Skopje, 21 October 2025 (MIA) - Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska and Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski held a meeting Tuesday with the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, and Joint Research Center director Sabine Henzler, in Podgorica, Montenegro, during which they discussed investing in science and innovations, the use of artificial intelligence for science and research, and opportunities to increase European support for the country.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, the meeting was held within the frameworks of the Western Balkans ministerial meeting in Podgorica. At the meeting, Janevska and Andonovski stressed that the country is focused on developing science and innovations, creating more opportunities for scientists and researchers. 

"With a significantly increased state budget allocated for this purpose, this year has seen the encouragement of numerous scientific research projects of public interest, aligned with the goals of the National Strategy for Smart Specialization. With greater support from the European Union, the participation of Macedonian scientific research potential in the European Research Area (ERA) has also intensified, as well as in the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) and the Horizon Programme, through which 81 projects from our country have been funded with EUR 13 million," the Ministry said.

The meeting noted that North Macedonia is following global trends related to the use of artificial intelligence, with AI tools being increasingly used in the Macedonian science and research space.

Zaharieva and Henzler welcomed the government’s initiative to establish the country’s first science and technology park, noting that the cooperating between North Macedonia and the European Union is developing in a positive direction.

Photo: Ministry of Education and Science