At the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, the conference „Utilising British University Knowledge Applicable to the Improvement of Entrepreneurship, Market Orientation and Innovation Support for Universities and Faculties in Serbia“ was held on September 28, 2026. It was organised within the framework of the UK–Serbia Science and Innovation Fellowship Programme, funded by the British Embassy in Belgrade and implemented by the British Council.
The gathering brought together representatives from universities, research institutions, the economy, the public sector, and organisations supporting the development of innovation and entrepreneurship. The aim of the conference was to translate the experiences of leading British universities and institutions into concrete models applicable in Serbia, with a focus on connecting science and the economy, supporting students and professors, commercialising research, and developing entrepreneurship.
The conference was opened by Prof. Dr. Nenad Magazin, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, His Excellency Edward Ferguson, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Serbia, Ailish Hamilton, Director of the British Council in Serbia, and Prof. Simon Stockley from the Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
The first panel was dedicated to the development of the innovation ecosystem. Participants included Prof. Simon Stockley, Dr. Dejan Mirčetić from the Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia, Dr. Sanja Brдар from the BioSense Institute, and Prof. Dr. Boško Blagojević from the Faculty of Agriculture.
The second panel dealt with skills development and the application of EdTech and AI solutions in supporting students. Participants included Prof. Dr. Milan Čabarkapa from the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Prof. Dr. Olja Čokorilo from the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Srđan Davidović from the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, and Prof. Dr. Zorana Kovačević from the Faculty of Agriculture.
The third panel focused on attracting investments and financing through partnerships between faculties, institutions, and companies. The discussion featured Jovan Nikolić from the Ministry of European Integration, Radman Šelmić from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Teodora Pavićević from MIND Group, Petar Stakić from Inspira Group, and Prof. Aleksandar Živanović from Middlesex University.
The fourth panel was dedicated to spin-out companies, consultancy work, and knowledge transfer from universities to the economy, with a review of the practices of Cambridge Enterprise, UCL, and LSE. Participants included Prof. Dr. Boško Blagojević, Nena Vasojević from the Institute of Social Sciences, Nemanja Martinović from the Petnica Science Center, Dejana Ranković, UK–Serbia Science and Innovation Mentorship Facilitator, and Goran Mladenović, Director of the NICAT Advanced Technologies Cluster.
