Sefidanis at UIST Ohrid: Deep Tech, Entrepreneurship and Higher Education on One Stage
On 28 November 2025, Sefidanis founder and CEO Prof. Anis Sefidanis, PhD, took part in a landmark panel at the University of Information Science and Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” (UIST) in Ohrid, dedicated to “Innovation at the Intersection of Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and Higher Education.” The event formed part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Macedonia 2025 and was hosted on the UIST campus, bringing together academic leaders, researchers and ecosystem partners to discuss how universities can become true engines of deep-tech startups rather than just places where ideas are born. Instagram+3UIST+3UIST+3
From university labs to deep-tech ventures
The official announcement of the panel framed the central challenge very clearly: deep-tech breakthroughs often emerge in university laboratories, but too many of them never make it to the market. That gap between research and application was presented as lost innovation potential – not only for individual universities, but for North Macedonia’s economy and the wider region. UIST+2School and College Listings+2
GEW Macedonia 2025, hosted nationally by Startup Macedonia with strong support from StartupClub Skopje and the AI-powered digital innovation assistant DINNA, was designed precisely to close such gaps across the ecosystem. Within that framework, the UIST panel in Ohrid had a focused mission: to show how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can move from being passive sources of talent to active partners in building deep-tech companies. LinkedIn+3UIST+3Facebook+3
The event communication, amplified across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, emphasized several lines of exploration. The panel would look at how research in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum technologies can be translated into ventures, how universities can build more effective technology transfer offices, and how both faculty and student founders can be supported on their journey from idea to company. In addition, the messaging highlighted that the text itself was generated and published with the help of DINNA, showcasing in a practical way how AI tools are already being integrated into outreach and community-building activities. Instagram+3School and College Listings+3Facebook+3
A GEW 2025 highlight at UIST Ohrid
On the day of the event, Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 “brought the challenge to the stage” at UIST. The session gathered a panel of experts including Atanas Hristov, PhD, Jovanka Damoska Sekuloska, PhD, Anis Sefidanoski, PhD, and Aleksandar Karadimche, PhD, who joined forces to discuss how high-impact scientific work can be transformed into sustainable companies and long-term innovation capacity. UIST’s own recap later described the conversation as a critical and inspiring discussion during GEW 2025. UIST+3UIST+3UIST+3
Social-media reflections on the session underlined the same message. Posts shared by UIST and partner channels characterise the panel as a vivid look at how the university is helping students and faculty to convert breakthrough research into real-world companies. Startup Macedonia’s own materials echoed the idea that collaboration among universities, startups and support organizations is the spark that turns local ideas into global impact – and positioned the Ohrid panel as one of the emblematic moments of GEW Macedonia 2025. LinkedIn+3Facebook+3Facebook+3
The contribution of Sefidanis
For Sefidanis, this panel sits exactly at the intersection where the company operates. As Associate Professor of AI & Robotics at UIST, Prof. Sefidanis leads academic work in machine intelligence, robotics and emerging technologies, mentoring a new generation of engineers and researchers. At the same time, through Sefidanis and related ventures, he is actively building projects and spin-off initiatives in fields such as AI systems, digital healthcare and culture-tech, where research outcomes become prototypes and products. LinkedIn+2LinkedIn+2
During the panel, he brought this dual perspective of professor and founder to the discussion. Drawing on the themes outlined in the official announcement, his contribution focused on how to design academic programmes, research projects and university infrastructure so that they naturally lead toward entrepreneurship – not as a separate track, but as an organic continuation of scientific work. In this context, deep-tech research in AI or robotics is not seen as an end in itself, but as the starting point for high-value companies, new jobs and real social impact. UIST+2School and College Listings+2
Prof. Sefidanis also highlighted the importance of building bridges between Ohrid, Skopje and international partners. By connecting UIST’s research environment with initiatives such as Startup Macedonia’s programmes and the broader GEW network, Sefidanis is positioning the region as a credible node in the global deep-tech landscape – one where ambitious ideas can stay rooted locally while reaching markets and collaborators worldwide. Facebook+2UIST+2
A model for future collaboration
Looking back, the combination of the pre-event announcement, the UIST news article and the rich social-media coverage paints a coherent story. The panel was conceived as a response to the chronic problem of deep-tech research remaining stuck in laboratories; it was organized within a national celebration of entrepreneurship that explicitly foregrounded AI-driven collaboration tools; and it culminated in a concrete conversation at UIST about how to turn research outputs into startups and innovation capacity. Instagram+3UIST+3UIST+3
For Sefidanis, participation in this panel is both recognition and responsibility. It recognises the company’s growing role in shaping North Macedonia’s AI and deep-tech ecosystem, but it also reinforces a responsibility to continue building the bridges discussed in Ohrid: between higher education and industry, between local talent and global networks, and between conceptual research and solutions that directly improve people’s lives.
References / Sources and original dates
[1] “Innovation at the Intersection of Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and Higher Education”, University of Information Science & Technology “St. Paul the Apostle” – official announcement of the panel, dated 27 November 2025. UIST+1
[2] “GEW 2025 Panel Discussion: Innovation at the Intersection of Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and Higher Education”, UIST news article reporting on the event, posted 1 December 2025 (News & Events section). UIST+2UIST+2
[3] UIST Facebook post and cross-posted content via School & College Listings, sharing the announcement and full descriptive text of the panel (including schedule, topics and DINNA note), with image label dated 27 November 2025. School and College Listings+2Facebook+2
[4] UIST Facebook / Instagram recap posts (“What a fantastic session at UIST Ohrid for Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025… our panel on Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and Higher Education…”) highlighting key speakers and outcomes, with image label dated 2 December 2025. Instagram+2School and College Listings+2
[5] Startup Macedonia social-media posts promoting GEW Macedonia 2025 and the role of Dinna.ai and partners (including references to the deep-tech panel at UIST), published in 2025 in the run-up to and during GEW. LinkedIn+3Facebook+3Facebook+3
[6] University “St. Paul the Apostle” – Ohrid (@UOhrid) posts on X, announcing the event and inviting participants to join the deep-tech panel on 28 November 2025 at 11:00. X (formerly Twitter)+2X (formerly Twitter)+2
[7] Prof. Anis Sefidanis, PhD – LinkedIn profile and public biographical information, confirming his roles as Associate Professor of AI & Robotics at UIST and founder/CEO of Sefidanis, consulted in 2025. LinkedIn+1
