IPB

Swiss delegation visits Institute of Physics Belgrade

19. October 2022.
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The Ambassador of Switzerland in Serbia H. E. Urs Schmid with his team visited the Institute of Physics Belgrade (IPB) on Monday, 17 October 2022. During the visit, the Swiss delegation met and talked with IPB management and researchers, touring several laboratories and the IPB campus.

‘Congratulations on the important work you do here, at the Institute. I hope you will continue to cooperate with Switzerland and its institutions,’ said Swiss ambassador Urs Schmid, speaking to IPB researchers and employees. ‘I will be glad to ensure the cooperation between Switzerland and Serbia in the field of science whenever there is a common interest,’ the Ambassador said.

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Ова слика има празан alt атрибут; име њене датотеке је IPB-Ambasador-Internet-107-1024x683.jpg

‘IPB as the first national institute of the Republic of Serbia, has grown into an institution of wider social relevance,’ stated Institute director Dr. Aleksandar Bogojević, mentioning that, since its foundation, IPB focused on excellence in research, innovation and education. He stressed that IPB successes are based on the legacy of previous generations, on strategic planning, international cooperation, motivation of its researchers, and support from society.

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Ова слика има празан alt атрибут; име њене датотеке је IPB-Ambasador-Internet-35-1024x683.jpg

The representatives of the Institute greeted the guests at the Dr. Dragan Popović library reading room, where the director gave a short presentation of the IPB mission and plans for the future. The Ambassador and his team had an opportunity to meet with IPB researchers who had long-term cooperation with scientific institutions in Switzerland. Ambassador Schmid showed particular interest in these discussions and asked the researchers about their individual experiences working in his country, and how this impacted their lives.

The delegation then visited laboratories within IPB’s four centres of excellence: Centre for Solid State Physics and New Materials, Centre for the Study of Complex Systems, Centre for Non-Equilibrium Processes, and Center for Photonics. In each centre, the Ambassador got acquainted with researchers and examined the scientific equipment they use, while the heads of those units presented their main research topics. The Swiss delegation then visited the IPB Innovation Centre, where they had the opportunity to learn about IPB effort related to innovation and commercialization, and the activities of the CERN-Serbia Industrial Liaison Office. The dialogue continued on the IPB campus overlooking the Danube.

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Ова слика има празан alt атрибут; име њене датотеке је IPB-Ambasador-Internet-23-1024x683.jpg

‘What we have seen today is impressive. I would like to express my gratitude and my admiration for the work you are doing. As a member of the diplomatic corps, I work in a completely different field than yours, however, luckily we can bridge this gap,’ said Ambassador Schmid, explaining that communication with the public is important, both to science and diplomacy, as is the broader understanding of the world.

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Dr. Petar Adžić, member of the CERN Council, emphasized the close relations between Serbia and CERN, located in Geneva, Switzerland. According to him, CERN’s mission is founded on three pillars, the first of which is research, primarily in the field of high energy and particle physics. ‘The second pillar encompasses innovation and new technologies, while the third pillar includes education of people from all over the world,’ stated Dr. Adžić, emphasizing that Verrocchio Centre, being built at IPB, will help bring CERN know-how and advanced technologies to Serbia.

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Ова слика има празан alt атрибут; име њене датотеке је IPB-Ambasador-Internet-120-1024x683.jpg

‘In the future, we would like to discuss with the representatives of Switzerland how Serbia can develop an integrated national research and development system,’ said Dr. Bogojević, recalling the important role that Switzerland has already had in the construction of Serbia’s innovation system. He stressed that in this respect Serbia has much to learn from Switzerland.

The visit ended with a cocktail in IPB’s ‘Garden of Physics‘.

Photos by: Bojan Džodan/IPB