Research and innovation flourish in Serbia
Serbia's BioSense Center aimed to transform work carried out on biosensing technology into concrete solutions for key sectors such as healthcare, agri-food, environment and security. To achieve this, its researchers strove to nurture productive collaboration initiatives with various stakeholders in order to successfully transfer knowledge and expertise in ICT, agriculture and the environment. This was achieved through the EU-funded project INNOSENSE(opens in new window) (Reinforcement of BioSense Center – ICT for sustainability and eco-innovation), which strengthened research potential and innovation and business capacity. The project did so through recruitment, infrastructure upgrades, capacity building, secondments, dissemination and networking. Several new employment positions were filled, involving researchers, engineers and technicians. An expert and an assistant were recruited for the Center's new Innovation and Business Development Facility, which supports the commercialisation of research results. The secondments directly led to the Center becoming the host organisation of PA4ALL, an official member of the European Network of Living Labs. PA4ALL is the first Living Lab in Serbia and the only one in Europe that focuses on precision agriculture. In addition, research equipment was either purchased or upgraded. The nano- and microelectronics laboratory underwent a considerable overhaul. With state-of-the-art fabrication equipment and cutting-edge measurement instruments, the laboratory has begun developing new sensors for the agricultural, environmental and food security sectors. Almost EUR 1 million worth of cutting-edge equipment was introduced to the Center, covering areas such as photolithography, thin-film technology, micromachining in silicon, optical inspection and electron microscopy. In all, the project employed 11 experts, of whom 8 became permanent employees at BioSense in fields such as nanoelectronics, microelectronics, signal processing, remote sensing and biosystems. Ultimately, INNOSENSE transformed the BioSense Center into a hub for technological development, eco-innovation, and knowledge and technology transfer throughout Europe.
