Tribina (NE)pokoreni Univerzitet- Dorcol Platz 23.9.2024. od 19h

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Krajem 2023. godine, Mreža akademske solidarnosti i angažovanosti (MASA) pokrenula je podkast pod nazivom Nepokoreni univerzitet. Sluteći da se sve više sužava polje za kritičko delovanje akademskih radnika u Srbiji, uz sve neskriveniji progon malobrojnih profesora i naučnika koji se usuđuju da javno progovore protiv nosilaca vlasti ili njihovih planova za razvoj Srbije, odlučili smo da otvorimo jedan od retkih alternativnih kanala komunikacije između akademaca i javnosti u Srbiji. Stiče se utisak da je, kako su se epizode iz meseca u mesec nizale, pozicija kritički nastrojenih akademaca bivala sve gora, uz njihovo, sve češće, javno etiketiranje pa i progon od strane onih ka kojima je oštrica njihove kritike bila upućena.

Može li se danas uopšte govoriti o univerzitetu kao mestu otpora nestručnosti, nedemokratičnosti ii na kraju krajeva bahatosti onih koji se nalaze na pozicijama moći u Srbiji? Može li nekolicina javno izloženih profesora odbraniti univerzitet od sve brutalnijih nasrtaja na njegovu autonomiju od strane nosilaca vlasti u Srbiji? Zašto ćuti univerzitetska javnost? Ovo su samo neka od pitanja o kojima će naša ugledna novinarka Suzana Trninić u ulozi moderatorke razgovarati sa učesnicima tribine profesorima Univerziteta u Beogradu Snježanom Milivojević, Ivanom Vujačićem, Vukašinom Milićevićem i Oliverom Toškovićem.

Učesnici tribine podeliće svoja mišljenja o tome kako bi intelektualci trebalo da se suočavaju sa institucionalnim pretnjama, medijskim napadima i drugim pritiscima zbog svojih kritičkih stavova. Osim toga, diskutovaće se i o sve češćim tužbama protiv univerzitetskih profesora, kampanjama diskreditacije i širim posledicama ovakvih praksi po društvo, demokratski dijalog i akademsku slobodu.

Ulaz je slobodan, a svi zainteresovani su dobrodošli da uzmu učešće u razgovoru.

A report from the round table on the crisis in education

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Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASS) organized the Round Table on 13.5. In the Media Center under the title: "Crisis of the education system: shortage of freshmen and endangerment of the teaching profession".

The problem that affects the majority of state faculties is the sudden drop in interest in studying, where the lack of students is particularly pronounced in the courses and modules. Along with that, for a long time there has been a related problem of lack of teaching staff in secondary and primary schools, especially in smaller towns in Serbia. As a set of measures towards a solution, eight deans of the University of Belgrade decided to form a clear Platform, which was then supported by the University of Belgrade and professional associations. Negotiations with the Ministry of Education began a year ago. The specific topic of this round table is the aforementioned platform, its reception by the state and society as a whole.

The participants of the round table were:
prof. Dr. Goran Roglić, dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, UB
prof. Dr. Iva Draškić Vićanović, Dean of the Faculty of Philology, UB
prof. Dr. Velimir Šećerov, Dean of the Faculty of Geography, UB
prof. Dr. Ivan Belča, dean of the Faculty of Physics, UB
prof. Dr. Ana Pešikan Avramović - Faculty of Philosophy, UB
Ana Dimitrijević - Forum of Belgrade High Schools
Introduction: prof. Dr. Dalibor Petrović – MASA
Moderator: prof. Dr. Nikola Cvetanović - MASA

The meeting was attended by interested members of the academic community from several faculties and institutes, as well as members of the media. Representatives of the Ministry of Education did not accept the invitation with the request to postpone the meeting.

The conversation was conducted through three thematic frameworks: insight into the problem and the proposed platform, current progress - the response of state authorities and the public, conclusion and proposal for further steps. After an introductory presentation on the motivation for the meeting and the seriousness of this crisis, the participants in the first round identified all aspects of the problem and commented on the offered solutions within the platform. It was concluded that the aspects are numerous and connected, starting from unadapted teaching programs and the absence of reliable statistics to financial problems. However, the degraded status of school teachers was singled out as a key generator of the whole process, both from a financial point of view and from the position of the population in society. The teacher is deprived of dignity, burdened by administration, exposed to various pressures and unprotected. Such a bad position entails the necessary negative selection, politicization and decline in the quality of teaching. In the second round, impressions were presented about the current acceptance of the ideas of the Platform by the executive power and the public. It was concluded that the progress is minimal, partly due to changes in the ministries in the recent period, but above all due to the lack of motivation to solve the crisis in education. In the third round, it was concluded that it is necessary to continue exerting pressure, not only on the line ministry, but on the entire state administration, through the synergy of the academic community, professional associations and education unions. One of the key conditions for the recovery of education is the depoliticization of education, which was made possible by the 2017 law.

The goal of this round table was to draw attention to the dangerous trend of collapsing the education system to the point that its basic functioning is now threatened. This problem calls for broad social action because its failure to solve it brings far-reaching and profound consequences for the whole society. That is why, with this meeting and other activities, MASA strives to influence decision-makers in order to see the necessity of an urgent response.

MASA organizes a round table - The crisis of the education system: the shortage of freshmen and the threat to the teaching profession

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Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASS) organizes a round table called The crisis of the education system: the shortage of freshmen and vulnerability 
teaching profession.

The academic and general public has been focusing on the problem of the sudden drop in interest in studying at most faculties of state universities in Serbia for some time now.
The lack of students is particularly pronounced in the courses and modules. Along with that, for a long time there has been a related problem of lack of teaching staff in secondary and primary schools, especially in smaller cities of Serbia. Accordingly, the Platform of Eight Deans was launched, which received the support of the Senate of the University of Belgrade.

The round table will be held in Monday 13.5.2024. from the 1:30 p.m, Media center, small hall (Terazije 3, Belgrade).

At the event he will speak: 

prof. Dr. Goran Roglić, dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, UB 
prof. Dr. Iva Draškić Vićanović, dean of the Faculty of Philology, UB 

prof. Dr. Velimir Šečerov, dean of the Faculty of Geography, UB 
prof. Dr. Ivan Belča, dean of the Faculty of Physics, UB 
prof. Dr. Ana Pešikan Avramović - Faculty of Philosophy, UB 
Ana Dimitrijevic - Forum of Belgrade high schools 
Introduction: prof. Dr. Dalibor Petrović - MASS
Moderator: prof. Dr. Nikola Cvetanović - MASS

A meeting of new members of MASA was held

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On Thursday 21.12.2023. an event was held to welcome new members of the Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement - MASA. The participants of the gathering were addressed by the members of the MASE Advisory and Coordination Board, academician prof. dr. Vladica Cvetković, prof. Dr. Snježana Milivojević, Assoc. Dr. Bojan Bodroža and Prof. Dr. Dalibor Petrović.

Dalibor Petrović, in his capacity as the president of KO MASA, in his opening address referred to the current events in the scientific and educational area of Serbia, but also to the political and social environment in which academic and scientific activity takes place in Serbia. Accordingly, he emphasized the importance of the activities of an organization such as MASA, after which he briefly recalled the most significant activities of this organization in the past two years.

Snježana Milivojević stated that the public's expectations from the University are still very high, therefore we should use all our intellectual resources to get involved in the formation of a new and better society. We must be more vocal on many issues, among other things how to democratize society anew since clear signs of the reestablishment of autocratic patterns of political action are noticeable. According to Professor Milivojević, the university's silence on these issues is the loudest. In addition, she referred to the structural changes that must be implemented at the university, which lead to its passivation.

Bishop Cvetković called for a conversation and an exchange of ideas and opinions. He briefly referred to previously stated claims by other participants and the general situation at the University and in society. He highlighted why activism is important and why we need to create a bigger picture in order to bring about change.

