The Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MISANU) was founded in 1946 and is a unique center for mathematically oriented research in Serbia. The main research groups work in mathematical logic, topology and geometry, mechanics and analysis. MISANU is at the starting point of the process of integrating RRI throughout all its activities.
Bač (Serbia) – Photo by Marcin Szala (2013)
To engage thought leadership and institutionalized capacity building, the EN team is planning to create an RRI policy which will be aligned to the institution’s current mission and regulations. They are currently in the process of creating an RRI Committee after the RRI Info Day held on June 18th, 2018.
In order to build institutional bridges between the research community, MISANU will invite Dr. Lazar Velimirovič to organize a meeting with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce to bridge the gap between industry and academia, and to have more joint projects. They will also create a partnership with the Serbian Office for Cooperation with Civil Society in order to establish networks with organizations linked to science engagement. Finally, they will create schemes for students and researchers to physically spend time at partner organizations as well.
To catalyze debates about the role of science in open societies, MISANU will conduct social media trainings for researchers to provide them skills and confidence to engage in social media platforms. They will also be in charge of the May Month of Mathematics 2019, and they will create a National Center for Cyber Security and Privacy to improve the general understanding of data privacy issues.
2018 Month of Mathematics – Image by m3.cpn.rs
To nurture transdisciplinary research, they are working on a pilot project with the Ministry of EST, Association of Serbian Banks and Visa Inc. to include financial education in regular school curricula. Also, they will propose to the Ministry of EST to dedicate resources of RRI in the next call for national scientific project proposals, as well to require open science measures to boost engagement of Serbian research institutions in this matter. They will also create the central digital register in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Telekom Serbia to digitalize the cultural heritage of Bač and its surroundings. Finally, they´re planning on developing a project with the local industry in which the students and young researchers will develop skills, knowledge and experience in accordance with the market demands.
Although it may be changes within the governance of Ministry of EST in 2018, MISANU plans to hold at least one training session with Government Officials to improve the understanding of RRI principles and benefits in the culture of research and science in Serbia. They are also working on a webpage that will outline the key RRI terminology.
If you want to know more about the Embedded Nucleus at MISANU, write to Marija Segan-Radonjic.