The Minister of Science and Technological Development, Biljana Šćepanović, said that unifying the departments of education and science would not be a good solution for the scientific research and academic community in Montenegro.
She said, among other things, that this was also the position of the academic community with whom they had consultations.
She recalled the good results in relation to the recommendations of the European Commission, in the period when the departments of science and education were separated.
"Chapter 25 is the one that received the best marks. Why take a step back now, to combine science with education, when we are doing so well," she said in Boja jutra on TV Vijesti.
The minister pointed out that, after presenting such a position during the drafting of the Government Law, they started more active analyses, which showed that scientific research activities are mainly carried out at institutions of higher education.
He believes that the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation should be formed. "The area of innovation is not even recognized by the Draft Law on the Government, it is not clear where it is located. Those areas are intertwined," she pointed out.
The analysis concluded, as she emphasized, that it would be natural for everything that happens at higher education institutions to be under one umbrella ministry.
After the analysis, he adds, they started consultations with the academic community, the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Research Council...
"They have exactly that attitude - not to combine science and education, that is - higher education is much closer to innovation and innovative activity. That's what the management of those institutions say, that's what the people say," Minister Ščepanović said.
She reminded that this year they increased the budget for scientific research and innovation activity by more than 50 percent compared to 2020 and the former largest budget.
Bonus video:
