The social aspects of international development projects, along with the experiences, challenges and recommendations arising from them, will be the focus of an upcoming lecture. The event aims to contribute to improved governance, transparency and cooperation within the science and business ecosystem.
The lecture will be delivered by Milica Popović, Lead of the Environmental and Social Advisory team at Arup’s Belgrade office. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in environmental and social impact assessments, as well as due diligence for major infrastructure and utility projects, spanning water and wastewater, waste management, road networks, urban transport, and renewable energy. Her expertise encompasses risk analysis and impact evaluation concerning land acquisition, resettlement and livelihood restoration, labor management, stakeholder engagement, and grievance mechanisms. She collaborates extensively with local governments, public utilities, civil society organizations, and project-affected communities.
Arup is a prominent British employee-owned engineering and strategic consulting firm founded in 1946, comprising approximately 17,000 professionals across more than 90 offices worldwide. Present in Serbia since 2007, the Belgrade office manages projects both locally and throughout the wider region. Arup’s portfolio is primarily infrastructure-driven, encompassing transport, water and waste management, renewable energy, and climate resilience, while also delivering strategic advisory services to international financial institutions. In Serbia, Arup is widely recognized for supervising the implementation of the Environmental Management Plan for Highway Corridor 10.
This lecture is organized as part of the “Institutional Capacity Building through Private Sector Cooperation” project, supported by the British Embassy’s UK–Serbia Science and Innovation Fellowship Programme. Drawing on successful frameworks from the United Kingdom, the initiative fosters strategic partnerships between key stakeholders—bridging the Institute of Social Sciences with multinational corporations that lead large-scale infrastructure developments and recognize the scientific community as a vital partner.