New €8.7 million IT business centre opens in Osijek

(Photo: Grad Osijek)

A new IT business centre has officially opened in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek.  

The business centre, which opened in Osijek’s IT park, is worth 8.7 million euros, with almost half of it being non-refundable funds from the European Union. 

The centre spans 4000 square meters and includes a modular conference hall with around 300 seats, approximately 30 offices, co-working space, computer laboratory, catering facility, and other amenities. 

At the opening of the centre on Monday, among others, were present Mayor of Osijek Ivan Radić, Deputy Prefect who serves as the Acting Prefect of Osijek-Baranja County Mato Lukić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds Domagoj Mikulić, director of OS Centar company Antonio Lozančić, and president of Osijek Software City Mihael Tomić.

(Photo: Grad Osijek)

“Today is a very nice day for the city of Osijek, for the IT scene in the city of Osijek. As you can see behind me, we are opening a modern building of the IT business centre in the area of the IT park. 

The total value of the IT park is 9.6 million euros, and the value of the IT business centre building itself is 8.7 million euros. We started construction in October 2022. The deadline was 14 months, and all deadlines were met. 

The building is on 4 thousand square meters, and here we plan to have about 200 people working in the IT sector, which is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world, including the city of Osijek. At this moment, they have around 1500 employees. 

(Photo: Grad Osijek)

We are showing, in this way, that we are partners to our entrepreneurs, in this case, to our IT sector, with which we have excellent cooperation. The goal here is to create a synergistic effect among the companies themselves so that some of them can grow into larger companies and employ even more of our fellow citizens.” – said Mayor Radić, adding that the first tenants are expected to move in June this year.

“I take this opportunity to congratulate the city of Osijek and Mayor Radić, his entire team, and the city administration on another major investment. I will just remind you that about 4 years ago, we stood at this place in a wilderness, in a meadow that made no sense in the broader centre of the city of Osijek, where we persuaded the former city administration to build something like this. 

Here, after 3 and a half years, we see where we are, that a building of 4 thousand square meters is finished, and new entrepreneurs will soon move in.” – said Acting Prefect Mato Lukić during the opening ceremony.

(Photo: Grad Osijek)

“The city of Osijek is a major, perhaps the largest, user of EU funds in Croatia. One of the projects they have realised is this phenomenal IT park, which will soon become home to a larger number of IT experts and companies. I am glad that the MRRFEU could participate in such a project with over 4 million euros, financed through the ITU mechanism.” – said State Secretary Mikulić and reminded that Osijek has 55 million euros available through the ITU mechanism.

The centre is managed by the newly established city company OS Centar, and the company’s director Antonio Lozančić said that there is a great demand for new space, and they will soon announce a tender for space rental starting at 8 euros per square meter.

President of the association Osijek Software City, Mihael Tomić, assessed this project as the culmination of cooperation between the City of Osijek, the Osijek Software City association, and the IT sector, concluding that the IT park in Osijek adds weight to the entire IT industry in this region.

The IT park in Osijek is a strategic project of the City of Osijek, whose construction was supported by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. It is a business zone of exceptional importance for the visibility of the city of Osijek as a regional IT center, and it will bring together the entire IT community of Osijek in one place. In addition to solving infrastructure problems for numerous local entrepreneurs, it will also enable the creation of new jobs, attract other domestic and foreign companies, and retain young talents in Osijek.

(Photo: Grad Osijek)

The IT park is located in the broader centre of Osijek, next to one of the main city roads directly connected to the southern bypass, with public city transport, cycling, and pedestrian paths available in the area.

On an area of about 26,000 m², ten land parcels have been developed for communal and infrastructure purposes, ranging in size from 1200 to 2300 m2, and an IT business centre has been built on one of them.

“This centre and this part of the city will gain even greater significance when the new Osijek Clinical Hospital is built across the street, estimated to be worth around 700 million euros.” – emphasised Mayor Radić, adding that the City of Osijek currently records a record high employment rate and a record low unemployment rate.

(Photo: Grad Osijek)

“In 2021 and today, 3 years after I took responsibility for leading Osijek, we have 2700 more employed people in the city of Osijek. At this moment, there is a major investment boom in the city of Osijek, huge projects, worth 350 million euros.” – concluded Mayor Ivan Radić.