During her visit to the Institute in Pančevo, Dr. Jelena Begović met with the Director of the Tamish Institute, Dr. Svetlana Roljević Nikolić, the Institute’s Board of Directors, the Scientific Council, and the research staff. The meetings focused on the Institute’s previous work and achievements, as well as future plans and the challenges associated with their implementation.
“Your visit is of special importance to us as a newly accredited institute, as it has given us the opportunity from the very beginning to present the resources we have and the results we aim to achieve in the coming period. I am confident that we will receive guidance on how to further utilize and improve our resources, all with the goal of achieving outstanding results,” said the Director of the Tamish Institute, Dr. Svetlana Roljević Nikolić, adding:
“In my 15-year research career, this is the first time I have had the honor of speaking with a line minister, and I am especially grateful for that. Your mission to get acquainted with institutes in Serbia will certainly bear fruit. In this way, you have encouraged us to engage in science even more passionately.”
“You will see that we are very open to cooperation, because our goal is to understand the challenges you face, so that we can resolve them and support you in that process,” said Minister Dr. Begović.
“As a Ministry, we are tasked with monitoring scientific activities, research results, and their transformation into services. We are interested in whether you possess intellectual property or valuable resources that could become the intellectual property of your Institute, and therefore of the state. We are also interested in your financial status, revenue structure, and any challenges you may face in that regard. We are aware that all problems eventually reach us, and I believe many of them could be resolved earlier if we were aware of them,” emphasized Dr. Begović.
Following the meetings, Minister Dr. Jelena Begović toured the premises of the Tamish Research and Development Institute in Pančevo, where she visited researchers’ offices as well as laboratories for molecular research, seed quality control, food safety (for human and animal consumption), soil science, and nematology.
“Agriculture represents a strategic area of development for every country, including the Republic of Serbia. We are aware that, due to major global challenges, without science and additional knowledge, we will not be able to further develop agriculture. For this reason, institutes engaged in agriculture and applying science in everyday practice are of great importance,” concluded Minister Dr. Jelena Begović.
