Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia took part in the 13th Annual Meeting of the Global Research Council (GRC), held from 18 to 22 May 2025 in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting gathered representatives of science and research funding organizations from over 50 countries and all five GRC regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East and North Africa. This was the first GRC Annual Meeting hosted in the MENA region and was co-organized by the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK). The Global Research Council is an organization comprised of the heads of science and engineering funding agencies worldwide.
Key themes of the Annual Meeting included reimagining the global research ecosystem to foster greater equity and inclusion, with a strong emphasis on fair resource distribution and bridging the technological divide between developed and developing countries.
Another major focus was sustainable research in an era of multilateral collaboration and transformation, including how to strike a balance between intellectual property protection and open knowledge for the public good. Discussions reflected diverse regional approaches to open science, underlining the need for global cooperation to ensure that science remains a force for inclusive and sustainable development.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its growing impact on research were as well central to discussions. Presentations showcased real-world applications of AI in accelerating scientific discovery, while also addressing related ethical concerns. Participants explored new models for funding open access and knowledge sharing and highlighted the importance of modern evaluation systems for researchers – ones that prioritize societal relevance and impact over traditional bibliometric indicators.
As part of the official program, Science Fund organized a side event titled “Greater Impact: Experiences, Best Practices, Opportunities, and Challenges of Using AI in Research Funding”, which brought together high-level representatives from leading research councils to discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence in funding management.
Acting Director of the Science Fund, Prof. Nenad Filipović, took part as a speaker in the Thailand-hosted side event on the topic “AI-Powered Collaboration Databases for Enhanced Research Utilization,” organized by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT).
In the main GRC plenary, Prof. Dr. Filipović also presented the mission, programs, and recent initiatives of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, highlighting its role in fostering scientific excellence and international collaboration.
During the Parallel Regional Meeting – Europe, hosted by Science Europe, the Science Fund presented its plans for the upcoming GRC European Regional Meeting, which will be jointly organized in October 2025 in Belgrade by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, Science Europe, and the Hungarian Research Network.
Science Fund held a number of bilateral meetings with partner institutions, including Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) of Spain, Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), and several other research funding organizations, further strengthening ties and exploring opportunities for cooperation.