Press Releases
Opening of the Software Development Center in Varazdin
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2005
Zagreb, October 27, 2005 - U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Ralph Frank will be a keynote speaker at the opening of a new Software Development Center in Varazdin on Friday, October 28. The Center is a joint project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Microsoft Croatia, with the backing of the Croatian Government and the City of Varazdin. The project is also supported by HP, Cisco and T-Com.
The Center will support private software development companies by serving as a hub for training and testing new products. It will also provide them with business support and marketing.
USAID has contributed $500.000 for the project whose implementation over the initial 30 months will cost an estimated $1.7 million. The goal of the project is to assist more than 100 software developers in the time period, after which the Center will be self sustainable. The contribution reflects the importance the U.S. puts on helping Croatia develop a vibrant economy based on knowledge, innovation and the use of new information and communication technologies.
USAID is the primary assistance organization of the United States Government. Since 1992, the United States has provided over $407 million to Croatia (much of it through USAID programs) to strengthen democratic institutions and assist in postwar reconstruction and the return of refugees, to support de-mining and economic development, and to provide educational and training opportunities. The U.S. has also provided guidance and support to the Croatian judicial and military sectors to further Croatia's integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions.