European Investment Bank funds new BioSense Institute building in Novi Sad for scientific research and startups

European Investment Bank funds new BioSense Institute building in Novi Sad for scientific research and startups ©EIB

(IN BRIEF) The BioSense Institute in Novi Sad has opened a new building offering modern facilities for scientific research and business ventures in the fields of agriculture and biotechnology. The €34 million project was financed by €14 million in EU grants, €20 million from the Serbian government, and an €18 million loan from the European Investment Bank. The new building includes high-end laboratories and workplaces for around 250 scientists and startups, and has specific anti-vibration features for the use of sensitive equipment. The opening ceremony was attended by the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, and other officials.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 19-Apr-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union, announces that the BioSense Institute in Novi Sad has officially opened its new building, offering almost 7,000 square metres of state-of-the-art facilities for scientific research and business ventures. The location will provide high-end laboratories and workplaces for life sciences studies for approximately 250 scientists, as well as a dedicated area for startups to develop innovative solutions in agriculture and biotechnology. The new facilities will reinforce the institute’s scientific potential and transformation into a European centre of excellence capable of conducting the most advanced research projects applicable on a global scale.

The project, worth €34 million, was financed by €14 million in EU grants via the ANTARES project, €20 million from the Serbian government, and an €18 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The building, which is the first of its kind ever built in Serbia, has specific anti-vibration features to enable the use of highly sensitive equipment for the development of sensors, microtechnologies, and nanotechnologies.

The opening ceremony was attended by European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, and other Serbian ministers and representatives from the EU Delegation in Serbia and EIB Global. The ANTARES project has enabled the BioSense Institute to grow from 50 employees to over 140 employees, with more than 50 holding PhD degrees. ANTARES has significantly boosted the institute’s scientific capacity, resulting in numerous national and international projects, including 36 new Horizon projects, nine industrial projects, and 38 national projects, with a total income of approximately €20.5 million.

At the opening ceremony, European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said: ““BioSense’s path to becoming a Centre of Excellence for Advanced Technologies in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security was a journey together with the EU. This partnership is a success story. The EU has been key in supporting BioSense to build its capacities and to boost state of the art science in Serbia. The institute is the manifestation of this collaboration between the EU and Serbia. We have been working with excellent partners to build something long lasting that connects Serbia further with the EU.”

The EIB has provided €415 million for research and development projects and education in the Western Balkans since 2005, helping to build, renovate, and digitalize education and science facilities. The funds have also supported the construction of science and technology parks in Niš, Belgrade, and Novi Sad, as well as the BioSense building.

Felicitas Riedl, director of the EIB Innovation and Competitiveness Department, said:“As the EU bank and a long-standing partner of Serbia, EIB Global is especially delighted to support the creation of such a dynamic, modern and inspiring environment for the entire innovation community in the country and the wider region. Thanks to these advanced facilities, including a state-of-the-art clean room, the institute will be in a position to attract top-notch talent not only from Serbia, but from around the world. They will have a unique opportunity to design sustainable and digitalised solutions for agriculture and life sciences, which will be essential for addressing the climate, resource and food scarcity challenges. This is also in line with EIB Global’s investment priorities.”

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabić said: “Digital agriculture is a synergy between technology and agriculture. This synergy is necessary in the context of climate challenges to ensure that the agriculture is sustainable, that it brings better results and that we, as a country, can provide an adequate support to our farmers in order to be competitive in the future, with the help of science and scientific institutes.”

Director of the BioSense Institute Vladimir Crnojević said: “This is one of the most technologically complex buildings in Serbia, the first building in Europe with such kind of integrated anti-vibration solution. Today, we are opening a new chapter thanks to laboratories for cutting-edge research in the field of nano and microelectronics. We have a large data centre that will support artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, bioinformatics and all other future demands.”

Background information

About the EIB and EIB Global

The EIB is the long-term financing institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. The EIB supports projects in four priority areas: infrastructure, innovation, climate and environment, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027 — around one-third of the overall target of this EU initiative. Within Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the EIB Group closer to local people, companies and institutions through our offices around the world.

https://twitter.com/EIBGlobal

https://www.linkedin.com/company/eib-global/

About EIB Global in Serbia

The EIB has been active in Serbia since 1977, providing finance to support key infrastructure projects, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industry, services and local authorities. Since the start of its operations in the country, it has enabled over €7.2 billion of investment to support SMEs and upgrade transport, education, healthcare and utility infrastructure. For more information on EIB projects in Serbia, please visit https://www.eib.org/en/projects/regions/enlargement/the-western-balkans/serbia/index.htm.

About EIB Global in the Western Balkans

The EIB is one of the leading international financiers in the Western Balkans. Since 2009, the Bank has financed projects in the region totalling €10.3 billion.

For detailed information on the EIB’s activities in the Western Balkans, please visit www.eib.org/en/publications/the-eib-in-the-western-balkans

Media contacts:

Gordana Kovacevic
g.kovacevic@ext.eib.org
+352437970356

press@eib.org
+352 4379 – 21000

SOURCE: European Investment Bank