Novi Sad was the center of the scientific and innovation community on 2 December 2025, where one of the leading regional events connecting science, technology and business was held – EU Research Collaboration Forum 2025.
The Forum’s opening messages emphasized the importance of regional cooperation, strengthening research excellence and greater inclusion of the Western Balkans in the European research area.
The Forum brought together 324 participants from 22 countries, including researchers, innovators, representatives of institutions, companies, investment funds and international networks. During the all-day program, participants had the opportunity to connect, exchange knowledge and develop new ideas for European and regional projects, joint initiatives and innovation partnerships.
The networking segment was particularly dynamic: within the organized Matchmaking sessions, 190 meetings were initiated between representatives of the academic community and the business sector, confirming the Forum’s role as a catalyst for new partnerships in the European research area. Representatives of the Chamber of Economy of the Federation of BiH also actively participated in the meetings.
From the perspective of project practice and European policies, the Forum provided an opportunity to openly examine the factors that determine the success of project initiatives – from understanding regional differences and institutional capacities to the ability to develop sustainable, competitive and strategically positioned project concepts.
The Forum was organized by MOZAIK Hub in partnership with the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, the European Entrepreneurial Network (EEN) and the FINNO network, with the support of 27 co-organizers from Serbia, the Western Balkans and the European Union.
