The implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy in the food and agriculture sector is underway
As part of the EIT Food Hub Serbia, a meeting of the 4S working group was held on the topic of implementing the Smart Specialization Strategy in the food and agriculture sector, organized by NALED in partnership with the University of Novi Sad - Faculty of Agriculture. In collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, a roundtable with representatives of the 4S working group – "Food for the Future" was organized.
The Smart Specialization Strategy of the Republic of Serbia (2020 – 2027) was adopted in 2020, accompanied by an Action Plan for the period 2021-2022, during which a range of measures and activities were implemented to support innovative activities in the business sector, improve educational profiles, stimulate research through the introduction of tax incentives, and various other measures aimed at steering Serbia’s development towards a highly competitive economy in the priority areas of the Strategy.
The specificity of the Strategy is the planning of measures for its implementation, a process in which representatives from all interested parties—industry, academia, government administration, and the civil sector—participate. As the host of the meeting, EIT Food Hub welcomed representatives from all sectors on November 27, interested in a workshop of the working group for the priority area "Food for the Future."
At the NALED meeting, Professor Dr. Viktor Nedović presented the key priorities of the working group, as well as the measures from the Action Plan (2023 – 2025), focusing on the successes and challenges of the Strategy’s implementation. A discussion was opened on topics such as the potential of biotechnology and artificial intelligence as drivers of the "Food for the Future" priorities, how to utilize the potential of the BIO4 campus and connect research institutions within the campus, as well as broader connections with industry.
The goal of the meeting was to identify key challenges faced by the food and agriculture sector in the area of research and development, enabling further development and direction of public policy measures in the new Action Plan for the period 2023 – 2025 to reflect the needs of all interested parties. NALED, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, will continue organizing events that bring together representatives from all interested sectors in dialogue on the topic of the Smart Specialization Strategy.
