A kick-off meeting was held at the premises of the Science Fund with the leaders and members of 45 project teams funded under the Science Fund’s Cooperation Program with the Serbian Diaspora – Support for Research Visits of Diaspora Scientists. The meeting was dedicated to the official launch of project implementation within the program.

Under the Cooperation Program with the Serbian Diaspora – Support for Research Visits of Diaspora Scientists, the Science Fund will finance 45 projects over the next 12 months, involving 256 researchers from 115 research organizations. The projects are implemented in cooperation with 47 international research organizations from Europe and around the world. Among the participating foreign institutions are three prestigious universities ranked among the world’s top 40 on the Shanghai Ranking list in 2024: Imperial College London (United Kingdom), University Health Network/University of Toronto (Canada), and Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom).

During the meeting, project leaders presented the topics and objectives of their research. Through this program, researchers are provided with the opportunity to initiate or continue collaboration with diaspora colleagues, work on joint publications and patents, facilitate technology transfer, prepare joint project proposals for international funding calls, and attract investment into Serbian research institutions through strengthened cooperation between diaspora scientists and researchers in Serbia.

In addition to project leaders and team members, the meeting was attended by the Acting Director of the Science Fund, Professor Nenad Filipović, PhD; Program and Project Manager Stefan Đorđević; Senior Associate for Programs and Projects Milana Todorović Ćirović; and Associate for Programs and Projects Sanja Zarubica, who are responsible for monitoring the implementation of projects under this program.

In his opening remarks, Professor Filipović emphasized the importance of continuing successful cooperation between researchers in Serbia and scientists from the diaspora in conducting research across various scientific fields. He noted that this collaboration creates a strong foundation for advancing science in Serbia and strengthening international scientific cooperation.

The total budget of approved projects under the DIASPORA – Research Visits program amounts to €796,042.25.

The program is financed through World Bank funds under the Serbia Accelerating Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project (SAIGE), a joint initiative of the Republic of Serbia, the European Union, and the World Bank.