A public debate on the Smart Specialization Strategy Serbia (4S) was held today at the Science Technology Park Belgrade, which is an important instrument for improving the innovation and research ecosystem, developing a knowledge and innovation based economy and directing future investment in the fields which are identified as priority areas within the process.
The priority areas identified through the process of drafting this document, in which our country is gaining competitive advantages and in which it is necessary to invest further, are: information and communication technologies, food for the future, creative industries, machines and production processes of the future.
– One of the plans of this Strategy is to focus education on industries that bring high-quality, highly-skilled jobs that contribute to greater and faster growth of companies. It is a comprehensive theme that connects faculties, rectorates, science technology parks, through the cooperation of science and industry, with the aim of creating highly qualified personnel and developing a knowledge-based society – said Mladen Sarcevic, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development.
The national Smart Specialization Strategy has been prepared through analytical and consultative process over the last three years, guided by the best practices methodology of the EU Member States, and has been overseen by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Development coordinated this process with the active involvement of all relevant institutions from the governmental and non-governmental sectors. Following the identification of priority areas, a series of workshops with almost 300 participants from the public, scientific, research and civil sectors drafted a strategy with a comprehensive package of measures for each identified area.
– For this reason, the case of Serbia has been recognized as one of the best examples of good practice in this regard by the international community, and our country has been selected by the UN as one of the 5 pilot countries for science, technology and innovation policymaking to achieve goals of sustainable development – emphasized prof. Viktor Nedovic, Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development and Coordinator of the Smart Specialization Strategy.
The public debate was organized simultaneously at three locations: in Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad, thanks to the new remote communication equipment installed at the Universities in these cities within the Erasmus + KA2 project – Interdisciplinary short cycle program in the field of Creating and Analyzing Public policy, participants were able to communicate with each other via video link.
The public debate in Belgrade was attended by the Rector of the University of Belgrade, Ivanka Popovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development Vladimir Popovic, Assistant Minister of Education Sasa Lazovic, and Gordana Danilovic Grkovic, Acting Director which greeted guests on behalf of the host. Director of STP Belgrade, emphasized the importance of developing a Smart Specialization Strategy, which, will contribute to establishing the “backbone” of innovation throughout the country.
