Skopje, 2 March 2023 (MIA) – North Macedonia will apply for construction of a research center for tumor therapy and biomedical research based on ion beam accelerators. A meeting of the Steering Committee of the South East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies  (SEEIIST) is taking place in Skopje on Thursday, for talks on obtaining this capital project in the area of health science which, according to projections, will cost around EUR 250 million.

"The construction of this research center, which will be called the SEE International Institute for Sustainable Technologies  is a regional initiative supported by our country, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Kosovo. Some of these countries will submit their application, and in the end we will decide together where it is most suitable to build this institution, i.e. which country will meet all the criteria that we will define today, at the meeting of the Steering Committee hosted by our country," said Minister of Education and Science Jeton Shaqiri.

The SEE International Institute for Sustainable Technologies (SEEIIST), Shaqiri noted, is known as "the Balkans CERN, and it will be good if it is built in the region sooner."

"The Institute is to treat a thousand cancer patients annually, with the use of ion therapy, which will be an especially important contribution in the fight against this, unfortunately, I would say, widespread disease of today. Regardless of whether our application will be accepted or not, the Institute will still be intended for the region, including our citizens, and we, as well as all other countries that are part of this initiative launched in 2017, will continue its work through hubs to be opened in each of the countries. The initiative will cost around EUR 250 million and will be funded through European funds, as well as the budget of all countries that are members of the Steering Committee. It would be a great honor if our country is chosen as the location where the center will be built," Shaqiri told Thursday's meeting also attended by a team from Switzerland's MFA coordinating the activities.