Balint, who met with Zaharieva on the sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Steering Platform on Research and Innovation, pointed out that good cooperation between Serbia and the European Commission has already been established in all three of the aforementioned areas.
Speaking about the European Union’s future Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, the Minister highlighted that Serbia currently has more than 480 signed grants under the Horizon Europe programme, with over €170 million in net EU contributions.
“What is particularly important to us is that these figures reflect the growing involvement of our institutions in European research networks, while we are also building a strong foundation at the national level,” he emphasised.
According to Balint, programmes run by the Science Fund have supported more than 3,900 researchers and financed over 550 research projects, while the Innovation Fund has supported more than 900 projects and contributed to the development of over 680 new products.
With regard to smart specialisation, Serbia already has considerable experience and maintains good cooperation with the European Commission and the Joint Research Centre. “This process has also brought us a different approach to defining development priorities, one based on continuous dialogue with the business sector and the research community,” the Minister explained.
Balint added that the Action Plan for the 2023–2025 period comprises 46 measures, more than 70% of which have already been implemented or are in the final stages of implementation.
A new Action Plan for the 2026–2027 period has been prepared and is expected to be adopted by the end of the year. “Our next step is to align our priorities more closely with European partnerships and begin preparations in good time for the next strategic cycle beyond 2027,” he explained.
At the meeting, the Serbian side also highlighted the results of the latest Twinning call under the Horizon Europe programme, in which 18 projects coordinated by Serbian institutions were selected for funding. A project submitted by the University of Belgrade’s School of Electrical Engineering ranked first among the 179 projects approved for funding.
The meeting also addressed opportunities to further align Serbia’s smart specialisation priorities with European initiatives, particularly in biotechnology and artificial intelligence. In this context, the BIO4 Campus was presented as one of Serbia’s key national projects in biomedicine, bioinformatics, biotechnology and biodiversity.
The Minister also briefed the Commissioner on the development of Serbia’s first national law on artificial intelligence, which is being prepared in accordance with the European Union’s AI Act.
The new regulatory framework is intended to enable the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence while creating the conditions for the further development and application of innovative solutions.
“Science diplomacy is already a practical reality in Serbia, through the Horizon Europe programme, bilateral and multilateral programmes, international research infrastructures, and the work of our researchers within European and global networks. In the coming period, we want this field to be more clearly recognised in our strategic framework for science and innovation,” he stated.
The Minister also emphasised the importance of the Specialised Expo as an opportunity to showcase Serbia’s scientific, technological and innovation capacities and develop new international partnerships.
“We see EXPO 2027 Belgrade as another important opportunity for science diplomacy. The Ministry is already cooperating with the organisers in the fields of science, innovation, technological development and digital transformation, involving science and technology parks and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem,” Balint said.
According to him, it is important for science diplomacy to acquire a practical dimension in cooperation between the European Union and the Western Balkans through institutional networking, the exchange of experience, capacity-building and joint activities.
Zaharieva welcomed Serbia’s participation in the Horizon Europe programme and emphasised that Serbia is a regional leader in terms of participation in the programme.
Speaking about the period beyond 2027, she stressed that Western Balkan countries would be welcome to join the future European research and innovation programme.
Both sides expressed their readiness to continue regular dialogue and cooperation on matters of mutual interest in the fields of science, research and innovation.
Source: srbija.gov.rs