Bojana Bodroža continued on the importance of activism and invited all those present to take an active part in the activities of MASE. She briefly referred to the work of the group for Dignified Work in Science and concluded that this group made a significant contribution to solving the problem of the exclusion of university teachers from the former project and now institutional funding.

After the introductory speeches, the new members of MASE highlighted the problems they face within their institutions, among which the passivity of younger colleagues and constructive conformity were most often identified. In addition, the participants discussed the possibilities for increasing the capacity of the network and the action plan for the next year. Participants agreed that MASA gives academics the opportunity to speak their minds knowing that, regardless of the consequences, they will have the full support of members.

The main conclusion of the very lively and fruitful discussion was the opinion on the importance of continuing the activity of MASA and the activation of its members through the existing working groups. Accordingly, in the coming months, action plans will be made for action in the coming year with the aim of pointing out the problems that the academic community is facing, but also trying to point out the ways to overcome them in the following period.

Report from the forum regarding the announcement of the reintroduction of military service

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Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASS) organized a forum on the recently updated topic of mandatory military service. Namely, the topic is recognized as legitimate and significant for the academic community as well, which can offer new and more comprehensive approaches when determining priorities and specific development goals of a society and state. For the development of long-term plans, policies and opportunities, the analyzes and research results of scientific institutes, faculties, expert teams, as well as the involvement of the wider public, are very important, in order to more clearly and precisely determine all potential problems and obstacles that indicate limited opportunities to carry out the announced changes, that is, presented the benefits and opportunities for the realization to be successful.

The segment that was less talked about in public, and is important for the topic of mandatory military service, includes part of the realization of the recruitment process itself. In its structure, this process implies the fulfillment of numerous criteria, which through standard procedures exclude a significant part of potential recruits, because they require minimum mental, medical and physical standards, educational and moral requirements, age limits, the issue of security checks and the like. For this reason, it was important for the public to hear the words of experts from various scientific and professional bodies and institutions in the fields of medicine (psychiatry, public health), education, security, physical culture and education, economics and many others, which we partially managed to provide to the interlocutors who responded to our call.

The tribune was held in Tuesday, 21.6.2022. year at 6 p.m. in Club Polet (Cetinjska 15, Belgrade).

The speakers were:

 

  1. Jovan Mirić, prof. of the Faculty of Philosophy in retirement (Department of Developmental Psychology)
  2. Svetlana Stanarevic, associate professor, Faculty of Security, UB
  3. Dr. Miroslav Marković, Institute for the Improvement of Education and Training, President of the Serbian Association of Physical Education and Sports Teachers
  4. Slobodan Spasic, psychologist, PhD student (Faculty of Philosophy)

 

After an introductory presentation on the chronology of initiatives on the reactivation of mandatory military service from 2011 to the present day, the political, media and professional discourse in the said period was briefly presented. It was pointed out the last advertisement of the competent minister, with the statement that several models designed in the Ministry of Defense are ready, which will be sent to the president, and then a wider public discussion will be opened. While we are waiting for that moment, MASA has organized a forum, in order to listen to the thoughts of the academic public and the community on the issue and open up space for engagement in future public discussions. There were talks about moral behavior and moral governance of young people, patriotism, theoretical insights into those concepts, but also the importance of connecting with the subject of mandatory military service. Meeting physical standards during the recruitment process requires certain physical characteristics and readiness of potential recruits. Based on recent research on the physical and motor skills of children and young people and very worrying results (increased obesity, diabetes, various forms of spinal deviation, etc.), the potential of the future recruitment contingent can be questioned. In addition to the importance of meeting physical criteria and standards, it is very important to take into account the psychological and mental state of the young population, especially in the process of psychological assessment and selection for military service, the characteristics of psychometric instruments, weaknesses and strengths, as well as the possibilities to adapt to gender requirements in in the event that both women and men are recruited, the different experiences of foreign armies when it comes to mixed or unisex military units, and more. Based on the content of the speaker's presentation, we can say that the need for an important role of the academic community has been confirmed, which is increasingly showing its willingness to engage in public discussion regarding issues that represent the strategic determinations of our society and the state in the sphere of security, but also beyond. It is necessary to determine what are the capacities and significant research endeavors, which can result in a greater contribution in fulfilling normative, political, strategic and operational requirements, so that life takes place in conditions of greater safety, security and better quality. Also, it is important that public policy planning is carried out in an integrated way, whereby greater attention must be paid to the balance between responding to security needs and other essential needs of the population (such as education, health, employment, access to clean water, food, access energy, etc.). Representatives of the academic community and educational institutions at all levels, with their different specializations, represent a set of expertise that can contribute to improving the state's response to the multidimensional (security) needs of citizens, but also support public decision makers by analyzing needs, analyzing opportunities, independent evaluation of existing policies and formulating proposals for future work.

MASA organizes a forum on the occasion of the announcement of the reintroduction of military service

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Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASS) invites you to a forum on the recently updated topic of mandatory military service. MASA recognized the topic as legitimate and significant for the academic public as well, because according to the way it was opened, it indicated the necessity of a more serious and comprehensive approach to determining priorities and specific goals of the development of a society and state. For the development of long-term plans, policies and opportunities, the analyzes and research results of scientific institutes, faculties, expert teams are very important, as well as the involvement of the wider public, in order to more clearly and precisely determine all potential problems and obstacles that indicate limited opportunities to carry out the announced changes, that is, presented the benefits and opportunities for the realization to be successful.

The segment that was less talked about in public, and is important for the topic of mandatory military service, includes part of the realization of the recruitment process itself. In its structure, this process implies the fulfillment of numerous criteria, which through standard procedures exclude a significant part of potential recruits, because they require minimum mental, medical and physical standards, educational and moral requirements, age limits, the issue of security checks and the like. For this reason, it is important for the public to hear the words of experts from various scientific and professional bodies and institutions in the fields of medicine (psychiatry, public health), education, security, physical culture and upbringing, economics and many others.

The forum will be held in Tuesday, 21.6.2022. year at 6 p.m. in Club Polet (Cetinjska 15, Belgrade).

Speakers:

  1. Jovan Mirić, prof. of the Faculty of Philosophy in retirement (Department of Developmental Psychology)
  2. Svetlana Stanarevic, associate professor, Faculty of Security, UB
  3. Slobodan Spasic, psychologist, PhD student
  4. Dr. Miroslav Marković (Institute for the Improvement of Education and Training, President of the Serbian Association of Physical Education and Sports Teachers)

In the background of the issue of mandatory military service, there are also the following issues that we will open:

1) How does our society, that is, representatives of state institutions and decision-makers determine priorities and whether they rely on reliable data and research results when making those decisions; how familiar they are with the importance and understanding of the advantages and limitations of some information and data; how much and in what way the general public is involved, especially when it comes to topics that come from the security sphere and that require ever greater openness and the possibility to realize an appropriate public discussion.

2) To what extent is the academic community ready to engage in public discussion regarding issues that represent the strategic determinations of our society and the state in the sphere of security, but also more broadly; does it have sufficient capacity and significant research endeavors that can result in a greater contribution in meeting normative, political, strategic and operational requirements, so that life can take place in conditions of greater safety, security and better quality.

3) Is the planning of public policies carried out in an integrated way, paying attention to the balance between responding to security needs and other essential needs of the population (such as education, health, employment, access to clean water, food, access to energy, etc.) and why not? Representatives of the academic community and educational institutions at all levels, with their different specializations, represent a set of expertise that can contribute to improving the state's response to the multidimensional (security) needs of citizens, but also support public decision makers by analyzing needs, analyzing opportunities, independent evaluation of existing policies and formulating proposals for future work. Participants of the forum are invited to give their opinion and state their views on the current topic of compulsory military service, which reflects many other important issues in our society, which are looking for satisfactory answers and solutions.

