In the latest European Commission report Serbia was praised for international cooperation in science and research. It was particularly noted Serbia’s successful participation in Horizon 2020, along with membership in CERN (the European organisation for nuclear research) and ESFRI (European Social Survey research infrastructure).
According to Dr Basic, director of the Institute of Social Sciences, “The ESS conducted in Serbia by the Institute of Social Sciences and the Institute for Sociological Research of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade has been recognized by EC as a project that contributes to the integration of our science into the European Research Area. I am very proud that the Institute of Social Sciences has contributed to the social sciences being one of the drivers of progress in our country.”
In addition, Dr Dragan Stanojevic, national coordinator for the ESS in Serbia, adds: “I am glad that this very important research has been recognized as one of the mechanisms of European integration. It is significant for at least four reasons. First, it creates a comparative framework for comparing the attitudes of the population in Serbia with the population of other European countries and allows us to see how we currently stand in relation to the region, or the entire continent. Second, research design involves collecting data every two years so it is possible to track trends and see if there is an improvement or deterioration in the research areas. Third, through this infrastructure, the cooperation is achieved with colleagues from abroad transferring theoretical and methodological knowledge, as well as new technologies in science. Fourth, this research helped connection of domestic institutions and scientists from social disciplines, so that the national consortium for the ESS consists of: Institute for Sociological Research, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Institute of Social Sciences, Institute for Social Theory and Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, Faculty of Philosophy in Nis, Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade.”
Also, Dr Vladimir Popovic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, told RTS that the EC recognised Serbia’s recent efforts that resulted in amending the Law on Science and establishing the Science Fund. Popović points out that one of the previous objections of the European Commission was to increase investment in science, and in the period from 2016 to 2020, the investments in science increased by 46.2 percent.
Serbia has already committed to participating in the next ESS Round 10.