Agro-tourism and local gastronomy in Northern Moldova are more visible and accessible to the public thanks to a Slovak-funded project. Launched in April 2023, a Slovak company PRO4CE, in cooperation with the Moldovan local partner North Regional Development Agency (ADR Nord) embarked on a journey to equip regional businesses with the necessary digital skills to thrive in today’s market landscape on various digital platforms. 

“Bringing high-quality local organic products to the clients will be used as a tool for the development of the tourism sector in the given region. This approach supports the regional producers. It is ecological, and supports local economy and regional, sustainable development,” said Erik Heidema from Pro4CE at the beginning of the project. A year-long efforts towards digitalization and market accessibility have borne fruit.  

Project results 

Several stakeholders now boast an enhanced digital presence. Ten Moldovan tourism service providers and farmers have been trained to work with digital platforms, create packages based on market segments, and improve visuals. In this way, they amplify their market reach. Some of them were also added to the moldova.travel website. 

In addition to supporting the creation or improvement of social media communication channels for the mentioned ten partners, the project also created: 

1. To promote regional rural tourism in northern Moldova, a digital interactive map was created, which shows local food producers, service providers and accommodation in agritourism, tourist routes, etc. It will also be displayed on the North Regional Development Agency’s website.
2. A digital Cookbook with regional specialties, which was distributed to tourism service providers as a communication tool. The book is intended for domestic as well as foreign tourists, that’s why they were in two language versions, English and Romanian.  

Despite the fact that the project was implemented only in North Macedonia, it can be easily replicated and expanded to other Moldovan regions, thanks to the fact that NRDA members were trained in the use of digital tools and platforms for marketing and sales purposes. A network of partner tourism organizations was also built for future cooperation to support rural tourism in northern Moldova. 

About the support 

Slovak Challenge Fund searches for solutions of Slovak companies to address specific development goals. It is financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and implemented by UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. Pro4CE receive financial support for the project “Digital development of organic agro-tourism in North Moldova” in the amount of USD 37,150.

Since 2020, the Slovak Challenge Fund (SCF) has supported the implementation of 11 innovation projects in Moldova and Northern Macedonia. Six new ideas will enlarge the SCF family and try to make an innovative impact in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. In the last call, these two countries were added to the eligible countries where SCF projects can be implemented. 

With 31 applications received and 6 initiatives selected, this has been one of the most successful calls for proposals in the Slovak Challenge Fund history. “It is very positive that the Slovak private sector is willing to engage in development cooperation and share its innovative know-how. We are also glad that we have the tools to support especially innovations, in which we see a great perspective for regional development, especially in areas of the world where it is very necessary. At the same time, it is a helping hand for the Slovak business community, providing support for testing their new ideas in various environments or opening new markets for their innovative solutions”, said Maros Mitrik from the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. 

Slovak Challenge Fund is much more than just financial support. By asking innovators to engage local partners, the fund facilitates networking opportunities as well as knowledge exchange. The six new initiatives that aim to make a positive change range from digitization and AI to bio-decontamination.  

Projects that push the boundaries of conventional thinking 

Belabela Technology tries to minimize the work of beekeepers and reduce the cost of treating bee colonies. By testing a stainless-steel beehive with the hyperthermic system, the solution aims to solve the problem with parasites that destroy bees. The project is implemented in Serbia.  

BioX Technologies will present a new method of improving the environment by using aquatic microalgae to collect heavy metals from water and soil. The benefit of this method is the reduction of toxic metals in contaminated waters or soils at various locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

DODO Solutions focuses on digitization of museum exposition and all information through QR technology. This solution offers a user-friendly exposition availability for visitors and solves the problem of access to information and flexible manageable information in museums in Sarajevo. 

ENVIS will analyze samples from local beekeepers to see whether analysis of bee products could provide an inexpensive alternative to costly traditional environmental monitoring of mine wastes in Serbia and elsewhere.  

MicroPoll will use innovative technologies in the fight against global drought. MicroPoll will test their new model of small portable wastewater treatment plants that can be used in households and small operations. This innovation enables better, easier and less expensive water management, especially for smaller users. 

PowereX will evaluate readiness of the electricity network and electricity market for AI-driven virtual power plants (VPPs) in Serbia. They will apply AI and algebraic optimization to measure and predict production and consumption of energy sources. 

All supported solutions contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

About 

Slovak Challenge Fund (SCF) is financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and implemented by UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. It is available for various innovations, including products, services, programming approaches, operational changes, financial, market or technology-driven innovations. The financial support provided by SCF ranges between USD 20,000 and 40,000 per project. 

More information: https://slovakchallengefund.slovakaid.sk/.  

It is a unique opportunity for Slovak private sector entities to have their innovative idea tested or implemented abroad. SCF is in search of innovative solutions that could boost development and economy in 4 target countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, or Serbia. All supported solutions must contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. 

“In just few years since its launch, Slovak Challenge Fund has already succeeded, for example, in testing how remote monitoring of patients can improve health especially of those at risk, or how fungi as living organisms can be used to clean up the soil. Slovakia has a lot to offer developing countries. We believe the number of applications received this year will prove that”, says Viktória Mlynarčíková, Project Manager of the Slovak Challenge Fund at UNDP.   

Applicants can submit proposals addressing natural resources and nature-based solutions, energy transition, innovations in agriculture, implementation or improvement of e-governance, and resilience of societies within the context of current crises. 

The awarded prize provided by the SCF ranges from USD 20,000 up to USD 40,000. It represents maximum 80 % of total project budget. The project must be implemented in partnership with local partner(s) to ensure that the solution is adaptable and viable in local conditions. 

How to submit

Deadline for applications is 8 September 2023, the form is available here.

SCF is financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic and implemented by UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. 

The roof has the potential to save up to 30% of the cost of providing rooftop photovoltaics compared to the most common solutions leading to an even more attractive return on investment. This extraordinary benefit lies in the integration of the PV elements into the roofing and the associated savings in construction and installation materials.

The winner of the Slovak National Design Award, Nice Visions, which is developing the solution, already offers another innovative solution in the field of BIPV (Building-integrated Photovoltaics) with its Solar Tiles.

The project to replace the original roof at the adventure complex in Moldova will be implemented with a new roofing system integrating photovoltaic modules into the roofing. This will bring not only aesthetic and performance qualities to the complex, but also all the features that are required of a building roof. The economic and structural advantage is the result of combining these features instead of using separate roof elements and an additional PV component.

By maximizing the energy gains achieved, this will be a highly efficient solution for building retrofitting. Replacing the original, in this case shingle roof, with a photovoltaic solution from Nice Visions, will cover a significant part of the energy needs of the site in question.

“The current demand for solar energy is fuelled not only by rising energy prices, but mainly by the growing environmental consciousness of the population. With this comes the search for products and solutions that are both aesthetically pleasing and affordable. Therefore, we believe that thanks to the cooperation with UNDP, our innovative solution, which is suitable for a significant proportion of buildings, will quickly find clients and supporters,” comments architect Igor Žáček, founder of Nice Visions, on receiving the grant.

Work on the project started with the signing of the contract in April 2023; the first kilowatts will be delivered by the new solar roof within 12 months at the latest.

Pro4CE will implement a project focused on online marketing of the agro-tourism business. Using experience in supporting the development of tourism and rural areas in Slovakia, it will boost local organic food business in Northern Moldova by opening online market access to local producers. Through tailor-made digital tools and platforms like an online cookbook or an interactive map the regional producers will enhance (scale-up) their offers of gastronomic and rural adventure.

“The delicious organic food treasures of northern Moldova are ready to be discovered. This project aims to contribute to facilitating their market penetration through digital tools. Bringing high-quality local organic products to the clients will be used as a tool for the development of the tourism sector in the given region. This approach supports the regional producers. It is ecological, and supports local economy and regional, sustainable development” says Erik Heidema from Pro4CE.

Cooperation with local agency

Pro4CE will engage the North Regional Development Agency as a local partner to assist with the project implementation. The agency is a key regional player in coordinating and supporting regional and local communities for sustainable development in Northern Moldova. The project will support, train and guide selected participants through the whole process from content development up to digital presentation of their offers. Once the digital tools are developed and tested, it will be made available for other users and regions.

About Slovak Challenge Fund

Pro4CE will receive financial support from the Slovak Challenge Fund as a successful applicant in the third call for proposals. SCF searches for solutions of Slovak companies to address the specific development goals. It is financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MFEA SR) and implemented by UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub.

In Moldova, water withdrawal by industry and municipalities increases and renewable water sources decrease. The Slovak Challenge Fund supported a project that measured the quality of drinking water sources throughout the territory, with the focus on detection of selected pesticides.

An innovative PickMol TM technology was developed by the Slovak company Saftra Photonics. It is portable, easy-to-use, and green. It is also cost effective and makes pollution monitoring more affordable. After considering secondary costs caused by use of conventional technology, reduction in costs for the analysis of one sample is 10-fold to 50-fold. “Neither special chemicals and laboratories nor expensive instruments are required for instant screening of pollution in the field. Thus, the sensor-based technology is a very good option for countries with less favorable economic conditions,” says Roman Oros from Saftra Photonics. The significant cost reduction will allow local agencies using the technology to conduct water monitoring at the EU standard level.

Altogether, 350 samples were analyzed. The sensor-based screening was applied in 45 different country locations covering all regular monitoring spots selected by partner Environmental Agency of the Republic of Moldova (EA). “The PickMol technology has proved to be an extremely sensitive and fast screening method of a relatively large territory in a very short time”, says Gavril Gilca from the Environmental Agency. He continues: “Equipping the National Surface Water Quality Monitoring System is very likely. It would significantly contribute to the process of real-time identification of Persistent Organic Pollutants in surface waters and greatly influence national decision-making process.”

The terrain water analyses were real-time accessible for operators in central lab of Environmental Agency thanks to the detection system PickMol RAMASCOPE. It was modified for sending the measured data to the data cloud that had been established. The accessibility of cloud data (results), connectivity and functionality of detection system have been successfully demonstrated and approved both in the field and in central laboratory of EA.

Roman Oros believes the potential of the technology is enormous. “Not only institutions, but also small communities or villages can make use of it to control their private water sources. We are bringing cheap analyses to reveal the water contamination. It can also have a big social impact in the following years, as you need just mobile phone to send data and get results almost immediately in return”, he says.

 

How the chip works

The sensing chip is immersed into a water sample for a minute. Alternatively, one drop of untreated water sample is placed onto the chip. After drying out, the sensing chip is placed to the portable detector RAMASCOPE™ that detects selected contaminants within two minutes. The measured data can be either sent by mobile phone to the cloud to obtain results or evaluated directly on the spot by connecting to a laptop. To assure data quality, the chemical standards of each pesticide were tested three times.

 

The water monitoring study was conducted within the project:

“PickMol: State-of-Art Control of Water Quality in Moldova”.
The project was implemented from February 2022 to February 2023.