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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia is growing and becoming a country of biotechnology

Belgrade, 19 October 2023

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today that last year, at the first Biotech Future Forum, Serbia laid the foundations for the development of the biotechnology ecosystem in Serbia, as well as for it to grow and become a country of biotechnology.

Opening the International Conference Biotech Future Forum, which is being held in the Palace of Serbia, Brnabic welcomed the guests from the World Economic Forum and UNDP, and expressed her special gratitude to our scientists from around the world who have come to today's forum.

We set the stage for a strong ecosystem, opened science and technology parks, and set investment priorities. The state-of-the art data centre in Kragujevac is at the disposal of all institutes and science and technology parks, the Prime Minister said.

She emphasised that the conference, which is being held in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and gathers more than 600 participants from 30 countries, is an opportunity to hear how Serbia will enable the transfer of technology from science to industry, through Bio4 Campus too among other things, as well as an opportunity for our country to present the first Road Map that leads from research to innovation.

She said that during the meeting, a memorandum of understanding with Ginkgo Bioworks, one of the leaders in biotechnology, will be signed.

Brnabic recalled that this forum is powered by Bio4 Campus, which will continue to change the course of our country and add competitive advantages to it.

Serbia will soon become the home of Bio4 Campus, a new bio-European hub that will enable global progress with multidisciplinary goals, the Prime Minister said and specified that the new hub will bring together more than 1,000 PhD students.

We also plan to have nine scientific institutes, the Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, seven faculties that will include biology, pharmacy and research and pharmaceutical companies that already exist in Serbia, Brnabic pointed out and announced that construction will begin in two months, as well as that the campus will span 110,000 square metres on approximately 20 hectares.

Biotechnology is key to medicine, agriculture and food production. Therefore, we will discuss how to use bioengineering and how to employ artificial intelligence in order to have a healthier future, the Prime Minister said.

Managing Director of the World Economic Forum Mirek Dusek assessed that Serbia is a leader in this part of the world in the fields of biomedicine and biotechnology.

He noted that there are 18 such centres in the world, and one was opened two years ago in Serbia, and added that more and more works are created in collaboration between the centres, and today's gathering is an opportunity to expand that collaboration and improve it.