At the Serbia-France Innovation Forum titled ‘Innovate for the Planet, Play Green’, which commenced at the Palace Serbia, French Ambassador to Serbia Pierre Cochard stated that these innovation forums with Serbia, starting at the Museum of Science and Technology, honor Serbia’s achievements in science and industry.
Cochard highlighted that these forums foster partnerships in achieving the common priorities of the two nations, ranging from energy and biotechnology to artificial intelligence.
He mentioned that the forum is designed to assist both countries in continuing their long-standing tradition of innovation, dating back to the eras of Pascal, Tesla, and Curie.
“Last night, you may have noticed a video projection on the Belgrade Tower featuring Pascal. Some might wonder why Pascal was chosen. He was not only a philosopher but also a prominent mathematician, physicist, the first scientist and entrepreneur, and the inventor of the Pascaline, a precursor to modern supercomputers. He also conceived a public transport network in Paris based on recycled waste,” Cochard explained, adding:
“Three years ago, we aimed to enhance interactions between students and researchers and to foster collaboration between Serbian and French stakeholders, as well as to introduce companies to each other.”
The ambassador noted that collaboration was the motive behind creating the Hackathon in partnership with the Tempus Foundation, and the Mission France program dedicated to Serbian startups, with winners to be announced at the Vivatech conference.
Koschar remarked that the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation and Bpifrance underscores the potential for cooperation between the two countries.
The third Serbian-French innovation forum brought together 350 representatives from the academic community, scientific institutes, private sector, and startup communities of Serbia and France.
The event is organized by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation and the French Embassy in Belgrade, in collaboration with the Tempus Foundation, the French Institute, and French Tech Belgrade.
Photo: nitra.gov.rs