Raris - Regional Development Agency Eastern Serbia

Name

Raris - Regional Development Agency Eastern Serbia

Legal name

Regionalna agencija za razvoj istočne Srbije - RARIS

Website

https://raris.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Development Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tourism Trade & Services Exports Development (BPADAMAO), Export Promotion & Market Access Support (BPADAMAC)

Keywords

• Regional development services
• SME business support
• EU project management
• Entrepreneurship mentoring
• Regional tourism promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Zaječar

HQ country

Serbia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees from founding municipalities: RARIS is funded through contributions from its 8 founding local self-governments: Boljevac, Bor, Kladovo, Knjaževac, Majdanpek, Negotin, Sokobanja, and Zaječar. Annual membership/dues support core operations.
2. EU and government project funding: RARIS implements numerous EU-funded projects (Interreg Danube, IPA CBC, etc.) and government-supported programs. Projects cover tourism development, environmental management, digital marketing support, SME competitiveness, EU integration, and cross-border cooperation.
3. Services to MSMEs and entrepreneurs: Provides free advisory services, mentoring, training, and support programs to micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs in Eastern Serbia, often funded through national and EU support programs administered by RAS and NARR.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RARIS provides regional economic development support to Eastern Serbia's eight founding municipalities, MSMEs, entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations. Its core offerings include free advisory and mentoring services, EU project preparation and implementation, digital marketing support via the Internet Marketing Center, regional tourism promotion through the Visit East Serbia portal, diaspora business engagement via the Diaspora Biznis Info platform, and investment promotion through the Invest in Eastern Serbia portal.

Product overview

RARIS (Regional Development Agency Eastern Serbia) is a regional development agency that serves as a coordinating body for economic development initiatives in Eastern Serbia (Bor and Zaječar districts). The organization operates multiple interconnected platforms and services rather than a single unified product: its core offerings include tourism promotion through the Visit East Serbia web platform, diaspora engagement via Diaspora Biznis Info, regional branding through Balcanica Superior certification, and business support services including the Internet Marketing Centar IMCIS, Viber community, and investment portals. These products work together to support entrepreneurship, attract investment, and promote sustainable regional development across Eastern Serbia's 8 municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Balcanica Superior: Regional brand of Eastern Serbia covering products and services from the region.
• Visit East Serbia
• Diaspora Business Info
• Internet Marketing Center of Eastern Serbia (IMCIS)

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 companies received 1.62 million RSD in grants for competitiveness improvement
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• 8 founding municipalities (Boljevac, Bor, Kladovo, Knjaževac, Majdanpek, Negotin, Sokobanja, Zaječar)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner8 local self-governments of Eastern Serbia are the founding members and primary stakeholders of RARIS. They contribute to the agency's operations and receive regional development services including project preparation, EU fund access, and coordination. These municipalities collectively form the Borski and Zaječarski administrative districts.
• Development Agency of Serbia (RAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAS is the national development agency that administers EU and national support programs for MSMEs. RARIS serves as the regional implementation partner for RAS programs including competitiveness grants, mentoring, and innovation support. RAS also evaluates and rates RARIS's performance.
• ALDA - European Association for Local DemocracymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRARIS became a full member of ALDA in 2017. ALDA promotes good governance and citizen participation at local level. ALDA has 250+ members from 40+ countries. Membership provides RARIS with networking, partnership, and project collaboration opportunities across Europe.
• Stalna konferencija gradova i opština (SKGO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanding Conference of Cities and Municipalities of Serbia. RARIS cooperates with SKGO on local government capacity building, EU integration processes, and regional development initiatives.
• ARoTT - Romanian Association for Technology Transfer and InnovationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARoTT from Romania co-founded the ROSEB Initiative with RARIS and the Vidin Chamber of Commerce. AROTT facilitates cross-border technology and innovation cooperation between Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria.
• Vidin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, BulgariamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the ROSEB Initiative trilateral network for cross-border tourism cooperation between Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria, together with RARIS and AROTT.
• 15 partner organizations across 9 Danube countries (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Interreg Danube project Transdanube.Pearls, RARIS collaborates with 15 organizations from 9 Danube countries on sustainable transport and tourism development. The project is led by the Austrian Environment Agency with a budget of approximately 2.9 million euros.
• Science and Technology Park NišminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned memorandum of cooperation for technology park development, innovation support, and knowledge transfer between Niš and Eastern Serbia, particularly supporting the initiative to establish a Technology Park in Bor.
• TACSO - Technical Assistance for Civil Society OrganisationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union mechanism for civil society support. RARIS collaborated with TACSO on the project 'Support to CSOs of Eastern Serbia on the path to EU', organizing workshops on EU accession, policy training, and networking between local CSOs and EU organizations.
• GIZ - German International Development Cooperation (KWD project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ Local Economic Development project in the Danube Region (KWD) supported RARIS activities including study visits to Slovenia and Croatia for wine producers and local government representatives.
• Institute for Border Regions (Institut za pogranična područja)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Institute for Border Regions on organizing the conference 'Future of Border Regions on the Path to EU' in Knjaževac, addressing cross-border cooperation and EU integration.
• NALED - Serbian Business Register AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on RARIS website. NALED is a business regulatory reform organization in Serbia.
• PUM Netherlands - Programme for Underground ExpertsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs program providing free senior expert assistance to SMEs worldwide. RARIS facilitated PUM assignments for ALMAG Kladovo and Hotel Albo Bor, with RARIS handling coordination and application support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ALDA - European Association for Local Democracy: Brussels-based association of 250+ local democracy organizations across 40+ countries. RARIS became a member in 2017, gaining access to EU-wide project networks; broader geographic footprint and policy remit make ALDA a thematic incumbent alongside RARIS in promoting local democratic development.
• Tourist Organization of Serbia (TOS): National tourism promotion body whose destination promotion remit overlaps with RARIS's Visit East Serbia platform. Both market Serbia to international visitors, though TOS works at country level and RARIS at a sub-region. Comparable as destination marketing organizations in the same country.
• Development Agency of Serbia (RAS): National-level economic development and SME support agency that administers grant programs (e.g., competitiveness grants), evaluates and rates accredited regional development agencies including RARIS, and runs the mentoring program under which RARIS mentors operate. RAS is the national counterpart that defines and accredits RARIS's mandate.

Direct peers

• Regional Development Agency Zlatibor: Another accredited Serbian regional development agency covering the Zlatibor district, delivering the same combination of MSME support, tourism promotion, EU project implementation, and municipal services for its constituent local governments. Operates on the same accreditation framework and funding model as RARIS.
• ARoTT - Romanian Association for Technology Transfer and Innovation: Co-founder of the ROSEB cross-border tourism initiative with RARIS. Comparable role as a cross-border development intermediary running EU-funded programs for SME and tourism development in the Romanian-Serbian-Bulgarian border region.
• Regional Development Agency South Serbia: Accredited regional development agency operating in southern Serbia with a similar MSME support, cross-border cooperation, and EU project delivery mandate. Direct peer as another accredited agency within Serbia's regional development network.
• Regional Development Agency Panonija: Accredited regional development agency serving Vojvodina municipalities in northern Serbia. Comparable regional mandate with EU and nationally funded MSME, tourism, and cross-border (Serbia-Croatia-Hungary) programming of the same nature as RARIS's work in Eastern Serbia.

Regional players

• Vidin Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Bulgarian regional chamber of commerce co-founding the ROSEB cross-border tourism network with RARIS and ARoTT. Performs similar SME and economic development promotion functions but on the Bulgarian side of the same Danube border territory.
• NALED - National Alliance for Local Economic Development: Public-private partnership focused on improving Serbia's business environment through regulatory reform. RARIS is listed as a partner. NALED's SME regulatory and business environment work intersects with RARIS's MSME support mandate at a Serbia-wide scale.
• Standing Conference of Cities and Municipalities (SKGO): National Serbian association of local governments for capacity building and EU integration. Listed as a RARIS partner but operates at the country rather than sub-region level, covering local government training and EU accession support that RARIS complements at the regional layer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regionalagencyraris

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Raris - Regional Development Agency Eastern Serbia