Ivan Radevic: "Luxembourg is an excellent destination for business development"
What is your research journey?
Ivan Radevic: I started my research journey with a master's thesis in the field of digital economy and marketing management at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Montenegro, and then with a master's thesis in the field of rhetoric in the function of leadership at the Faculty of State and European Studies. A more serious research engagement followed through PhD studies at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Montenegro, which I entered in 2013.
I received my doctorate in the field of management and organisation in healthcare in 2020. Specifically, my topic was Knowledge Management and Organisational Design as factors of service quality in healthcare organisations. This research aims to point out possibilities of improving the quality of health-care system in Montenegro, based on a thorough theoretical and empirical analysis of the application of knowledge management and a multi-contingent approach to organisational design for the purpose of improving quality of healthcare services.
I published both master's theses, as well as the research based on the doctoral dissertation, in the form of 3 monographs. The research results based on the doctoral thesis were published in the USA by the renowned publisher Rowman & Littlefield.
How did you decide to explore science entrepreneurship?
Ivan Radevic: In fact, from a young age I fell in love with the field of management and organisation in practice, and therefore entrepreneurship.
My father has been the owner of the family business (Grafo Press printing house) since 1994, so I have been in the family business in a way since I was 8 years old. In addition, during my education I was active in numerous organisations, predominantly of a non-profit nature. I am one of the founders of the Sports and Recreational Society of Economics and Management Students "Ekomen", which is actually one of the forms of social entrepreneurship, and which will celebrate its 14th anniversary in December of this year.
From 2010 to 2015, I was the manager of the Faculty of Administrative and European Studies in Podgorica, where I also head the School of Rhetoric program.
The field of my scientific interest is management, organisation, entrepreneurship, rhetoric, working with people...
Practical experience and professional orientation naturally directed me towards the field of scientific entrepreneurship.
In addition, one of the basic constructs of research within my doctoral dissertation - Knowledge Management, is complementary to science entrepreneurship as well as the application of scientific knowledge for the purpose of better organisation of business.
Would you consider launching a startup?
Ivan Radevic: I must say that in the classical sense I am not the founder of a startup. Due to responsibilities related to lectures and research, as well as involvement in several existing businesses and organisations, I have not been able to devote myself to the establishment of a new business, that is, to the commercialisation of a concrete idea.
However, it is certain that I have two things in mind. First, to contribute to the innovation activity in the existing organisations of which I am a member, considering that regardless of how old a business is, every new year is a new challenge in the conditions of a changing environment. and seeks new beginnings, changes and innovations.
Secondly, the University is probably the most beautiful place to work, especially from the point of view of contacts with people engaged in research and science from all over the world, as well as with young people – students, who are often a source of innovation and new energy needed to create startups. In this context, it is my absolute intention that in the coming period, at some point, I will launch a specific product or service, which would predominantly concern my expertise, i.e. knowledge management, organisational design and digital economy.
Do you think Luxembourg would be a good market to expand your startup?
Ivan Radevic: Luxembourg is an excellent destination for business development. A very dynamic business environment, with an outstanding entrepreneurial ecosystem. Despite the small territory, there are numerous opportunities to penetrate the markets of neighboring countries.
That Luxembourg is an excellent business destination is also confirmed by the fact that the country is the most attractive destination for international jobseekers.
It is a supportive environment for the development of many startups from different fields (fintech, edtech, greentech, foodtech, biotech, etc.).
Is there a part of the Euraxess Startup Hub Tour in Luxembourg that you particularly valued?
Ivan Radevic: The complete Euraxess Startup Hub Tour in Luxembourg was very interesting and worthwhile for me. Luxembourg is one of the countries that is very similar to my country (Montenegro) in terms of population. However, Luxembourg's GDP is much higher than Montenegro's. In this sense, it was very interesting for me to look at the startup scene in Luxembourg and the business environment in general, and compare it. In many segments, Luxembourg can serve as a benchmark for the Montenegrin economy.
Considering that I come from the University, the most interesting thing for me was to see the role of the University of Luxembourg in encouraging the development of startups. I believe that the University of Luxembourg encourages cooperation and business networking between students, researchers, professors and members of the business community in a good way. In addition, it was particularly interesting for me to learn about the functioning of the Luxembourg Business Angel Network. I hope that in the future we will be able to cooperate with colleagues from Luxembourg, and apply some valuable practices in Montenegro as well.