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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Genome Sequencing Centre opened in Belgrade

Belgrade, 9 December 2021

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended today the opening of the Genome Sequencing Centre in Belgrade and stated on this occasion that this institution will enable Serbia to improve its position as a country which invests in science and new technologies.

The Centre, in which RSD 600 million was invested, has been built with the support of the Serbian government, in association with the Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGI) and the Beijing Institute of Genomics.

A facility within IMGGI in Vojvode Stepe Street in Belgrade has been reconstructed to accommodate the Genome Sequencing Centre.

Brnabic underlined that the newly opened centre will enable Serbia to position itself as a country whose economy is based on artificial intelligence and bioeconomy, as a country that invests a lot in the health of its people and the entire health system.

This institution will also mean a lot in the fight against coronavirus, because we will be able to monitor all mutations of the virus in our country. We will not have to wait for information from the world about the virus, but will rather be able to follow it at a level that only Great Britain can do in Europe at the moment, she stated.

The Prime Minister added that in the future, the Centre will also mean a lot to all people who want to become parents, because training for conducting prenatal tests, which can now be done only abroad, will start at the Centre on 1 January.

Brnabic reiterated that the opening of the Centre represents the beginning of a new future in Serbia, and recalled that in 2016, the Fourth Industrial Revolution was recognised as a great chance and potential of Serbia for universal and comprehensive digitalisation.

Much has been done since then, she said, adding that today, despite the coronavirus pandemic, results are seen in terms of a more resilient economy, better education, more efficient public administration, and those results are getting better exponentially every year.

The Prime Minister noted that the estimates are that the biotechnology market will be worth $835 billion by 2027, and we want to be a significant part of that market because we have knowledge, talent, good universities, great people, good institutes.

The state will invest additionally in faculties, institutes and manpower, and the opening of the Centre is the first step towards BIO 4 Campus, she explained.

Ambassador of China to Serbia Chen Bo said that the Centre will create new opportunities for cooperation of Serbia and China in the field of medicine, biomedicine and biology.