The tour was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Milos Vucevic, Minister of Health Danica Grujicic, Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Jelena Begovic, Minister for Public Investment Marko Blagojevic and Acting Director of the Torlak Institute for Virology, Vaccines and Sera Luka Dragacevic.
On that occasion, Brnabic pointed out that the BIO4 campus project will ensure further sustainable growth in order for our country to preserve its place among the European leaders in the field of modern technologies.
The Prime Minister pointed out that biotechnology is the future, a synergy between information technology and artificial intelligence and all that is called science of life.
She pointed out that, thanks to the construction and implementation of such projects, young people will stay in our country because they will have the opportunity to work here and improve their knowledge as in the most modern institutions in the world.
The Prime Minister explained that €200 million has already been secured for the project out of a total of €350 million, which is how much it will cost.
The Prime Minister added that all the animals used for the needs of the Torlak Institute and the BIO4 campus will be moved to this area.
Vucevic pointed out that the Ministry of Defence is a reliable partner and activity bearer, together with other ministries, in the implementation of this project, which is of strategic importance for the further development of Serbia, primarily in terms of health, but also the safety of our citizens and the state.
He pointed out that care will be taken to ensure that everything is done according to the rules and within the stipulated deadlines, congratulating everyone who started and designed the initiative to build the BIO4 campus.
Begovic assessed that the start of work on the construction of a special infrastructure for the breeding of animals used for the needs of science, research and development, both within the Serbian Armed Forces and within the Torlak Institute, is another step forward in science and research.
She explained that, in addition to the animal centre, special laboratories and a veterinary centre will be built.
Grujicic pointed out that the construction of the BIO 4 campus will improve the working and research conditions of the Torlak Institute.
Together with the BIO4 campus, the Torlak Institute will become a centre of both science and production, she said.
The Minister assessed that the conditions for keeping animals will be improved here and pointed out the importance of the fact that the construction of facilities will modernise the plant for the production of serum against snake venom, which is in short supply not only on the European but also on the world market, and which Serbia successfully exports.
Another important gain is the production plant for microbiological dry bases for the diagnosis of various pathogenic diseases, which provides the state with significant independence in this field of research, Grujicic said and emphasised that advancing science improves both medicine and health conditions for all citizens.
BIO4 campus, which briefly represents four key areas: biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics and biodiversity, is a unique multidisciplinary project in the wider region, and it is planned to house scientific institutions and faculties.