Organizational and information support to the system of quality management as a key factor to increase the competitiveness of national companies and their rapid entering the global and EU markets

Project Summary

The importance of research within this project stems directly from the significance of meeting the economic dimension of competitiveness of the country, i.e., equal participation of Serbia in the European and global market of goods and services. Thus, it is obvious that the companies (the focus of this project is a company) can and must activate all internal technical, technological, human, financial and other resources in order to achieve the required level of competitiveness of goods and services offered in the domestic and foreign markets. It should be emphasized that competitiveness in the domestic market is often underestimated and neglected despite the fact that it is extremely important as it represents the first step on the path towards achieving competitiveness in the European and global market. Competition in the domestic market is occasionally sharper and more complex for some goods and services, primarily due to the effects of some non-economic factors that are, in most cases, political provenances.

Tempus SIPUS

The Project addresses the process of internationalisation of Serbian HE as the one that requires immediate national and institutional response and joint action. Enabling national HE bodies and HEIs to strategically manage internationalisation in the provision of education, research, mobility and services are regarded to be the Project’s overall objective and the main underpinning of Serbia’s accountable and complementary role in EHEA and ERA.

The Project’s key target groups are Serbian academics, researchers, students and administrators who are participating or wish to participate in international collaboration. The qualitative leap in the process of internationalisation they will benefit from stems from the Project’s main outcomes:

Creating and implementing national legislative that has been lacking to date: Accreditation Standards for Joint and Double degrees, National Strategy of Internationalisation of Higher Education and Research and National Strategy of Academic Mobility and Recognition of Degrees (in line with the Serbian Strategy of Educational Development by 2020).
Creating and implementing individual university strategies on internationalisation and academic mobility along with coherent institutional measures capable of steering internationalisation, improving institutional capacities for the growing participation in international projects and strengthening the process of internal integration of Serbian universities.

Through partnering with a large international company in Serbia, the Project addresses the link between employability and internationalisation, so as to raise public awareness of competences valued in the domestic and global labour markets. The Project will transfer tailor-made know-how, best practices and expertise from the EU partners to app. 150 members of the Serbian HE community (authorities, academics, students and staff) during the study visits and trainings and a much wider array of HE stakeholders during workshops and forums.

Tempus RODOS

The proposal addresses one of the most acute problems in Serbian HE: harmonization of doctoral studies with the needs of academia, industry and society at large, as well as with the current EU practice. The wider objective of this project as a structural measure is to restructure doctoral studies in Serbia in line with the Bologna Process and Salzburg Principles, emphasizing quality of research and integrative processes which involve universities, research institutes and industry, and result in the establishment of Doctoral Schools. The specific objectives are: a) to reconsider in detail the existing national policies/standards for doctoral studies in RS and to develop new ones, better adapted to the current experiences and needs, including a new bylaw on public funding of doctoral studies based on doctoral research projects b) to restructure doctoral studies in RS in order achieve a synergy between scientific research Institutes and Universities and compatibility with the needs of industry c) to develop the concept of joint doctoral studies at intra university and inter university levels in the form of Doctoral Schools, and to implement four models in the selected fields (Material Sciences, Cyberphysical Systems, Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences) . The Project will generate as outputs/outcomes improved QA standards for doctoral studies, new bylaws for public funding of doctoral studies and research policy for doctoral studies and a roadmap for cooperation with industry and civil sector. A new bylaw for the establishment of Doctoral Schools, which integrates HEI’s and contributes to the improvement of the position of students as young researchers, will be adopted, together with the corresponding accreditation standards, including joint doctoral degrees. Four Doctoral Schools in the above mentioned fields will be established in order to check the newly defined structure; the study programs will be accredited and the first group of students enrolled.

Development and Application of Methodes and Laboratory Equipment Intended for Conformity Assessment of Technical Products

