Dr. Ivan Tomović takes part in the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Innovation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) on behalf of the Ministry of Science

The representative of the Ministry of Science of Montenegro, Dr. Ivan Tomović, participated today as the head of the Montenegrin delegation in the in the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Innovation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), which was held in Belgrade. The conference brought together the most relevant representatives of innovation ecosystems from China and the CEE countries, including a number of politicians, representatives of the diplomatic corps, academicians, as well as actors from the science and business sectors.

Speaking on the topic of innovation ecosystem in Montenegro and international cooperation, Dr. Tomović indicated the importance of adopting the Smart Specialisation Strategy in terms of the use of innovations to boost economic growth and competitiveness through the utilisation of existing knowledge and competences. “In June this year, Montenegro became the first non-EU28 country to adopt this document, using the methodology and expertise of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC)”, Tomović explained. In addition, the head of the Montenegrin delegation reflected on the regional project of establishing the South East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies (SEEIIST), initiated by the Government of Montenegro. According to him, the Institute would offer hadron cancer therapy, one of the most successful methods of treating a wide range of cancers with a high success rate, while enabling state-of-the-art biomedical research (50% of the operating time), which would make this facility unique in the world.

Finally, Tomović pointed to the excellent cooperation between Montenegro and China and the Central and Eastern European countries, especially in the implementation of joint bilateral projects in the field of science and innovation. Given the growing importance of innovation in the ecosystems of Central and Eastern European countries, as well as the successful models created by the People’s Republic of China, Tomović particularly welcomed the Belgrade Declaration setting out a common vision for innovation-based development of countries under the China – CEEC mechanism, indicating that the format would enable the development of common platforms , which would facilitate cooperation in the field of research and innovation, exchange of knowledge and expertise, as well as coordination of innovation policies of the participating countries.

The heads of delegations, accompanied by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Mrs. Ana Brnabić, visited an exhibition of innovative prototypes at the Belgrade Fair, getting acquainted with the latest innovations and technological achievements in the field of development of smart cities, industrial parks, railway infrastructure. Officials and representatives of the participating countries also watched a short film about an industrial park to be built by Serbia and China in Borča, and were introduced to the latest 5G technology at the Huawei company stand.

As part of the event, a business conference was held with more than 300 companies, universities, institutions and investment funds from China and CEEC, presenting the latest developments in innovation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, robotics, mobility, smart cities, agriculture, finance and other fields.