FACULTY OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

Their core work

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Belgrade is Serbia's leading medical faculty, contributing clinical expertise and patient cohort access to European health research consortia. Their core work in H2020 centers on cardiovascular disease — particularly atrial fibrillation screening, stroke risk stratification, and carotid artery disease — alongside multimorbidity management in elderly populations. They bring clinical trial infrastructure, patient data, and pharmacogenomics capabilities to large multinational studies. During the pandemic, they also contributed clinical vaccine trial capacity through the VACCELERATE platform.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2018) focused on disease-level research: carotid artery disease stratification using omics and computational modeling (TAXINOMISIS), in-silico drug trials for cardiomyopathy (SILICOFCM), and mental health intervention implementation (IMPULSE). From 2020 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward patient-centred, integrated care for complex elderly patients — multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and digital AF screening dominate their recent portfolio. This represents a clear move from molecular/computational disease research toward population health, clinical implementation, and real-world patient management.

They are moving toward digital health tools and integrated care models for ageing populations — expect future involvement in geriatric cardiology, eHealth, and chronic disease management projects.

How they like to work

MFUB operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never as coordinator, joining large European consortia (122 unique partners across 35 countries in just 7 projects). Their role is that of a clinical partner contributing patient access, trial sites, and medical expertise from the Western Balkans region. This pattern suggests they are a reliable, low-friction partner valued for extending consortium geographic coverage into Southeast Europe and providing real-world clinical data.

With 122 unique partners across 35 countries from only 7 projects, MFUB is embedded in very large pan-European consortia. Their network spans nearly all EU member states plus associated countries, giving them broad European connectivity despite being based in a non-EU country.

What sets them apart

As Serbia's premier medical faculty, MFUB offers something most Western European consortia actively seek: clinical trial access and patient cohorts from the Western Balkans, a region underrepresented in EU health research. Their concentrated expertise in atrial fibrillation and multimorbidity — with three overlapping AF projects — means they bring deep, focused knowledge rather than scattered involvement. For consortium builders, they provide geographic diversity, ethical approvals in Serbia, and a clinical research team already experienced with EU project requirements.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TAXINOMISIS
  Their highest-funded project (EUR 371,842), combining omics, computational modeling, and pharmacogenomics for carotid artery disease — their most technically ambitious contribution.
• VACCELERATE
  Positioned MFUB within Europe's COVID-19 vaccine trial acceleration platform, demonstrating their capacity to respond rapidly to public health emergencies.
• AFFIRMO
  Represents the culmination of their AF expertise — a comprehensive approach to atrial fibrillation in frail, multimorbid, polymedicated older patients running until 2026.