The Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia has launched a Public Call for submission of project proposals under the program Science for Industry – Application of Artificial Intelligence in Industry through Scientific Partnerships – “From Lab to Market” (hereinafter: the Program).
The Program enables the development, testing, and validation of scientific solutions through collaboration between research organizations and industry partners, with clearly defined expectations regarding applicability, validation through pilot implementation or testing in real-world environments, and the potential for further development of results, including their market or institutional application.
The general objective of the Program is to support the development and validation of applicable scientific solutions through structured and long-term partnerships between research organizations and industry, with a focus on results that can be directly used as products, services, technological processes, or public policy solutions, including results with clear potential for further development, commercialization, and sustainable market application, as well as adoption in business and public systems.
The specific objectives of the Program are:
- Increasing the number of projects with demonstrable potential for application in real-world environments through pilot implementation or testing with industry partners or end users
- Strengthening the capacities of research organizations for cooperation with industry during the development, testing, and validation phases of solutions
- Directing research activities toward industrial sectors recognized as strategic priorities in national strategies
- Supporting the development of solutions that contribute to the competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability of the economy and public sector
- Supporting the development of research results with recognizable market potential, including preparation for further innovation phases, technology transfer, or collaboration with market actors, without the obligation of commercialization during the project duration.
The Program does not finance projects focused on basic research at the idea level (TRL1). It supports applied research in all scientific fields and is thematically aligned with relevant strategic documents.
All projects within the Program must be clearly mapped to one of the following priority domains, with artificial intelligence playing a relevant role in every project proposal:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Food for the Future
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Machines and Manufacturing Processes of the Future
- Creative Industries
Digitalization, energy transition, sustainable energy systems, and health are horizontal thematic pillars of the Program that may be applied within the above-mentioned domains, in accordance with national strategies. Expected program outputs include validated prototypes, pilots, demonstrators, methodologies, or other applicable solutions, including software, datasets, technical and technological improvements, as well as results subject to or eligible for intellectual property protection.
The project consortium must include at least one accredited research organization from the Republic of Serbia and at least one business entity registered in the Republic of Serbia, acting as an industry partner that provides project co-financing through financial or in-kind contributions, in accordance with the Program rules, with a minimum co-financing share of 15% of the project budget funded by the Science Fund.
The consortium may consist of a maximum of five members, including industry partners, i.e. a maximum of four research organizations and one industry partner.
Only accredited research organizations from the Republic of Serbia may receive funding from the Science Fund, while the industry partner may not be funded from Science Fund resources. The minimum number of participants per project is three, while there is no upper limit on the number of team members, including young researchers.
The total Program budget amounts to EUR 11.7 million,
The project budget financed by the Science Fund ranges from EUR 150,000 to EUR 300,000.
The total amount of supplementary funding per project may reach up to EUR 100,000 in dinar equivalent according to the middle exchange rate of the National Bank of Serbia on the date of publication of the Public Call.
The maximum project duration is one year (12 months)
The Program is financed through the “SAIGE” project (Serbia Accelerating Innovation and Growth Entrepreneurship Project), a partnership project of the Republic of Serbia, the European Union, and the World Bank dedicated to strengthening scientific research and innovative entrepreneurship in Serbia, as well as from the budget of the Republic of Serbia.
Applications for this Public Call (hereinafter: the Application) must be submitted exclusively in electronic form no later than 15 June 2026 at 12:00 CET, by completing the project application through the Project Submission Portal of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia.
The application process consists of two stages. The first stage includes submission of a Short Project Proposal with accompanying documentation. The second stage includes submission of a Full Project Proposal with accompanying documentation.