The Serbian delegation was headed by Viktor Nedović, PhD, Assistant Minister for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation within the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Serbia and the Croatian delegation was headed by Mrs. Ivana Puljiz, Director of the Directorate for International Cooperation and European Integration within the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia.

Starting from the need to support the scientific and technological cooperation based on mutual interest, while respecting national priorities in the sphere of scientific and technological development of both countries, and in line with the conclusions from the First Session of the Joint Commission held on December 20 2007 in Belgrade, a tender was called for joint scientific research projects in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia, and was closed on March 25, 2008. After reviewing the received bids, and in accordance with the defined priorities, altogether 21 out of 46 received projects were selected for realization.

The priority areas were:

• biomedicine,
• environmental protection and rational use of natural resources,
• agricultural technology and biotechnology,
• development of information society,
• progressive technologies and new materials,
• renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency,
• and social sciences and humanistic sciences.

The Protocol of the Second Session of the Joint Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation was agreed on and signed between the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia and Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia.

The cooperation in the field of science and technology is based on the signed Memorandum on the initiation of programmes of scientific-technological cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia, signed by the Minister of Science and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia - Aleksandar Popović, PhD, and Minister of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia - Dragan Primorac, PhD, MD, on November 23, 2005 in Zagreb.

The institutions responsible for the implementation of the approved scientific research projects will finance the exchange of scientists, experts and researchers, and the exchange of scientific and technological information and documentation.

Source: Viktor Nedovic, Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Serbia