MASTILOVIĆ: COORDINATION TEAM FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION TO BE FORMED NEXT WEEK

BELGRADE, JULY 2 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska and Serbia will form a coordination team for scientific and technological cooperation next week, the Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska Draga Mastilović said in Belgrade.

Following a meeting with Serbia's Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Bela Balint, Mastilović pointed out that the team's first meeting will be held by the end of July.

"The team will be formed by experts from Srpska and Serbia from all scientific fields, and they will jointly coordinate all activities in the field of science and technological development," Mastilović told reporters.

According to him, in the scientific sense, Republika Srpska is interested in the categorization of journals and access to international journal databases, as well as participation in scientific projects.

"We are also interested in utilizing the experiences of developing science and technology parks in Serbia, which are at a European level and lead the way in that sense. Republika Srpska is only in the phase of establishing its own science and technology park, and the experiences we gain from Serbia will certainly be invaluable," Mastilović pointed out.

He thanked Minister Balint and his associates for quickly scheduling the meeting and agreeing on concrete steps.

"This is very good news for the scientific community in Republika Srpska," he said.

He reminded that in recent years, Srpska has indeed done a lot in the field of higher education and student living standards, and starting this year, also through increased grants for science, as well as through the concretization of these agreements with Serbia.

"I think that scientists in Republika Srpska can be satisfied with what was agreed upon today, as well as with what will happen in the future," said Mastilović.

He recalled that about ten days ago they also had a meeting in Banja Luka, where the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Srpska were present, during which specific directions for future cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska regarding scientific and technological development were determined.

"We reacted very quickly. The two science ministries from Serbia and Republika Srpska organized a meeting in order to concretize some steps we will take in the future to expand and deepen cooperation between Serbia and Republika Srpska in the field of scientific and technological development," concluded Mastilović.