Reducing infertility in human population, improving genetic potential in animal husbandry and the conservation of autochthonous species as well as the application of regenerative medicine in the treatment of diseases, all represent the challenges of the modern society.

A team of professors from the Department of Biology and Ecology, the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad are leading a big international project “Curricula Development in the Fields of Reproductive Biology/ Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Regenerative Medicine in Serbia”.

The objectives of this project are the following:

• Modernisation and development of Master Studies in Reproductive Biology in Serbian and English to educate Reproductive Biologists – Embryologists to work in teams for in vitro fertilization, which are jointly carried out by the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad;
• Developing specialization programmes in Animal Reproductive Biotechnology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, to educate the veterinarians in the application of assisted reproductive technologies;
• Developing Master Studies in Regenerative Medicine at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac.

Тhree European universities participate in the project: Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’, Bulgaria, the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and the University of Newcastle, England, as well as three partners from the SME sector: Special Gynaecological Hospital ‘Ferona’ (Novi Sad, Serbia), Livestock and Veterinary Centre for Reproduction and Artificial Insemination ‘Velika Plana’ (Velika Plana, Serbia), Medical Centre ReproBioMed (Sofia, Bulgaria).

The realization of this project will transfer best practices from the EU universities and enterprises into the higher education institutions in Serbia in the fields of human and animal reproduction and regenerative medicine. The introduction of new study programmes will contribute to the modernization, availability and internalization of university education in Serbia. In October, 2019 these master academic studies will start, which will open up an opportunity for students to choose a new area of expertise, and at the same time this programme will make the studies at the Department of Biology and Ecology and the Faculty of Medicine become more attractive and up-to-date.

It is expected that the first generation of students will complete new study programmes in 2020 and 2021 and become competent and ready to work in the fields of human and animal reproduction as well as regenerative medicine.

Furthermore, in 2019 life-long learning courses for reproductive biologists – embryologists and veterinarians will start. Universities in Serbia, participants in the project, believe that new study programmes will attract more students not only at the national but also at the regional level, since similar study programmes do not exist in the region.