Third Innovation Reshaping Montenegro Forum

Last night, the UK Alumni Association of Montenegro (NGO MAUK) organised the Third Innovation Reshaping Montenegro Forum under the auspices of the UK Embassy in Podgorica.

The welcome addresses were given by the UK Ambassador to Montenegro, Mrs. Alison Kemp, and by Mr. Saša Ivanović, who greeted those present on behalf of the Ministry of Science. Following the opening ceremony, the Forum hosted a panel discussion on the importance of education and technological innovation in shaping a sustainable and inclusive society, as well as a better future for the coming generations. In addition, there was a presentation outlining the manner in which technology could be utilised to launch impactful innovation.

The Forum is envisaged as a two-day event where innovative projects and ideas are presented in the areas that are crucial to the future of Montenegro: education, governance and development, human rights and technology. The aim of the event is to provide a platform for innovative and creative ways of thinking, and to encourage young people to lead the innovation process in Montenegro by presenting the most successful projects and ideas of Chevening alumni in various fields of social, cultural and intellectual life.

During the opening ceremony, the UK Ambassador said that events like the Forum presented an opportunity to talk about what we all had in common: the desire to make our societies more modern, more resilient, the desire for our institutions to better listen to the needs of citizens and provide them with better protection. “This is just the start of the digital age, and small and capable young countries like Montenegro are rightly investing time in thinking about how we can seize the opportunities of the future”, Ambassador Kemp said, adding that “strengthening and enhancing international partnerships ought to be the future of scientific cooperation”.

According to Ambassador Kemp, the Embassy was particularly pleased to have the strong support of the Ministry of Science on this project, and in her words it is only through joint cooperation that we can address common problems, from economy to ecology and public policy.

On behalf of the Ministry of Science, those present were also addressed by Mr. Saša Ivanović, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Science and Technology Park, who thanked the UK Embassy and MAUK for choosing the topic of “Innovation Reshaping Montenegro” for this Forum, pointing to the fact that the Government of Montenegro and the Ministry of Science increasingly focused on innovation in their priorities.

Ivanović presented certain mechanisms used by the Ministry of Science to encourage internationalisation and support young people, but also to develop business and integrate science and economy. “Scholarships for doctoral research are one of our programmes, within which 19 scholarships were awarded in 2018, which, in addition to research opportunities at one of the universities in Montenegro, enable the awardees to spend some time in one of the prestigious European or world institutions”, Ivanović said, adding that another 17 scholarships would be awarded in 2019, which would, along with a call for applications to be announced next year, enable a critical mass of 50 doctoral students to be reached. Ivanović also emphasised that innovation grants for young people (especially IT specialists) facilitated work on innovative solutions in Montenegrin companies, which are the beneficiaries of these grants in most projects.

Concluding his presentation, Ivanović asked the Chevening alumni to persist in the intention to apply the knowledge they received through education in the United Kingdom to Montenegro and to strive to create a better environment and a better future for our country.