Report from the forum held in order to start a discussion on the possible reform of legal acts and university regulations

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Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASS) organized the discussion that took place on Tuesday, 15.3.2022. year, in the Polet gallery. The intention was to initiate a broad academic discussion on the possible reform of legal acts and university regulations that regulate the manner, procedure and minimum conditions for acquiring a title and establishing a working relationship as a teacher at the University of Belgrade. (and other universities in Serbia). The immediate reason for the reform of the procedures and conditions for elections to positions and the establishment of an employment relationship at the University of Belgrade are the increasingly frequent cases of elections in which various irregularities come to light. Many of these cases end up in public and in the courts, which causes damage to both individuals and the University of Belgrade. These problems often arise as a result of the vagueness and even contradictions of the procedures related to the selection to the profession. The goal of the eventual reform would be to reduce vagueness, contradictions, abuses and damage caused to individuals, and thus to the University of Belgrade.

The panel was moderated by prof. Dr. Dušan Pavlović, member of the KO MASA, while the participants were:

Danilo Vuković, associate professor of the Faculty of Law, BU
Vladimir Milić, general secretary of the BU Rectorate
Iva Draškić Vićanović, dean of the Faculty of Philology, BU

In an open and substantive conversation in which the audience took part, several directions for future action in terms of reforming the existing procedures for selecting teachers and establishing a permanent employment relationship were crystallized:

1) It is necessary to initiate procedures for amending the Law on Higher Education and the regulations governing the manner and procedure for obtaining the title of teacher at the University of Belgrade. Some of the proposals that were heard at the panel were related to the introduction of a mandatory individual explanation when voting for the selection of teachers if voting against the proposal of the Election Commission. In addition, some of the participants of the forum proposed the complete exclusion of NNV from the process of making a decision on the selection of teachers, that is, it is sufficient for the selection decision to be made by the University's expert councils, which even now have the final say in the selection of teachers. Another possible amendment to the regulations governing the selection of teachers could refer to ethical and disciplinary responsibility for various abuses of the selection process. For both reforms, there are foundations in the existing regulations and ethical code of the University of Belgrade.

2) It is necessary to continue the discussion on the possibility of establishing a permanent employment relationship for teachers at Universities in Serbia before the election to the title of full professor. This can be arranged either linearly, by lowering the possibility of establishing a permanent employment relationship already at the time of selection to the position of docent or associate professor or by certain segments, for example with general subjects such as foreign languages. In this way, the pressure to advance to the rank of full professor with the basic motive of establishing a permanent employment relationship, which is often accompanied by the absence of the necessary motivation to continue a scientific career, would be reduced. On the other hand, in such circumstances, it would be possible to tighten the conditions for obtaining the highest title since it would be freed from the social component of permanent care for teachers (because this would already be solved with some of the lower titles).

Also, the possibility of permanent employment earlier would motivate high-quality students to stay at the university, since we are now increasingly in a situation, especially at technical faculties, that the best students go to the labor market, where they get far more favorable conditions when establishing an employment relationship, both in terms of finances and and in terms of establishing a permanent employment relationship.

In the end, establishing a permanent employment relationship in the late forties or fifties leads to a kind of infantilization of those who are in positions lower than regular professor, which seriously violates their dignity and labor rights.

MASA is organizing a forum with the aim of starting a discussion on the possible reform of legal acts and university regulations

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Networks of academic solidarity and engagement (MASS) invites you to the forum on the occasion of our intention to start a broad discussion on the possible reform of legal acts and university regulations that regulate the manner, procedure and minimum conditions for obtaining a title and establishing a working relationship as a teacher at the University of Belgrade (and other universities in Serbia). The immediate reason for the reform of the procedures and conditions for elections to positions and the establishment of an employment relationship at the University of Belgrade are the increasingly frequent cases of elections in which various irregularities come to light. Many of these cases end up in public and in the courts, which causes damage to both individuals and the University of Belgrade. These problems often arise as a result of the vagueness and even contradictions of the procedures related to the selection to the profession. The goal of the possible reform would be to reduce vagueness, contradictions, abuses and damage caused to individuals, and thus to the University of Belgrade.

The forum will be held in Tuesday, 15.3.2022. year at 6 p.m. in Club Polet (Cetinjska 15, Belgrade).

Mountaineers:

  • Danilo Vuković, associate professor of the Faculty of Law
  • Vladimir Mikić, General Secretary of the BU Rectorate
  • Iva Draškić Vićanović, Dean of the Faculty of Philology

We will discuss the following topics:

1) Amendment of the Law on Higher Education and the rulebook regulating the method and procedure for obtaining the title of teacher at the University of Belgrade (key change - Ethical and disciplinary responsibility for the abuse of the selection process; mandatory explanation of the decisions of all participants (decision-makers) in the selection process in the profession), etc..

2) Amendment of the Law on Higher Education and the rulebook regulating the procedure for establishing a teacher's employment relationship at the University of Belgrade (key change - establishing a permanent employment relationship with the acquisition of a (first) teaching title)

3) Amendment of the rulebook regulating the minimum conditions for selection into teaching positions (key change – International recognition as a condition for promotion)

 

Report from the forum dedicated to scientific research and teaching work in the country and cooperation with the diaspora

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On Wednesday, July 14, Club "Polet" held a forum entitled "Academic emigration - scientific research and teaching work in the country and cooperation with the diaspora". The gathering was organized by the Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA), and the latest study on academic emigration, which was initiated by MASA, was presented. The authors of the study are Milica Vesković Anđelković from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Milica Tošić, research associate at the Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, and Vladan Čokić, scientific advisor at the same institute and member of the MASE Coordination Board.

In addition to the three authors, the following also spoke at the forum:

Gordana Bjelobrk - head of the Department of Demography of the Republic Institute of Statistics,

Jelena Predojević-Despić - research associate at the Institute of Social Sciences,

Gazela Pudar Draško - director of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory and member of the Coordination Board of MASE.

Vladan Čokić, who opened and moderated the forum, emphasized in the introductory part that through this study and the initiation of a public debate on academic emigration, MASA wanted to review and present to the general public the state of cooperation between the scientific and teaching community in Serbia with the diaspora, as well as to give suggestions on how to deepen and strengthen this cooperation at the systemic level. This study is only the first step in engaging MASE with the aim of contributing to improvements in this area.

Milica Tošić mainly spoke about the methodology of this research. She stated that a total of 1,130 researchers from the country and the diaspora filled out the survey. They answered two different questionnaires - one was intended for scientific workers from Serbia who still live abroad or have returned to the country after spending more than a year on training, and the other for those who have never left Serbia or spent less than a year outside it. The most important questions related to the motives for leaving and later return, the current state of science in our country, the current state policy in the given area, as well as satisfaction with the cooperation of domestic scientific institutions with the academic community in the diaspora.

Milica Vesković Anđelković continued her presentation, highlighting the results of the research. One of the main results is that the motives for the departure of members of the academic community from Serbia are no longer of an economic nature, but rather opportunities for improvement and the acquisition of new knowledge and contacts. Also, more than half of those who leave do not want to stay permanently in other countries, but plan their return in the short or medium period. On the other hand, of the total number of scientists who participated in the research and have not left the country so far, quite a few intend to do so, and only slightly more than 7% have taken concrete steps to that end. The research also showed that scientists in the diaspora really feel like a part of Serbia and that they are ready to invest their time and knowledge and participate in improving the state of education and science in the country they come from. Through 50%, they already cooperate in some way with faculties and institutes in Serbia, and most of the rest would do so if they had the opportunity.

