The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, in cooperation with the FIVE Group as a traditional partner and general sponsor, is organizing the Festival of Science and Innovation again this year, but in a new, innovative guise. This year, under the slogan "Knowledge in the spotlight", the festival will be held in an expo format in the Bemax Arena from September 24 to 26, while the grand opening for guests will be held on September 23, writes Mediabiro.
"The Science and Innovation Festival has become recognized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation as a central event that reminds us all how important science and innovation are for our society. We want knowledge to be accessible to everyone and to inspire and encourage young people to engage in science, research and innovation. This year, the festival is designed in the form of an expo format through two main thematic units - Innovation and Technologies for the Future and Science as a Driver of Innovation. It will be an opportunity for the public to be informed in a very attractive and innovative way about how innovative solutions reach great heights, how science contributes to this and what the achievements of all our scientists and innovators are," emphasized Marica Melović, Director General of the Directorate for Scientific Research at the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation.
In addition to the exhibitions that will be held in the expo zone, the Festival of Science and Innovation will open the doors of laboratories throughout Montenegro so that children, young people, students, high school students, elementary school students and all interested parties can know how science breathes in its real environment, with experiments and experienced researchers.
"In addition, we have numerous workshops and lectures that are mostly intended for high school students, students and young researchers, as well as numerous other activities that are carefully designed to present science as an exciting and inspiring journey," added Melović.
The entire festival program will be available on the website naukaiinovacija.com, where all interested parties can get more information about each event that will be organized as part of the festival, according to Mediabiro.
Melović also particularly emphasized the importance of organized school visits so that as many children as possible can be part of this holiday of knowledge.
"The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, through the Competition for Co-financing of Projects for the Promotion of Science and Innovation, has secured support for the implementation of the central segments of the festival, thereby confirming that we are committed to presenting science to society and making it accessible to everyone. We expect that this year's festival will bring together thousands of visitors and offer an experience that will remind everyone that the value of knowledge and research is priceless," said the Director General of the Directorate for Scientific Research.
The founder of FIVE Group, Ivan Šoć, expressed his satisfaction that they are organizing the Science and Innovation Festival again this year in cooperation with the relevant ministry.
"For us at the FIVE group, science, and especially innovation, represent the foundation of the development of both our company and the society in which we all live together. That is why, in cooperation with the Ministry, partners from the University of Montenegro and the Tehnopolis innovation and entrepreneurship center, we are proud to be the hosts this year. This year's expo is being held in Podgorica for the first time, and the idea is that it will be held in a different city every year, with the desire to animate and activate local communities," said Šoć.
FIVE Group will take an active part in the festival this year as well, and will have its own zone where their innovative solutions, which are primarily applied outside of Montenegro, will be presented.
"The mission of the festival itself is to inspire future innovators and people who launch certain innovative segments in business through the support of young people and some new ideas, because that's how we jointly strengthen the economy of the entire country. Events like this show that Montenegro has the strength to unite knowledge, research and entrepreneurship, and we will certainly continue to support young talents and the development of the scientific and innovative sector beyond this event," emphasized Šoć.
The Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Radoje Vujadinović, announced that their faculty will have a significant space at this year's edition of the festival, where student works and significant research equipment from the fields of mechanical engineering, transportation, and mechatronics will be exhibited.
"Events like this are an opportunity to encourage young people who are the future of Montenegro to see what opportunities the state of Montenegro and the University of Montenegro offer them. I expect great interest. It is thanks to events like this that I can boast that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering enrolled 50 percent more students this year than last year," said Vujadinović.
A traditional partner of the Festival of Science and Innovation is IPC Tehnopolis.
"Every year we strive to present content that is both educational and attractive to visitors. We are proud that every year we bring some traditional, but also new activities that inspire young people to visit the fair. The Festival of Science and Innovation is an opportunity for us to show how much knowledge and technology can change everyday life. Our colleagues from the Biotechnology Laboratory BioLab Tehnopolis will present modern technologies at the expo space in Podgorica that make agricultural producers' work easier and encourage them to introduce innovative methods to achieve better results. Visitors will be able to see a drone for monitoring crop quality, Titan - a rapid analyzer of elemental soil composition and demonstration methods for determining soil composition. On the other hand, our colleagues from TechLab will open the doors to the industry of the future, and will present a robotic arm, 3D printers, 3D scanner, VR glasses. These technologies create new jobs, new products and new ways of creating," said Jelka Čvorović, marketing manager at Tehnopolis.
The festival will be held on September 24th and 25th at the Bemax Arena, from 10 am to 18 pm, and admission is free.
The following day, September 26th, the event "European Researchers' Night" organized by the PRONA Foundation will be held at the Bemax Arena.
Bonus video:
