CENTAR ZA PROMOCIJU NAUKE

Their core work

The Center for the Promotion of Science is Serbia's national institution dedicated to making science accessible, engaging, and relevant to the public. They design and run science communication programs — from interactive exhibitions and science festivals (notably their recurring "Friday of Science" series) to digital education tools using AR/VR. They also work on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) frameworks, connecting scientific institutions with civil society and helping researchers communicate their work beyond academic circles. Their role in EU projects is typically to bring science engagement expertise and public outreach infrastructure from the Western Balkans perspective.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014–2017), the Center focused on traditional science communication — building personal connections between researchers and the public through events like "Friday of Science," friendship-themed outreach, and making researchers appear "cool" and approachable. From 2018 onward, their work shifted decisively toward systemic themes: Responsible Research and Innovation governance, climate action, ethics of emerging technologies, and digital tools (AR, VR, AI) for engagement. The recent projects also show growing ambition in scope, moving from national science festivals to European-level policy frameworks and multi-country RRI networks.

Moving from "let's make science fun" toward "let's make science governance participatory and digitally enabled" — expect future work at the intersection of public engagement, ethics, and green transition communication.

How they like to work

The Center almost exclusively joins as a participant or third party — they coordinated only once (ReFocuS 3.0, a small science event project). With 118 unique partners across 33 countries, they are a well-connected hub rather than a loyal repeat-partner organization, which makes sense for a national science promotion body that brings a specific regional perspective to diverse consortia. Their typical contribution is science communication and public engagement work packages rather than technical research, making them a low-risk, specialized addition to large CSA-type projects.

Exceptionally broad network for their size: 118 unique partners across 33 countries, reflecting the pan-European nature of science communication and RRI projects. Their reach extends well beyond the Western Balkans into all major EU member states.

What sets them apart

As Serbia's dedicated national science promotion institution, they offer something most Western European partners cannot: authentic access to Western Balkans audiences and the perspective of an EU-candidate country navigating research integration. Their combination of hands-on event organization (the ReFocuS series ran three iterations) with policy-level RRI work is unusual — most organizations do one or the other. For consortium builders, they are a proven, reliable partner who checks the "widening participation" box while delivering genuine engagement expertise.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TeRRIFICA
  Their largest funded project (EUR 173,875) and a significant step into climate action — combining RRI with territorial co-creation and living labs.
• RRING
  Positioned them in a global RRI network connecting nation states, international organizations, and industry — their most ambitious policy-level engagement.
• ReFocuS 3.0
  Their only coordinator role, and the third iteration of their signature 'Friday of Science' series — demonstrates sustained institutional commitment to a proven format.