DI-MARC project has been initiated in line with the main priorities of the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Work Programme for 2022, by Institute of Economic Sciences and its partners in response to European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) program aiming to develop the mechanisms, based on scientific evidence, to build the digital marketing skills and competences of persons with physical disabilities (PWPD), which will help them to take a part in the remote work opportunities existing on various remote work platforms and offered by different businesses.

DI-MARC 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).

DI-MARC project is implemented by the Digital Economics Department of the Institute of Economic Sciences Belgrade 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.

The DI-MARC 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).