Skopje, 5 March 2025 (MIA) - Minister of Education and Science, Vesna Janevska, visited Ispra, Italy on Wednesday, where one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission is located. She met with Sabine Henzler, the Centre's Director for Strategies and Impact.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre will soon sign a cooperation agreement, offering additional support for the implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy through expertise and the exchange of best practices, methodologies, and scientific approaches to strengthen the national research and innovation system.

“This cooperation is very important for Macedonia as a developing country. We are grateful for your participation in creating Macedonia's Smart Specialization Strategy and for continuing to assist us in the implementation process. We certainly need support in designing new tools for its implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and we believe that with your expertise, we will significantly strengthen the capacities of the national research and innovation infrastructure,” Janevska said during the meeting.

The initiative to deepen cooperation, resulted from the meeting between Janevska and the Centre’s leadership during the Ministerial Conference on Education and Science of the Western Balkans held in October last year in Skopje, according to the Ministry of Education and Science.

Following the signing of the agreement, increased mobility of Macedonian researchers to the Joint Research Centre’s scientific institutions is expected, along with the hosting of PhD and postdoctoral researchers, bilateral visits, joint training, conferences, and other events related to smart specialization, reads the press release.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) serves as the EU's key science and technology hub, providing independent scientific and technical support for shaping and implementing Union policies. The Centre is also part of the enlargement process, working with applicant countries to provide technical support for the effective implementation of European laws in science and technology. The Centre has seven institutes in five EU countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain), covering a wide range of topics, including: Sustainable development and climate change; Innovation and technology; Energy and transport; Health and food safety; Digital transformation.

Photo: Ministry of Education and Science