In Belgrade, alongside the “Torlak” Institute, the construction of the multidisciplinary BIO4 campus project has begun, which, according to authorities, will establish Serbia as a recognizable bioeconomic center in Europe.
The campus will be built on a total area of 20 hectares and will be located in Kumodraž, the part of the city where the “Torlak” Institute, the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, and the Faculty of Pharmacy are situated.
The entire Faculty of Biology and Faculty of Pharmacy, as well as parts of the Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, and Faculty of Chemistry that can contribute to the areas the campus will focus on, will be relocated to BIO4.
According to announcements, more than 1,000 doctoral researchers will work in this complex, over 4,000 students will be educated, and it is planned to be completed by the end of 2026.
As announced by Prime Minister Ana Brnabić in the middle of the previous year, the mentioned BIO4 campus is expected to positively change the fate of our country, strengthen the Serbian economy and competitiveness, and increase average wages and pensions.
During the presentation of the conceptual design of the BIO4 campus in July 2022, Brnabić stated that the project, with move-in planned for 2025, would attract a large number of domestic scientists and programmers to stay in the country. On the other hand, it would stimulate foreigners to come to Serbia to work on some of the most interesting and innovative projects in biotechnology.
Also, as explained by Minister of Science Jelena Begović at the beginning of this year for Euronews, the campus will be a small scientific city, bringing together six faculties and nine institutes, as well as major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies working on the development of medicines, agricultural products, and environmental protection.
“The ultimate goal is for all of us to live better, to have better healthcare, diagnostics, medicines, a cleaner environment, and green energy,” said Begović.
The construction of the mentioned complex is significant for science in Serbia, as confirmed by Lazar Davidović, the dean of the Medical Faculty in Belgrade, who emphasizes that this educational institution will have a more than significant place in it.
“Medicine is one of the strategic goals of the biotechnology campus. For a year now, our working group has been developing a concept in cooperation with the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation. It is planned that within the biocampus, there will be a center for translational research. Up to 14 of our institutes dealing with basic medical sciences will find their place there. They will have much better working conditions and will be able to collaborate more intensively, exchange results, and knowledge more quickly,” says our interlocutor.
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