Organization

UNIVERZITET U BEOGRADU - FAKULTET ZA FIZICKU HEMIJU

Belgrade physical chemistry faculty specialising in public science engagement through interactive events, open labs, and educational demonstrations.

University research groupsocietyRSNo active H2020 projectsThin data (2/5)

H2020 projects

As coordinator

Total EC funding

€178K

Unique partners

What they do

Their core work

The Faculty of Physical Chemistry at the University of Belgrade is a specialized academic department focused on physical chemistry research and education. Within H2020, their sole EU-funded activity has been science communication and public engagement through the recurring "Science in Motion for Friday Night Commotion" (SCIMFONICOM) initiative — a public outreach programme featuring open labs, science demonstrations, lectures, and interactive events designed to bring science closer to the general public. Their EU project work is entirely in the domain of science popularisation rather than technical research.

Core expertise

What they specialise in

Science communication and public engagementprimary

3 projects

All three H2020 projects (SCIMFONICOM 2014-15, 2018-19, 2020) are dedicated science outreach programmes with public-facing events.

Interactive science event designprimary

3 projects

Projects feature diverse formats including open labs, science vans, treasure hunts, and 'Science Up' lecture-demonstrations.

Physical chemistry educationsecondary

1 project

SCIMFONICOM 2020 introduced 'Science Up' — short lectures demonstrating scientific principles behind everyday objects, reflecting their disciplinary base.

Evolution & trajectory

How they've shifted over time

Early focus

Diverse public science entertainment

Recent focus

Structured science education outreach

Their early SCIMFONICOM editions (2014-2015) featured a wide variety of playful, exploratory formats: science vans, treasure hunts, 'scientist in private life' segments, and themed sessions like 'green science' and 'science in the past/future.' By 2018-2020, the programme matured toward more structured formats — open laboratory tours with researchers and short educational lectures ('Science Up') connecting science to daily life. The shift suggests a move from broad public entertainment toward more substantive, education-oriented engagement.

They are moving toward deeper, more educational public engagement formats and have grown from participant to coordinator, suggesting increasing organisational maturity in managing outreach programmes.

Collaboration profile

How they like to work

Role: active_partnerReach: Local1 countries collaborated

They participated in the SCIMFONICOM initiative twice before taking on the coordinator role in 2020, showing a clear growth trajectory from junior partner to project leader. Their network is very small — just 2 unique partners in 1 country — indicating they work within a tight, recurring local consortium rather than building broad European networks. This is consistent with nationally-focused public engagement events that benefit from stable local partnerships.

Extremely compact network: only 2 consortium partners, all within a single country. This reflects nationally-focused science outreach work rather than international research collaboration.

Why partner with them

What sets them apart

Their value lies in being a physical chemistry faculty with a proven track record in public science engagement — a relatively rare combination for an academic chemistry department. They have successfully run the same outreach programme across three EU funding cycles, demonstrating reliability and institutional commitment to science communication. For consortium builders needing a Serbian partner for public engagement or Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) activities, they are a tested choice.

Notable projects

Highlights from their portfolio

SCIMFONICOM 2020
Their first project as coordinator, showing progression from participant to project leader after two editions as a partner.
SCIMFONICOM2018-19
Largest single funding allocation (EUR 79,812) and introduced the open laboratory tour format with active researcher participation.

Cross-sector capabilities

Science communication for any research domainResponsible Research and Innovation (RRI) activitiesMSCA European Researchers' Night eventsPublic engagement work packages in technical projects

Analysis note: All three projects are iterations of the same SCIMFONICOM science outreach initiative (CSA funding only), so the profile reflects a single recurring activity rather than diverse research capabilities. The faculty's actual physical chemistry research expertise is not visible in their H2020 portfolio, which is limited to public engagement. Their core scientific strengths are likely much broader than what EU project data alone reveals.