Serbia Edition 3 Updated March 2026

View other perspectives:

CEO Employee Government Small Business Owner
['AI Research Infrastructure', 'SANU and Academic Leadership', 'University Technology Programs', 'Government AI Strategy', 'European Integration'] Serbia has positioned artificial intelligence as a strategic priority within its technology development agenda, establishing institutional frameworks and research capabilities aligned with European standards and global best practices. The Research and Development Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia was formally established through governmental directive in March 2021, with explicit mandate to develop the AI ecosystem and establish Serbia as a competitive force in artificial intelligence advancement. The Institute maintains offices throughout Serbia's science and technology parks, symbolizing distributed rather than centralized approach to AI capability development. The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) has emerged as a central institution for AI research and advancement. SANU organizes the biennial International Scientific Conference on Artificial Intelligence, with the 2025 iteration representing the third edition, establishing this as a major European forum for AI research dissemination and international collaboration. The Mathematical Institute at SANU hosts the Artificial Intelligence Seminar, providing structured research activities covering logics, formal methods, reasoning, knowledge representation, natural language processing, machine learning, computational intelligence, and neural networks. SANU established an Academy Committee specifically dedicated to artificial intelligence, reflecting institutional recognition of AI's strategic importance. Higher education institutions have developed substantial capabilities in technology and computer science education, preparing workforce cohorts aligned with industry demands. The University of Novi Sad's Faculty of Technical Sciences operates as Serbia's largest faculty by student population, enrolling 17,163 students in the 2023-24 academic year. The Faculty maintains the second-largest engineering program in Europe and offers seven distinct computer science and IT programs including Computing and Control Engineering, Information Systems Engineering, Software Engineering and Information Technologies, and specialized programs in engineering animation, geodesy and geoinformatics, and power software engineering. The University of Novi Sad integrates theoretical computer science with practical application development, emphasizing both software and hardware knowledge essential for modern technology professionals. The Faculty of Technical Sciences gained recognition for supporting startup development within the broader technology ecosystem, maintaining institutional commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial activities among students and recently graduated professionals. The University of Belgrade complements this ecosystem through its School of Electrical Engineering and Computing programs, offering advanced technical education at Serbia's capital institution. The combination of research intensity and industry orientation in both institutions creates comprehensive pipeline converting academic research into practical technology applications. Government strategic investment in AI reflects confidence in technology sector growth potential and desire to capture value within artificial intelligence's emerging economy. More than 70 million dollars has been allocated specifically for artificial intelligence development and advanced technological research initiatives. These investments target infrastructure development, research capability enhancement, and ecosystem support rather than direct commercial subsidy. The 2025 announcement of 56 million dollars for AI infrastructure, including the 40 million dollar supercomputer, demonstrated escalation of governmental commitment to AI advancement. Alignment with European Union standards and integration into European technology frameworks represents strategic consideration in AI policy development. Serbia's participation in the Digital Europe program, formalized through the Agreement on participation in the Digital Europe programme, positions Serbia as essentially integrated into the EU's digital economy despite formal accession not yet occurring. This framework provides access to EU research funding, collaboration networks, and technical standards without requiring complete political integration. The Digital Europe program commitment specifically aims to accelerate Serbia's digital integration into the European Union digital market and facilitate accession process advancement. European Digital Innovation Hubs represent another integration mechanism, with Serbia receiving 1.6 million EUR in support for establishing EDIHs extending the European network into Western Balkans. These hubs facilitate technology transfer, entrepreneurship support, and digital skills development aligned with EU standards. The combination of government funding, SANU research leadership, university technical programs, and European integration frameworks creates increasingly sophisticated institutional environment for AI research advancement and practical application development. This multi-layered approach aims to position Serbia as meaningful contributor to European artificial intelligence development rather than passive technology consumer. ['https://ivi.ac.rs/en/', 'https://www.sanu.ac.rs/en/conference-artificial-intelligence/', 'https://www.mi.sanu.ac.rs/novi_sajt/research/seminars/ai.php', 'https://www.uns.ac.rs/index.php/en/faculties/ffaculties/faculty-technology', 'https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/serbia-digital-economy', 'https://europa.rs/digital-europe-future-now/?lang=en']

Related Reports

Country Report
Serbia — CEO Edition
Country Report
Serbia — Employee Edition
Country Report
Serbia — Small Business Owner Edition