Brnabic said that Serbia is a leader in the region in the field of innovation, digitisation, IT, artificial intelligence, one of the proofs of which is the fact that this and next year it chairs the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.

As she said, Serbia today achieves incredible results in the field of IT services.

"Our annual export of services last year amounted to close to 3.5 billion euros, which for the first time exceeded that of Bulgaria, which is a member of the EU. Today, we export as many services per month as we did for all of 2012", said Brnabic.

She pointed out that the Government has provided the conditions and scientific infrastructure.

"In Serbia, we have fantastic teachers and thanks to them excellent scientists. Belgrade is ranked among the two percent of the best universities in the world and we need to continue to believe in these people," said Brnabic.

She reminded the attending that when Aleksandar Vucic became the Prime Minister of Serbia, there were no science and technology parks in our country, and now we have four, soon to be seven.

"These are investments that will not only return the money that we as a country have invested, they are already repaying it many times over, because investing in science and people is, in the true sense of the word, investing in the future," said Brnabic. 

As she said, the construction of the Bio 4 campus will connect science and the economy in the best way possible.

"People in that centre will change our reality with their intelligence and innovation. And all those ideas will be born not far from here in Kumodraz, in one of the largest scientific campuses in this part of the world," said Brnabic.

She said that it is an obligation for all those involved in politics to maximize the potential of all talented people.

"In order to succeed, we need to continue to believe in these people, to give them a chance, to recognize that they can be the engine of development and the force that will pull our country forward in the years to come. Serbia, led by Aleksandar Vucic, knew that people will be the ones to make a difference, that people will be the ones to turn things around and make us a winning nation, a country that is the leader in the region in innovation, digitization, science, information and communication technologies," said Brnabic. 

The Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Jelena Begovic said that the Fair is one of the most significant events in our region when it comes to technologies and innovations.

She said that the Government of the Republic of Serbia is bringing together leading scientists, innovators and visionaries under the slogan "Play for humanity, science for all" with this year's theme "Step into a sustainable future".

"Over 600 exhibitors gathered at this year's fair, including 250 foreign exhibitors from over 32 countries, to present new technologies and their solutions for future development. The entire International Fair of Technology and Technical Achievements covers more than 15,000 square meters and the Republic of Serbia’s display consists of 114 individual installations, 63 exhibitors, over 30 companies from the People's Republic of China, on two levels, where this space occupies over 6,000 square meters," said Begovic.

She added that the fair is a unique opportunity for Serbia to present its latest achievements, innovations that lead to a sustainable future.

"The display of the Republic of Serbia was organized by as many as five ministries: Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Tourism and Youth, which goes to show how much science and innovation development are recognized by the very country itself," said Begovic.

She added that citizens will be able to get acquainted with new technologies, innovative products, talk with scientists and innovators and really see how science is applied in everyday life and how science can solve the problems we face as individuals, as states, as well as humanity.

"Within our exhibition, innovative products, ideas, and research that were created in scientific research organizations, faculties, institutes, created by scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, both from Serbia and from the partner country of this year's exhibition, the People's Republic of China, are presented" said the Minister.

Begovic pointed out that Serbia has a rich tradition and a rich history in the field of science and technology, our qualified workforce, our many talented individuals contribute to our country becoming a centre of innovation, a centre of creation and a centre for the emergence of new technologies.

"We are determined to continue the cooperation between science and business, thus creating even better conditions for long-term economic growth and social development of our country," concluded the Minister.

The Vice Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China Chen Jiachang, said that 22 high-tech companies from key industries such as IT, space technology, artificial intelligence, biomedicine and autonomous vehicles came to the fair from his country.

He pointed out that innovations are the soul of industrial development, that science and innovations shape our lives, have a significant impact on our lives and determine the future of all countries.

"History has shown that science and technology are basically the strength of a nation, and innovation is the soul of a nation's progress," Chen said.

He said that we have seen accelerated changes in the world as well and that humanity has found itself in front of huge challenges such as climate change and COVID, and that only cooperation, in a fair and non-discriminatory way, can lead to overcoming those challenges.

"China has adopted the initiative of international cooperation, which shows that cooperation in science has no boundaries and should benefit all mankind," Chen said.

He added that they want to promote the exchange of innovations and strengthen cooperation in science and technology in terms of connectivity, digitization, environmental protection and other challenges.

He added that two weeks ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping, while he was in Serbia together with President Aleksandar Vucic, announced that we will build a joint Chinese-Serbian future in the new era.

"The two presidents agreed that fostering innovative cooperation in bilateral relations will promote cooperation and build a community with a shared future for mankind," Chen said.

Source: TANJUG