During the seven-day event, from Sunday, March 9th to Saturday, March 15th, 2025, the tenth edition of the Belgrade Business International Case Competition (BBICC) was successfully held at the Radisson Collection Hotel Old – Mill Belgrade. For years, BBICC has been a symbol of prestige in the global case study competition area.
The opening ceremony was attended by Luka Lugonjić, President of the BBICC 2025 Organizing Team; Prof. Vladan Đokić, Rector of the University of Belgrade; Prof. Marko Mihić, Dean of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences; Prof. Vesna Damnjanović, Founder and Executive Director of BBICC; and Sandra Marinković, External Affairs Lead at MSD.
They warmly welcomed the attendees and expressed gratitude to the organizers and partners for their support of BBICC 2025. They emphasized the significance of the event for the international academic community, highlighting its role in promoting Belgrade as a hub of business education and in strengthening collaboration between students, the university, and the business sector. They also underlined the importance of networking, innovation, and knowledge exchange, as well as BBICC’s contribution to fostering global connections and developing future leaders.
The presence of the diplomatic community further affirmed the international importance of the BBICC competition and its contribution to connecting talented individuals from around the world. On this occasion, the organizers had the honor of hosting numerous representatives of embassies and international institutions, including: Her Excellency Ms. Michelle Cameron, Ambassador of Canada, and Ms. Olgica Marinković from the Embassy of Canada; His Excellency Mr. Peter Truswell, Ambassador of Australia, along with Mr. Phillip Anderson and Mr. Horace Hill; Her Excellency Ms. Nada Al Akl, Ambassador of Lebanon, and Mr. Rabih Al Akl; His Excellency Mr. Juan José Sanz Aparicio, Ambassador of Spain; His Excellency Mr. Michal Pavuk, Ambassador of Slovakia, and his spouse, Ms. Andrea Pavukova; Ms. Marija Tanaskić, Honorary Vice-Consul of Thailand, and Mr. Miloš Jovanović; as well as Ms. Iva Ilić from the Embassy of the United States of America in Belgrade.
During the competition week, BBICC hosted students from 20 prestigious universities and business schools across 14 different countries. Their task was to develop solutions for three real-world business challenges, known as case studies. Student teams had the opportunity to present their ideas to the jury, composed of experienced industry professionals. Based on the total number of points earned across all three case studies, the four most successful teams secured a place in the finals.
This year’s case challenges were provided by Oktacron, Privredna komora Srbije – the association representing Serbian businesses, and the company Merck Sharp & Dohme. The first case, lasting five hours, required participants to develop a business plan and identify a target market for an AI solution in the field of cybersecurity. The second five-hour case focused on creating support mechanisms for the development of non-tech startups. The third case, a 24-hour challenge, centered on finding innovative solutions within the biopharmaceutical industry, aiming to improve healthcare for both humans and animals.
Ivana Uljmanski, Chair of the Board of Directors at Tehnohemija; Milica Janković, Vaccine Business Unit Lead for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro at MSD; Sandra Marinković, External Affairs Director for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro at MSD; and Nebojša Škuljec, Executive Director of MSD for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, served as industry representatives who announced and presented the awards to the competing teams. They emphasized the value of participating in this competition, which contributes to both personal and professional development, and expressed their gratitude to the students for their outstanding solutions, which, despite limited time and unfamiliar markets, demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges.
The Best Presenter was awarded to Karim Captan from the American University of Beirut. The team that won the third place was Thammasat University. The second-place team was the American University of Beirut. The winner of the 10th anniversary BBICC competition was the University of Florida.
The closing ceremony featured final remarks by Luka Lugonjić, President of the Organizing Team and Prof. Vesna Damnjanović, Executive Director of BBICC. They once again expressed their gratitude to everyone who contributed to the successful execution of the anniversary edition of the competition. Special acknowledgment was given to the contributions of the professional and academic committees, the partners who provided the case studies, as well as the dedication of the organizing team and ambassadors.
BBICC is the result of the outstanding achievements of students from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, who have won numerous awards at the most prestigious global competitions in business case studies over the years. With this event, Belgrade has positioned itself as one of the key hubs in the global academic and business community.
For more information about the event, visit the website www.bbicc.org, as well as the official social media profiles: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin
