The international consortium, with the Institute of Economic Sciences from Belgrade as the lead partner, started on October 1, 2023 with the implementation of the inclusive scientific project The Institute of Economic Sciences from Belgrade has started the implementation of the inclusive scientific project "Digital Marketing Capacity Building - Empowering Persons with Physical Disabilities for Remote Work", short DI-MARK.

The DI-MARK project was approved under the highly competitive ESF 2022 SOC-INNOV call of the European Social Fund plus (ESF) and was awarded 96/100 points by the evaluators, which is one of the highest scores for projects in the field of social sciences that Serbia has received for programs funded by the European Commission. The duration of the project is 24 months (1 October 2023 - 30 September 2025).

The DI-MARK project is implemented by the Digital Economics Department of the Institute of Economic Sciences in cooperation with nine institutions from Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro under the Employment and Social Innovation component of the European Social Fund plus, the main EU program in the field of labor, employment and social policy, which is also open to candidate countries for EU membership.

Partners involved in the implementation of the project:

1. Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia - Project Manager
2. Regional Agency for Development and European Integration, Belgrade, Serbia
3. Association of Persons with Disabilities Belgrade, Serbia
4. Jaglac - Association of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Croatia
5. Centre for Entrepreneurship, Osijek, Croatia
6. Entrepreneurial - Development Centre of the Municipality of Erdut, Croatia
7. Municipality of Erdut, Croatia
8. MAMM, Nikšić, Montenegro
9. Association of Disabled Youth in Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
10. Municipality of Kotor, Montenegro.

DI-MARK project focuses on the use of digital technologies to improve inclusion, i.e. improving the digital marketing competencies and skills of persons with physical disabilities for remote work (remote work). Remote work offers exceptional potential for the employment of persons with physical disabilities. However, the main challenges for them are the partial or total exclusion from the labor market and the lack of digital skills required for employment both in the traditional labor market and on remote digital work platforms (Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr). In this regard, the aim of the DI-MARC project is to improve the competencies of persons with disabilities, which will be achieved by (1) assessing the level of their existing skills and competencies and (2) creating and implementing training programs to build and improve the skills and competencies required for work. The digital marketing segment was selected as the primary area for research because of the significant increase in demand for jobs in this field on remote work platforms, and the fact that the opportunities for employment of persons with physical disabilities are greatest in the digital marketing sector.