Serbia becomes EMBL prospect member

Starts three-year process toward full membership, opening up new opportunities for mutual exchange and collaboration

Serbian flag — State Flag of the Republic of Serbia

Serbia has become the latest EMBL prospect member state, starting a three-year process toward full membership.

Serbia’s Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Dr Jelena Begović, signed the formal Statement of Intent on behalf of the Serbian Government. She said: “Serbia has a strong commitment to improving the overall life quality of our citizens through science and technology, and we are confident that our membership will bring benefits to both Serbia and EMBL.”

“Our national strategy of scientific and technological development of the Republic of Serbia – Power of Knowledge – includes measures to improve the quality and efficiency of Serbian science, technological development, and innovation, as well as our further integration into the European Research Area. We know these areas are also close to EMBL’s heart,” she added.

EMBL Director General Professor Edith Heard said that Prospect Membership will support Serbia’s goals to expand its research and innovation environment by providing national researchers with full advantage of EMBL’s facilities, training, and professional network, and access to EMBL’s highly sought-after PhD and postdoctoral programmes.

“EMBL was delighted to host a Serbian visit to our EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute in the UK in January this year, and to follow this up with a visit to Belgrade in April,” Heard said. “Our discussions have already identified many areas for further collaboration – which will now be made even stronger by Serbia’s Prospect Member status.”

Serbia’s prospect membership aligns with EMBL’s mission to bring together and integrate life sciences across Europe and our member states, in order to ensure the development and circulation of talent, collaborations and the shared use of infrastructures.

Serbia will attend EMBL’s governing Council during the prospect member phase as an Observer. EMBL has 28 full member states, one associate member state, and two prospect member states.

EMBL Chair of Council Professor Peter Becker of Germany said: “Council delegates were very pleased to welcome our Serbian colleagues at EMBL’s Summer Council in June, and were impressed by their presentation on Serbia’s future plans to expand life sciences and innovation.”