Ninth Open Science Days officially opened!

Last night, the ninth consecutive Open Science Days festival was officially opened in the park of Dvorac Petrovića in Kruševac in Podgorica. The festival will last until 5 October, providing the visitors with an opportunity to enjoy the content in as many as ten cities across Montenegro.

The event was opened by the Minister of Science, Dr. Sanja Damjanović, who emphasised that the technology development had reached incredible levels nowadays. “However, through the centuries-long science development, knowledge has only begun to open the door to numerous applications and development of new technological instruments to address social and economic challenges, especially through digitalisation”, the minister said. In her address, she also reflected on the importance of science and innovation, as well as on young people whose energy and creativity are crucial in launching a new wave of economic development in Montenegro. “Through a series of calls for projects, we have been striving to strengthen the innovation activities of enterprises and universities, and we are also launching a programme for accelerating quality start-up projects. Furthermore, attractive scholarships for doctoral research enable young people to utilise their important role in the development of our society”, Damjanović said.

The Minister of Science stressed that the ninth Open Science Days festival had an additional important mission – to indicate that the role of all citizens in the processes of technology development and use is crucially important.

“Citizens are the ones who should point to the direction of technology development, because innovations and technology today are especially expected to bring quality and sustainable solutions to major problems of our planet, such as climate change, numerous diseases, safe food for all, waste management... These are the topics that concern every citizen”, she concluded.

In addition to Minister Damjanović, those present at the event opening were also addressed by Mrs. Yvonne Leifels, a representative of the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, who said that in 2019 the 150th anniversary was marked of the establishment of the Periodic Table of Elements, as well as that six new elements had been found at their research institute. In addition, she pointed out that the FAIR accelerator, which is being built at the GSI Institute, represented the largest scientific research infrastructure being built in Europe.

Finally, the event participants were also addressed by the Ambassador of Germany to Montenegro, H. E. Robert Weber, who stated that Germany was a country dedicated to research and science. Talking about Germany’s research institutions, he said that there were numerous cooperation programmes and projects at European level, including, for example, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, which brings together scientific communities of as many as 27 countries.

In addition to 3D mapping, those present could also enjoy the address of a “man from the future”, who said that the planet was preserved, that it had enough energy for each inhabitant and that a cure for many diseases had been found. According to him, we are on the right track in terms of development.

After the opening ceremony, visitors were able to enjoy the exhibitions of “Bio Cosmos, Technology and Art”, “Evening with the Stars”, as well as “Virtual Reality”.

The partners who financially supported the festival are M:tel company and the German Embassy.