Minister Damjanović meets with JRC Director –General: Montenegro's Smart specialisation strategy is expected by year-end

Minister of Science Sanja Damjanović met with Director-General of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Vladimir Šucha. The key topic of the meeting was the Smart specialisation strategy, which is being drafted by Montenegro with the support of the JRC team.

Director-General Šucha stressed that Montenegro has made the most progress in this process and believes that the end of the year is a real date for the finalisation of the document. He also promised that additional expert team will come to Montenegro in mid-September, which will help speed up the activities.

The Smart specialisation strategy is a new approach to economic development initiated by the European Union and represents a comprehensive capacity assessment, and targeting the most competitive industries with innovative potential to enable the accelerated economic and scientific development of the country.

Minister Damjanović took the opportunity to inform Director-General about the South-East Europe International Institute for Sustainable Technologies (SEEIIST), as well as the next steps for the implementation of this regional project.

During the meeting, Minister Damjanović also spoke about the planned establishment of the so-called clinical network that would allow future patients to be treated by not only one, but an international team of experts, i.e. oncologists. In this regard, the Minister asked the JRC for support, bearing in mind that it is a centre that has its institutes all over Europe and the world. The meeting also discussed the access of Montenegrin scientists to these centres, which, as Director-General Šucha promised, will be possible n the short term, without any additional financial participation.

Earlier today, Minister Damjanović took part in a meeting of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), which was dedicated to creating a unique regional position on the future new framework programme for science and innovation, called Horizon Europe, aimed at countries in the region to influence changes to the future framework programme in favour of the Western Balkans.

The proposal for this programme was officially presented by the Commissioner for Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas on 7 June in Brussels.