The Institute for Manufacturing is taking its expertise in industrial innovation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia under a new partnership with one of the country's universities.

In the first deal of its kind between Cambridge and an Eastern European state, staff from the IfM will help establish both a postgraduate course and an industrial support unit designed to assist the development of manufacturing companies in the region.

The agreement was made official last week with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Cambridge and St Cyril and Methodius University, which is based in the Macedonian capital, Skopje. The signing of the Memorandum was welcomed with an official announcement from the Macedonian Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski.

The new developments will be led by the IfM's Industry Links Unit –which is part of the University’s Department of Engineering.

The postgraduate course in Industrial Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management will aim to educate future industry leaders and entrepreneurs. It will be modelled on a similar course which staff from the IfM helped establish at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Cambridge staff will help to run the course for the first three years, transferring knowledge and skills in course delivery and development to the university in Skopje.

The collaboration will also support the formation of a new Industrial Development Unit in Macedonia. The Unit will assist small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the region to prosper and grow by developing sustainable business strategies, building the capabilities necessary to execute their strategies, and increasing productivity.