VEZILKA is North Macedonia’s national AI Factory Antenna — a capital project for
the country’s digital transformation that connects domestic universities,
start-ups, companies and institutions to the European Union’s supercomputers and
digital resources.
A national centre for artificial intelligence
Established under the European Union’s EuroHPC AI Factory Antennas
initiative, VEZILKA is North Macedonia’s central place for AI and innovation. Its
mission is to accelerate the adoption of trustworthy, ethical and
responsible AI through concrete, applicable solutions with high social
and economic impact.
The project is hosted by the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
(UKIM) and implemented by the Faculty of Computer Science and
Engineering (FCSE / FINKI), with the Ministry of Digital
Transformation as the principal institutional partner. It is funded by
the European Union with national co-funding from the Government of the Republic
of North Macedonia, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, UKIM and FCSE.
The meaning of the name
Vezilka means “the embroiderer.” Embroidery is the art of connection:
every thread, with its own direction and colour, becomes part of a larger,
harmonious picture. That is the essence of the project. VEZILKA symbolises:
- connecting people and knowledge like threads that form a shared image;
- creating something meaningful from individual parts — just as an AI model is
built from a great many pieces of data; and - carrying tradition into the future — a union of cultural heritage and
technological innovation.
In short, VEZILKA is a bridge between past and future, tradition and technology,
culture and intelligence — a symbol of a new digital renaissance in Macedonia.
Why it matters
North Macedonia is at an early stage of AI adoption, with limited penetration
across industry, the public sector and society. By establishing VEZILKA, the
country gains a strategic position in the European innovation network and a
direct channel linking local companies, start-ups and universities to European
supercomputers, research infrastructures and digital resources.
Through the strategic partnership with the Pharos AI Factory in
Greece, VEZILKA provides access to European AI supercomputers — in particular the
Daedalus supercomputer — removing the high cost of AI
infrastructure that has been a major barrier for small and medium-sized
enterprises, and pairing it with technical support, training and optimised tools.
A societal project, not only a technological one
VEZILKA is deeply committed to AI that is inclusive, responsible and sustainable.
We apply a “Trustworthy AI by design” approach built on rigorous
data governance, fairness and bias mitigation, transparent and explainable AI,
and human-in-the-loop decision-making. We also address the social challenge of
workforce change through large-scale upskilling and reskilling and a broad
public AI-literacy programme — so that everyone can take part in the digital
future.
At a glance
| Full title | VEZILKA — The North Macedonia AI Antenna Factory |
|---|---|
| Project number | 101263128 |
| Call / Topic | HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2025-AIFA-01 |
| Type of action | HORIZON-JU-RIA (Research and Innovation Action) |
| Programme | EuroHPC Joint Undertaking |
| Coordinator / Host | Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (UKIM) — implemented by FCSE |
| Start date | 1 April 2026 |
| Duration | 36 months |
| Budget | ≈ €6.2M total, including ≈ €3.1M EU grant, and co-financed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and FCSE-UKIM |