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How to make Science speak clearly and reach everyone – successful workshop within the TwinSubDyn Project

On Thursday, April 17, 2025, the Science Communication Workshop was held at the Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, as part of the TwinSubDyn project (Horizon Europe – Twinning Western Balkans), dedicated to developing science communication skills and promoting science to broader audiences.

The workshop was very well attended, which clearly indicates the growing interest among researchers and teaching staff in learning how to present their work to wider audiences – in clear, engaging, and socially relevant way.

Through interactive lectures and open discussions, participants gained practical insights and heard firsthand experiences from speakers who have been actively involved in various forms of science communication for years.

  • Dr Branislav Jović, Full Professor at the Faculty of Sciences, spoke about challenges faced by modern researchers from project deliverables and reporting obligations to media relations and building trust with decision-makers. His talk “How Has Science Failed?” sparked an engaging discussion on the current role and perception of science in society.
  • Dobrivoje Erić, Head of International Cooperation at the Center for the Promotion of Science, presented different approaches to involving the public in scientific processes in his lecture “How to Communicate Science to (Un)Desired Audiences?” emphasizing the importance of open, tailored communication strategies for different target groups.
  • Dr Dajana Bjelajac, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sciences, through her talk “From Idea to Impact” and the story “Carpe Noctem“, demonstrated how scientific events can be transformed into immersive experiences that break down the barrier between science and the public – especially when addressing topics such as light pollution ant the natural night sky.

Over the course of three hours, participants explored how to make science more visible, inspiring, and accessible to those outside the academic world. The clear goal of the workshop was to empower participants to think creatively and to share their research in a way that people can understand, relate to, and want to follow.

The Science Communication Workshop confirmed the importance of science communication, not only as a skill but also as a responsibility of every researcher who wants to leave an impact beyond scientific journals.

International Relations

The first info day regarding the realization of the TOURCOMSERBIA project

The first info day related to the realization of the TOURCOMSERBIA project was held on April 12, at the Museum of Vojvodina in Novi Sad.

In addition to members of the project team, the event was attended by members of institutions from the tourism sector as key stakeholders in the development of tourism in Serbia, from whom the project received support. During the Info Day, the leaders presented the goals of the project, pointing out the uniqueness and innovation of the project for the improvement of tourism as a growing economic activity of our country. In addition, the participants of the event had the opportunity to get acquainted in more detail with the planned activities that members of the project team will carry out in order to achieve continuous measurement and monitoring of the overall competitiveness of tourism in Serbia.

After the official part, a tour of the exhibition “Where migration ends – from Roman Pannonia to today’s Vojvodina” was organized, which in an innovative way shows the synergy of science, culture and various forms of contemporary art.

International Relations

Our Head of the International Affairs Office as Humphrey Alumna Promotes Internationalization of Higher Education in Europe

Humphrey alumna Gordana Vlahović has been building upon her capstone project from her Humphrey Fellowship by working on initiatives to promote comprehensive internationalization in higher education. Ms. Vlahović was a 2018-2019 Fellow at Penn State University. Upon her return from her Humphrey Fellowship, she resumed her role as our Head of the International Affairs Office.

One project she is working on is called EXtremeClimTwin, in which she enhances the skills and competencies of research managers and administrators researching climate change and temperature extremes. She was recently interviewed on Serbian national television, during which she discussed the European Union Horizon 2020-funded research project, the critical role of the higher education administration in the process of internationalization, and raised awareness of the general lack of experts in this field.


Achievements, International Relations

Welcome meeting for Erasmus+ students

International Relations Office organised the Welcome meeting for incoming Erasmus+ students on Friday, November 1st 2019 at the Faculty of Sciences.

Erasmus+ students were welcomed by prof. Srđan Rončević, Vice Dean for Science, International Cooperation and Development and Gordana Vlahović, Head of International Affairs. During the meeting, Ivana Pejović, International Relations Officer gave a presentation about the Faculty of Sciences and other practical information related to student life in Novi Sad. Erasmus+ students shared their first impressions about studying in Novi Sad and also had the opportunity to chat with Erasmus+ coordinators in a non-formal atmosphere.

This winter semester the Faculty of Sciences has received 6 students from Spain, 1 student from the Czech Republic and 1 student from Austria within Erasmus+ Programme.

 

International Relations

Visit of Colleagues From the University of Eastern Finland

Prof. Dr. Ritva Kantelinen and Zinab Elgundi, PhD student from the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education of the University of Eastern Finland visited the Faculty of Sciences University of Novi Sad from 14th until 18th October 2019. The visit was organized as part of the international cooperation within the Erasmus+ Programme.

The guests were welcomed and hosted by professors Dr. Ljiljana Knezevic, Dragana Vukovic Vojnovic and Stanka Radojcic from the Centre for Languages for Specific Purposes. During the visit Ritva and Zinab gave lectures to local students about the Finish educational system and language education. In addition, the purpose of the visit was to extend and improve the cooperation in the field of foreign language education.

On last day of their visits colleagues from Finland had a meeting with the International Relations Office of the Faculty of Sciences in order to discuss about possibilities to enhance the cooperation and implement further joint activities. Many good ideas have been shared and the new calls for projects were identified. Looking forward to continuation this excellent collaboration with UEF!

International Relations

G-BiKE: European network of scientists for integrating genomic information into ecosystem management

A project with an interesting acronym – G-BiKE, COST Action Genomic Blodiversity Knowledge for Resilient, is a newly funded project of the European Union with the aim to connect scientists, managers and users of natural wealth across Europe in order to emphasize the importance of applying scientific knowledge of genetics and genomics in the conservation of plant and animal life.

Although today genetic information can be obtained for most of the organisms, standardisation of the protocols for detecting and monitoring species’ genetic diversity and their adaptive potential is still missing. The main idea of the G-BiKE project is to establish the usage of genomic knowledge as a standard tool in the environmental protection programmes, in order to ensure the persistence of populations and species.

As the acronym of the project alludes to a bicycle, the main idea of the project is to connect two wheels, one symbolising scientists and the other all the practitioners directly involved in the application of ecosystem protection programmes. The project started with a meeting in Brussels attended by 45 scientists from 27 European countries. Serbia was represented by three scientists: Prof Dr Mihajla Djan, full professor at the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad, Dr Nevena Velickovic, assistant professor at the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad and Dr Srdjan Stojnic, research associate at the Institute of Lowland Forestry and the Environment in Novi Sad.

Scientific programme of the Action is divided in five thematic units which are organized as working groups. The team from Serbia will participate in the working group focusing on the implementation of genetic markers as indicators for monitoring the state of natural populations. The work of this group will result in a unique database including the species of the European continent which are crucial for the development of genetic and genomic markers and the list of areas of special importance for the implementation of environmental protection measures (the areas which are prone to fast changes or which represent cross-border areas of species distribution).

Dr Cristiano Vernesi from Italy was appointed as the Action Chair, and during the first meeting other leaders were appointed, including a representative from Serbia – dr Nevena Velickovic who was appointed as the Science Communication Manager.

Note:

The project was obtained within the COST programme. COST is an intergovernmental framework for European cooperation in the domain of science and technology which opens space for the projects, which have already been financed at the national level and involve at least five institutions from the programme member countries, to be coordinated at the European level. COST programme financially supports the collaboration activities such as organising conferences, seminars, working group meetings, meetings of the executive boards of individual projects within the programme, participation in summer schools, as well as travel expenses for short-term scientific visits.

International Relations