Begovic: Cooperation with Switzerland to focus on biomedicine

BELGRADE - The first Serbia-Switzerland Innovation Forum opened in Belgrade on Wednesday, and Serbia's BIO4 campus and the Swiss innovative pharmaceuticals company Novartis signed a MoU at the event.

Serbian Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Jelena Begovic said the two countries had collaborated on more than 50 joint research projects to date and that future cooperation would focus on biomedicine.

She said Switzerland was a global trend-setter in innovation.

"With more than 6,800 startups, an ecosystem worth over 149 bln dollars and 21 unicorns, Switzerland has positioned itself as a European leader, especially in the sector of health care technology," Begovic said at the opening of the forum.

She noted that, on the other hand, Serbia's startup ecosystem was growing exponentially at an annual rate of 20 to 30 pct.

"Over the past five years, we have generated value exceeding 700 mln dollars, while the number of startups is almost 800, which is a great success for a country of this size," Begovic said.

She also said the MoU between the BIO4 campus and Novartis reflected "a strong commitment of both sides to cherishing cooperation and improving the synergy among industry, scientific institutes, university faculties and organisations within the BIO4 campus."

She added that 300 new startups had been set up in Serbia in the past two years, with a workforce totalling more than 6,000 people.

She noted that biotech, agritech and the gaming industry were the leading sectors in Serbia.

"When it comes to the gaming sector, more than 370 mln people around the world play games created here in Serbia. That is why we see Serbia as a hub of creation. We may not be a large country or a large market, but we are definitely a set of talented people and a hub of creation," Begovic said.

The forum, hosted by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, the Swiss embassy in Belgrade, the Science and Technology Park in Belgrade and the Centre for Promotion of Science, aims to boost cooperation between Serbia and Switzerland in science, technology and innovation.