and digital protection of cultural heritage;
Further, the application of AI in Healthcare - analysis of health data and improvement of medical services;
Energetics- optimization of energy production and consumption;
Public administration - process automation and increased transparency;
Agriculture - application of smart technologies for modern and sustainable production.
The essence of "Vezilka" is simple: to create intelligent solutions that serve humanity- to make technology accessible, useful and ethical.
In addition, “Vezilka” will also function as a center for training and human capital development, where trainings, practical projects and educational programs in the field of artificial intelligence will be organized.
“We are creating a system, not ad hoc projects. ‘Vezilka’ symbolizes our vision – Macedonia as a digitally sovereign state with a strong scientific and innovative foundation. This is a step by which our country becomes an active partner in the European technological space, and not just an observer,” added Minister Andonovski.
Finally, he extended a public invitation to all academic and scientific institutions, as well as the private sector, to get involved in this national project with a European dimension, with the aim of building a smart, digital and innovative Macedonia.
