Belgrade Open School

What Belgrade Open School does

Belgrade Open School (BOŠ) is a Serbian non-profit civil society organization founded in 1993 and headquartered at Masarikova 5, Belgrade. Its stated mission is to develop and network change-makers from the civil, public, and business sectors and to contribute to the improvement of public policies in Serbia. BOŠ works across seven thematic areas: civil society development, European integrations, energy, climate and environment, employment and career guidance, youth policy, good governance, and education. It has reached an aggregate audience of more than 66,000 change-makers and supported over 1,000 civil society organizations across three decades.

BOŠ operates a portfolio of educational programs and digital portals. Its flagship is Studija budućnosti (Future Studies), a one-year program currently running its 34th generation. Supporting digital properties include the BOŠ Karijera career portal, the EU Resource Center portal, the MINGL portal, and the EU pregovori (EU negotiations) portal, alongside podcast content and the AI4Society hackathon. The EU Resource Center is BOŠ's most operationally scaled asset, having delivered 130 trainings and 131 mentoring processes to 2,600 participants across 702 organizations, delivered through a network of six regional offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Užice, Bor, and Jagodina and in partnership with local CSOs such as Interaktivni urbanizam, UCPD, and ENECA.

BOŠ is a grant-funded non-profit. Its revenue base is anchored by the European Union as primary funder and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) as a secondary anchor partner. The organization is not a commercial entity; there is no pricing model, no commercial go-to-market, and no disclosed revenue or ARR. Headcount is listed at 1-10 core staff, though operational scale (six offices, multi-thousand program participants, multi-portal ecosystem) implies a substantially larger project-based workforce of contracted trainers, mentors, and program staff. The go-to-market is effectively donor relationship management plus competitive grant capture, with beneficiaries (CSOs, youth, civic leaders) reached through training cohorts, mentoring, online portals, and convenings.

Name

Belgrade Open School

Legal name

Beogradska otvorena škola

Website

https://bos.rs

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Belgrade Open School is a Serbian non-profit founded in 1993 that trains and networks change-makers across civil, public, and business sectors through programs like Studija budućnosti, six regional offices, and portals focused on EU integration, career guidance, and civic engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society Development Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Systems Strengthening (Policy, Planning, EMIS, Governance) (BPADAKAK), Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Civil society development
• Career counseling services
• Youth empowerment programs
• Public policy advocacy
• Capacity building training

Headquarters

HQ city

Belgrade , Serbia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Belgrade Open School is a non-profit civil society organization that designs and delivers educational programs (notably the one-year Studija budućnosti / Studies of the Future program), career guidance and counseling (via the BOŠ Karijera portal), capacity-building and networking services for Serbian civil society organizations (via the EU Resource Center and its six regional offices), and public-policy advocacy across European integration, youth, climate, and good governance themes. Its offerings are grant-funded and free to end beneficiaries, distributed through physical centers, dedicated web portals, podcasts, and regional events.

Product overview

Belgrade Open School operates as a unified platform offering educational and civic engagement programs rather than a modular software product. Their core offerings include the Studiia budućnosti educational program (now in its 34th generation), the BOŠ Karijera career counseling portal with CV builder and career testing tools, the EU Resource Center portal providing civil society support across Serbia with resource centers in 6 cities, and multiple thematic portals including MINGL for youth engagement, EU pregovori for European integration, and various podcast series. The organization also organizes innovation programs like the AI4Society hackathon. All offerings are focused on strengthening civil society, public policy, and youth empowerment rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EU Resource Center: A resource center for civil society in Serbia, providing support through training, mentorship, and networking programs.
• BOŠ Karijera

Quantifiable outcome

• 66,000+ change makers supported
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Koalicija 27coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of civil society organizations working on good governance and anti-corruption
• AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Chamber of Commerce partnership for business-civil society cooperation
• KOMS (Koalicija mladih Srbije)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational youth coalition network for youth policy and youth participation
• SAM (Serbian Association of Managers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for connecting business management with civil society initiatives
• RNIDS (Serbian National Internet Domain Registry)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for internet and digital development in civil society
• Interaktivni urbanizamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional EU Resource Center partner for Belgrade region
• UCPD (Center for European Policy Studies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional EU Resource Center partner for Užice region
• ENECA (European Non-Governmental Organization Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional EU Resource Center partner for Niš region
• Novinarska školacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional EU Resource Center partner for Novi Sad region
• MPS (Mreža za podršku osobama sa invaliditetom)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional EU Resource Center partner for Jagodina region
• Sigurne stazecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional EU Resource Center partner for Bor region

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Policy Centre (CEP): Serbian think tank focused on EU integration, public policy, and economic reform. Closely comparable in mission (improving public policies, EU accession support) and audience (policymakers, civil society, public).
• CRTA (Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability): Serbian civil society organization working on transparency, accountability, and good governance. Directly comparable as a domestic Serbian NGO focused on EU accession-era civil society strengthening, often partnering with or alongside BOS in coalitions like Koalicija 27.
• BIRODI (Belgrade Center for Human Rights): Belgrade-based civil society organization focused on human rights, good governance, and EU accession monitoring. Comparable as a Serbian NGO addressing policy improvement and civil society development.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations - Western Balkans: Large global foundation with major grantmaking programs in the Western Balkans supporting civil society, education, and governance. Comparable as an established funder and ecosystem builder in the same geographies and thematic areas as BOS.
• ERSTE Foundation: Austrian foundation supporting civil society and democratic development across Central and Southeastern Europe. Comparable as a regional funder and program operator in the same thematic space (education, civic engagement, European integration).
• Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Southeast Europe: German political foundation actively operating in Serbia and the Western Balkans, supporting democratic development, youth policy, and EU integration. Already a BOS financial partner and directly comparable in mission, geography, and audience.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI) Serbia: US-based democracy support organization operating in Serbia, supporting civic participation, political party development, and governance reform. Comparable as an international civil society capacity builder with overlapping programmatic footprint.

Regional players

• GONG: Croatian civil society organization focused on civic participation, democratic accountability, and EU-related civic education. Comparable as a Western Balkans CSO with educational programming on European integration and democratic values.

Emerging players

• European Alternatives: European civil society organization promoting democracy, citizenship, and cultural exchange across Europe. Comparable as an EU-focused civil society capacity builder with programs engaging young change makers across member and candidate states.
• European Western Balkans: Regional platform covering EU enlargement, policy analysis, and Western Balkans integration. Comparable as a Serbia-anchored outlet for EU accession education and public policy discourse.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/bos.rs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8_bvq_pMzyd9hCd4uKgrqA
• Facebookfacebook.com/bos.rs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/study-at-bos
• Instagraminstagram.com/beogradska_otvorena_skola

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Belgrade Open School