The conference "State and perspectives of research in the field of social sciences in Serbia" was held

On April 14, 2011, the Institute of Economic Sciences as a local coordination unit of the Regional Research Promotion Programme in the Western Balkans (RRPP) organized a conference entitled "State and perspectives of research in the field of social sciences in Serbia".

The conference gathered representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia, and a significant number of the researchers engaged with the scientific-research institutes and universities, as well as research organizations of civil society. The conference encouraged lively discussion about the position of social studies, current challenges and perspectives, and possible directions for development.

Main issues and challenges addressed:

1. Publication of the scientific research results
2. Evaluation of the scientific research performance
3. Interdisciplinary and applied research in the field of social sciences in Serbia
4. Cooperation and networking: within the country and between scientific institutes and civil society organizations, and on a regional and international level
5. Young researchers and the perspectives of the research in the field of social sciences in Serbia
6. The research results and its influence in defining national policies and strategies
7. Issues and challenges in specific fields of social sciences: law, economics, political sciences, sociology, demography, psychology, education science, media research

Proposals and recommendations:

• More emphasis on interdisciplinary research
• Joint planning and realization of the research among scientific institutes and universities
• Strengthening connections with researchers and research centers in the world
• Fostering cooperation between research centers and civil society
• Application of the research results in the country's strategies and policies
• Encouragement of the research that is applicable in practice
• Introduction of the "patent" in the social sciences
• Formation of the social science researchers association
• Establishment of a free database and provision of easier access to research results
• Financing longitudinal projects and development research projects in Serbia and within the Region
• Encouragement of gender equality in social research
• Introduction of a more efficient assessment of the scientific contribution
• The encouragement the translation of scientific work into foreign languages and their publication in the relevant international journals
• Support the local journals in order to become internationally recognized
• Reward researchers who seek to make visible the sciences of Serbia on the international level
• Enabling young researchers to be educated and prestigious universities and making such a climate that their return is the goal
• Enabling greater mobility of lecturers and researchers to our country and the introduction of university courses taught in foreign languages
• Enabling scholarships for the independent research of young researchers