Minister Damjanović in Slovenia: SEEIIST project advances as a result of good cooperation in the region

Minister of Science, Dr. Sanja Damjanović, chaired the Seventh Meeting of the SEEIIST Steering Committee, held on 24 January 2020 in Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia.

At the meeting, the participants considered past activities and noted significant progress of the project as a result of joint cooperation of the countries of the region, along with the international support of institutions, first and foremost CERN and FAIR-GSI, but also political support of Switzerland in the promotion of science diplomacy.

The Steering Committee also considered further steps in the preparation of an international agreement which will define the long-term legal status of the Institute. In addition, an application for additional funding of EUR 3 million to be submitted to a special call under EU Horizon 2020 was considered, as this is necessary for the implementation of the technical specification of the project, which will be more technologically advanced than the existing centres. Another important item on the agenda was the positioning of the SEEIIST project on the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap, which would provide an opportunity to obtain the support of EU structural, cohesion and other investment funds in the amount of up to EUR 200 million.

Previously, on 23 January, Minister Damjanović presented the SEEIIST project to the scientific, medical and business community of Slovenia at the Jožef Stefan Institute. Indicating its importance at the regional and broader international level, Damjanović presented SEEIIST as one of the major capital projects in the region and a good example of science diplomacy. According to her, the project itself is underpinned by the objective of making a scientific and technological breakthrough and restoring the former tradition of the region in this field.

Montenegro is the initiator of establishment of the South East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies (SEEIIST), but without the cooperation of all countries and the active participation of the scientific, medical and business community, along with the political support of the countries of the region, it would not be possible to achieve the project’s mission. The establishment of the Institute will provide access to state-of-the-art cancer therapy for patients from all over the region, as well as the employment, education and collaboration of scientists from the region, Europe and beyond.

During her stay in Slovenia, Minister Damjanović met with the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of Slovenia, Prof. Jernej Pikalo, as well as with the Minister of Health of Slovenia, Aleš Šabeder, to discuss further joint activities and indicate the importance of involving all parties in the project.

The meeting was also attended by Prof. Vujica Lazović, Ambassador of Montenegro to Slovenia.