Branislav Muškatirović, Junior Research Assistant at the Institute of Social Sciences, participated as a member of the delegation of the Republic of Serbia in the UK–Serbia Science and Innovation Fellowship Programme, held in London and Liverpool, with the support of the British Council. The programme aimed to strengthen Serbia’s science and innovation system through the exchange of knowledge and experience with institutions in the United Kingdom.
Dr Nena Vasojević, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, was nominated by the British Council to participate in the UK–Serbia Science and Innovation Fellowship Programme, with the opportunity to propose an additional participant. She nominated Branislav Muškatirović, Research Assistant at the Centre for Sociological and Anthropological Research of the Institute of Social Sciences. In accordance with the Institute’s Research Capacity Building Programme 2021–2031, it was decided that Muškatirović, as an early-career researcher, would participate in the Programme, while Dr Vasojević assumed the role of mentor within the Institute during the implementation of this scientific activity. In this way, inter-institutional and international cooperation was further strengthened between the Institute of Social Sciences and the Programme’s supporting institution.
The Programme brought together representatives of the academic, research, entrepreneurial and public sectors from Serbia and the United Kingdom, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experience in the development of the research and innovation (R&I) system. The central theme of the study visit was an examination of the historical development and contemporary functioning of the R&I sector in the United Kingdom, with particular focus on funding models, institutional relations between research-performing organisations and government bodies, collaboration between research institutions and the private sector, the development of spin-off, spin-out and start-up models, as well as public policies contributing to the creation of an inclusive and enabling environment for research and innovation.
The first part of the Programme was held in London and focused on familiarising participants with the structure and logic of the British R&I ecosystem. Introductory sessions presented the key processes in the transformation of the British economy and research sector from the 1980s to the present, as well as the contemporary institutional framework within which universities, research centres, funding bodies and public institutions operate. Particularly valuable were discussions with representatives of Universities UK International and London Higher, organisations engaged in the design of public policy and regulatory frameworks in the fields of higher education, research and innovation.
During the continuation of the Programme, participants explored practical challenges in the functioning of the R&I sector through discussions with representatives of universities and public administration, as well as during a visit to the London Office of Technology & Innovation (LOTI) within the Greater London Authority, where concrete models of innovation governance at the local level and cooperation between the public sector, academia and civil society were presented.
A visit to the BaseKX start-up incubator at University College London (UCL) provided insight into institutional support for entrepreneurship within the academic environment, while sessions dedicated to inclusivity and research system development highlighted the importance of social and organisational aspects of innovation policies.
Representatives of Knowledge Quarter King’s Cross presented the development of a research and cultural cluster as a model of spatially concentrated integration of knowledge, science, culture and industry.
The second part of the Programme was held in Liverpool, a city representing a successful example of post-industrial transition towards a knowledge-based and cultural economy. The programme included visits to Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, city and regional authorities, technology companies and innovation funds, with a particular focus on place-based approaches to the development of the R&I sector. Models of regional coordination, cooperation between local government, universities and the private sector, as well as mechanisms supporting the development of deep-tech fields – particularly in the health and biotechnology sectors – were presented. Special emphasis was placed on the role of the University of Liverpool and its associated research infrastructures, as well as on linking research activities with the healthcare system and industry.
The Programme concluded with mentoring and reflective sessions during which participants considered possibilities for applying the knowledge and experience gained in the context of the Republic of Serbia. In the forthcoming period, under the mentorship of eminent experts from the United Kingdom, the participants will work on drafting recommendations for public policy makers in the fields of science, research and innovation.