To support further private sector development in Montenegro, leading economists at the University of Podgorica have established the Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE), an independent non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting economic reform, privatization, and entrepreneurship. CFE staff identified one of the main barriers to private sector development -- the lack of business support services and entrepreneurship training. Seeking to address this shortfall, CFE has established its "Business Center", a business service center to provide counseling to new businesses and offer entrepreneurship training programs. Recognizing the wide range of training needs, CFE has targeted training to the unemployed seeking basic information on starting a business, and to existing businesses seeking to expand through partnerships, joint ventures, and new investment. While the Business Center has officially begun operation (training over 100 entrepreneurs, with 10 new businesses begun), it has done so with little financial and technical support. CFE staff is working to improve service delivery and define the organization’s structure, strategy, and sustainability.

Over the next several years CFE and CIPE will work to expand the network of offices and range of services, to produce a Montenegrin-wide network of business centers providing consulting, training and other services to the private sector. In addition, a number of important new projects will also be implemented during this grant period that will allow the CFE to target specific sectors of the population more effectively as well as to increase the involvement of Montenegro’s fledgling private sector in the policy process. The project has already successfully assisted several small businesses to set up shop or to expand production and trade, increase efficiency, and create new jobs.