The project to support research, innovation and technology transfer in Serbia was launched on February 2, 2015. in the headquarters of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
The joint project of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the European Union will by June 2018. will be financed in the amount of 2.5 million euros through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance of the European Union, and the project will be managed by the World Bank.
The project is a build-up to the successes achieved through the ongoing Innovation Support Project in Serbia, funded by the EU, which helped establish the Fund for Innovation Activities in Serbia. With the use of grants in the amount of 8.4 million euros, the Fund for Innovation Activities has successfully supported 53 innovative start-ups and technology-intensive companies in the period from 2011. until 2014 years.
The new Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer Support Project will help the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the Fund for Innovation Activities in further strengthening research, development and innovation in Serbia, as well as piloting a system for technology transfer to encourage a knowledge-based economy.
World Bank experts will support the Ministry in the development of the National Strategy for Research and Development and Innovation, the Infrastructure Roadmap for Research and Development and the Action Plan. The main goal of the new strategy is to shift from quantity to higher quality research results. Future policies in the field of innovation and research should be integrated, evidence-based and should take into account the existing and potential resources of the Serbian research community and the emerging needs of business communities in Serbia and abroad.
Another goal of the project is the establishment of a Technology Transfer Center in the Fund for Innovation Activities, which will represent the continuation of previously invested efforts in capacity building, financed by the EU and other donor programs. The Technology Transfer Center will hire international experts to help research institutes in Serbia commercialize their ideas in cooperation with the Technology Transfer Offices in Serbia.
Finally, the project will also support the development of a new grant scheme to strengthen cooperation between industry and research organizations in Serbia in the field of research and development. The World Bank will facilitate the process of consultation with industry for the purposes of developing a new grant scheme. The Fund for Innovation Activity will work on the implementation of the grant scheme for cooperation, and the start of this program is expected in 2015. years. The grants will be financed by the EU and the Government of Serbia with an additional 4.4 million euros.
Finally, as the representatives of the EU Delegation, the Ministry and the World Bank emphasized, these project activities are aimed at strengthening the international positioning of the Serbian economy by redirecting the Serbian research body to the needs of industry in the country and abroad and will make the research sector more competitive on the European and international market. which in the long run should lead to the creation of jobs and economic competitiveness.
Dr. Aleksandar Belić presented activities in the field of scientific work, research, innovation and technology transfer. He announced numerous plans and changes that will take place in this area, which will be included in the aforementioned strategy.