Milica Vesković Anđelković reminded that academic emigration is not a new phenomenon, but dates back to the 19th century, and that people who, after acquiring knowledge at prestigious European universities, returned to Serbia, always brought new value and were the driver of development. However, in the age of the most modern technologies, the emphasis should no longer be even on return, but on cooperation and communication: "Today, we transmit information in a moment thanks to the Internet and the contacts we have. So that return to the country is not really necessary. Maybe even, if we take into account that they are gaining new knowledge and are excellent ambassadors of our country, we should not regret their departure, but we should encourage them and create good conditions for cooperation with them and their involvement in development projects in the country."

Gordana Bjelobrk, head of the Department of Demography at this institution, confirmed that the data from the study coincide with the general statistical data of the Republic Institute of Statistics. Serbia is faced with the problem of emigration, especially since the people who leave the country are on average younger and with a higher level of education compared to the total population in Serbia. However, the numbers are not as dramatic as is often mentioned in the public, because there is also a significant number of returnees.

Jelena Predojević-Despić pointed out that it is good that in the entire region in recent years there has been a stronger interest in using academic emigration as one of the drivers of scientific and social development, but that the previous policies have not had a significant effect: "All the countries of the Western Balkans have undertaken certain measures towards the migration of the highly educated, but, regardless of the fact that the importance of such measures is recognized, it cannot be said that good results have been achieved and that some development effect has been achieved in any of those countries. For now, the real winners of academic migration are only the countries of destination."

Gazela Pudar Draško spoke at this forum not only as a member of the MASE Coordination Board, but also as the director of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, where as many as 20 out of a total of 48 scientific associates are returnees from abroad. She spoke about the biggest systemic obstacles for the return of highly educated personnel. These are: general insecurity, lack of rule of law and inability to find a job regardless of expertise. The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory is an example of good practice in terms of hiring such staff, because the atmosphere is most reminiscent of scientific institutions in the West.

That there is a huge scope for improving the cooperation of the academic community in Serbia with the diaspora is also shown by the answers from the study, according to which over 50% respondents who are engaged in domestic scientific and educational institutions want to cooperate with their colleagues who are currently abroad, but do not have way to do it, while there is a similar percentage of respondents from the academic diaspora who are interested in contributing to the work of faculties and institutes in Serbia, but do not have a framework for this type of engagement. Such data indicate both the academic community and the state to a problem, but also to a kind of opportunity for our compatriots, who are currently studying scientifically mainly in the countries of Western Europe and North America, to give a new and different impetus to the development of teaching and scientific research activities in our country.

 

Invitation to the forum of Academic emigration

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As part of the study on academic emigration, the Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA) is organizing on 14.07.2021. at 7:00 p.m. at Club Polet (address: Cetinjska 15, Belgrade) a forum entitled: Academic emigration - scientific research and teaching work in the country and cooperation with the diaspora.
The survey on academic emigration was completed by 1130 researchers and teachers from Serbia and the diaspora. The goal of the study is to systematically deepen the cooperation of researchers and teachers from the country and the diaspora with the experiences of returnees, after an initial overview of the current situation. The interlocutors at the forum will be:

• Milica Vesković Anđelković, docent from the Faculty of Philosophy, UB.
• Gordana Bjelobrk, head of the Department of Demography of the Republic Institute for Statistics.
• Gazela Pudar Draško, research associate and director of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, UB.
• Jelena Predojević-Despić, research associate at the Institute of Social Sciences.
• Milica Tošić, research associate at the Institute for Medical Research, UB.

Moderator: Vladan Čokić, scientific advisor of the Institute for Medical Research, UB.

Serbia is traditionally a country of emigration with a large academic diaspora around the world. Therefore, it is important that our academic diaspora be recognized as an important potential of domestic social development. Along with the failures in preserving and upgrading the foundations of Serbian science, the academic community in the country should also be respected, which has succeeded, often without sufficient funds for work, to make strides in world science and create new generations that will partly go to the world again. The goal of the research conducted by MASA was to map the conditions for creating a stimulating environment (social and economic) for the development of science in the country, then the conditions for motivating and supporting the cooperation of the domestic academic community and our experts from the diaspora, as well as creating conditions for active and effective involvement returnees to the academic community of Serbia.