Novi Sad became a hub of the European scientific and innovation community on December 2 as it hosted the international Horizons of Innovation Forum 2025, one of the region’s leading events bringing together science, technology, and industry.
The forum was officially opened by Dejan Šuvakov, Programme Manager for Innovation, Science and Research at the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, and Tatjana Horvat, Dean of the Faculty of Management at the University of Primorska (Slovenia) and this year’s Forum Ambassador of Excellence in International Cooperation.
Both emphasized the importance of strengthening regional cooperation, boosting research excellence, and increasing the participation of the Western Balkans in the European Research Area.
“The European Union will continue to actively support Serbia in the fields of innovation, technology transfer, science, and research in the coming years. The EU’s grant support of more than €90 million in this area is driven by a single goal—to make Serbia’s economy more competitive at the European and global level. Only a developed and competitive economy can ensure a better standard of living for all citizens. We see this as a way to support Serbia’s economic development and to strengthen the economies of both the EU and Serbia, its future member,” Šuvakov said.
The forum brought together 324 participants from 22 countries, including researchers, innovators, representatives of institutions, companies, investment funds, and international networks. Throughout the full-day program, participants had the opportunity to connect, exchange knowledge, and develop new ideas for European and regional projects, joint initiatives, and innovation partnerships.
During the organized Matchmaking sessions, 190 meetings were initiated between representatives of academia and industry, underscoring the Forum’s role as a catalyst for new partnerships within the European research ecosystem.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the event, Biljana Viduka, the lead organizer from Mozaik Hub, emphasized that the purpose of the gathering is to strengthen ties between science, industry, and the region’s innovation ecosystem, as well as to encourage project initiatives with global potential.
“The Forum is a place where new partnerships are formed and where shared ambitions grow into concrete projects that contribute to the region’s development,” she said.
The Horizons of Innovation Forum is organized by MOZAIK Hub in partnership with the Science and Technology Park Novi Sad, the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), and the FINNO Network, with the support of 27 co-organizers from Serbia, the Western Balkans, and the European Union.
Next year’s event will take place in Banja Luka, in line with the Forum’s mission to rotate among countries in the region and strengthen regional cooperation in research, innovation, and the connection between science and industry.
