UNIVERZITET U NOVOM SADU FAKULTET TEHNICKIH NAUKA

Their core work

The Faculty of Technical Sciences (FTN) in Novi Sad is one of Serbia's largest engineering faculties, with deep research strengths in electronics, communications, and computing. They develop stretchable and textile electronics for biomedical applications, work on 5G and machine-type communication systems, and build IoT sensor platforms. Beyond core research, FTN has invested heavily in building Serbia's capacity for EU research participation — running multiple science engagement and networking projects that connect Western Balkan researchers with European partners.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2014 to 2019, FTN's H2020 activity was dominated by science communication and capacity building — projects like Friend2U, COOLandHOT, and ReConNeCt focused on making research accessible and connecting Serbian scientists with European networks. Starting around 2018-2020, a dramatic pivot occurred toward hard technical research: stretchable electronics, 5G communications, edge computing, and sensor systems became the core focus. The ERA Chair grant (STRENTEX, 2020) signals institutional maturation — FTN moved from building connections to attracting top-level research leadership in emerging technology fields.

FTN is transitioning from a networking-oriented Widening participant into a technically competitive research hub in flexible electronics and next-generation communications — expect them to lead more RIA projects in these areas.

How they like to work

FTN coordinates half of its projects (6 out of 12), which is unusually high for an institution from a Widening country — they clearly prefer to lead rather than just participate. Their 103 unique partners across 35 countries show they are a hub-type organization that builds broad, diverse consortia rather than returning to the same small group. This makes them a strong consortium anchor for projects needing Western Balkan coverage and a partner experienced in managing multi-country collaborations.

FTN has built an exceptionally wide network of 103 partners across 35 countries — remarkable breadth for a Serbian institution. This reach extends well beyond the Western Balkans into Western Europe and globally, reflecting their participation in MSCA mobility schemes and large coordination actions.

What sets them apart

FTN is one of the few Serbian institutions that has successfully transitioned from Widening-funded capacity building into competitive technical research leadership, particularly in stretchable electronics — a field with very few European ERA Chairs. Their combination of strong consortium management experience (from running multiple CSA projects) and emerging deep-tech expertise makes them a rare dual-capability partner: they can both coordinate a project and deliver serious technical work in electronics and communications.

Highlights from their portfolio

• STRENTEX
  EUR 2.47M ERA Chair grant — the largest project by far — establishing FTN as a European center for stretchable and textile electronics with biomedical applications.
• INCOMING
  FTN-coordinated Twinning project in 5G and machine learning for massive-scale communications, demonstrating research leadership in next-gen wireless.
• MARVEL
  Participation in a multimodal data analytics platform for smart cities using edge-fog-cloud computing, connecting FTN's IoT and computing expertise to urban applications.