Summary

Adjusting of technical legislation of the Republic of Serbia with the European legal heritage is of high importance for the economy, as it creates preconditions for increasing exports and provides consumer protection from non-quality products at the local market. Successful application of harmonized technical legislation requires upgrading of the infrastructure required for conformity assessment in the Republic of Serbia which will be in the position to apply the conformity assessment methods that are in accordance with the essential requirements of the compulsory EU Directives. In that way, producers would acquire the right to use the “CE“ labeling for their products, which is the proof of the product being safe for people and environment, and which confirms to the government organizations that the product has had a legal placement on the market. Due to the significance of these activities for the national economy development and for consumer protection, the authorized Conformity Assessment Bodies have to be empowered in compliance with the criteria set out in relevant directives and international standards regulating their field of work. The strengthened products conformity assessment infrastructure would become a technical service where producers wishing to market their products on the EU market could get all necessary technical information and certificates on conformity of their products with the requirements of relevant Directives, as well as to get actual assistance in analyzing and assessing the risks related to usage of the products. The expected project results would considerably help development of the products conformity assessment methods and proceedings, in accordance with the EU harmonized technical regulations, especially regarding the products where technical safety is relevant. This is a precondition for the economy of Serbia to create, in the priority fields, the products of necessary quality that can be competitive in the international market.

The role and implementation of the national spatial plan and regional development documents in renewal of strategic research, thinking and governance in Serbia

Abstract

The research provides the knowledge base for the implementation of the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia (SPRS), which is expected to be approved this summer, as well as for its role as a strategic framework in integration of general and sectoral policies (1), and in renewal of strategic research, thinking and governance in Serbia (2). The research will be undertaken at three levels: 1) General theoretical and methodological framework; 2) Developmental (analysis of development and contextual factors and their respective roles and impact in defining a new model of strategic thinking, research and governance); and 3) Applicative (new policies, development measures and instruments, and institutional and organizational arrangements and support). Four subprojects are: 1) Renewal of strategic research, thinking and governance in Serbia and the utilization of its territorial capital; 2) New economic and social instruments for the implementation of the SPRS: the aspects of harmonizing various interests and control of conflicts, and accessibility of infrastructure and services; 3) Strategic governance at various regional levels; and 4) Information support to the implementation of SPRS and strategic decision-making. Based on this original research, a new set of instruments will be designed, to provide for a better protection and utilization of the territorial capital of Serbia, under the circumstances of “Europeanization of Serbia outside the EU and with its limited support”.

Research of technical-technological, staff and organizational capacity of Serbian Railways, from the viewpoint of current and future European Union requirements

Abstract

The project will include the research of the current situation and the EU requirements related to the field of railway transport safety, with special emphasis on the way of formation and financing, organizational and staffing structure, scope and working methods of so called “Safety Authority”, an entity dealing with the investigation and analysis of rail accidents, as well as proposing measures to raise the level of security. The aim of this part of the research is to propose optimal solution for “Safety Authority” in the Republic of Serbia. Special attention will be devoted to the research related to the potential of Serbian Railways in terms of EU requirements related to the compatibility and interoperability of technical systems, both in the field of technical exploitation characteristics and maintenance. Traffic-technical and organizational requirements that will appear in our railways upon Serbian EU entry, especially on Corridor X, will also be analyzed. Measures to meet these requirements will be proposed. Requirements for intermodal transport will be given special attention. In this regard, the EU environmental requirements regarding rail transport will be analyzed and possibilities of fulfilling the requirements by Serbian Railways will be explored. The situation regarding normative regulation of railway traffic will be explored and activities with the aim of raising this area to the required EU level will be proposed.

Mathematical modeling of nonlinearity, uncertainty and decision

Abstract

The main problem in today mathematical modeling is related to the nonlinearity of the considered problems mostly under uncertainty, and usualy looking for optimal solution. Mathematical mashinery initiated by many different applications, which cover all three mentioned aspects is pseudo-analysis, which requires an introduction of new real operations. Besides several properties and construction methods, also several kinds of aggregation functions will be introduced and examined. It will be investigated and developed further the notion of universal integral and many of important cases of it. There will be proved inequalities for nonlinear integrals (Jensen, Chebyshev, Hölder, Minkowski, Stolarsky). There will be introduced new types of integrals with respect to the absolutely monotone set functions. Further applications of of the pseudo-superposition principle for some new nonlinear PDEs will be managed. Based on countable extensions of the triangular norms fixed point theorems in probabilistic metric and fuzzy metric spaces will be proved.There will be managed new models, based on pseudo-analysis, in social sciences, transportations and imprecise spatial objects modelling. Using semirings of bistochastic matrices there will be investigated the mobility index and related orderings, and the extension of the whole theory to continuous state Markov processes. Comparative analysis of existing causality measures applied to problems of brain connectivity will be performed.

Viminacium, roman city and military legion camp – research of material and non-material of inhabitants by using the modern technologies of remote detection, geophysics, GIS, digitalisation and 3D visualisation

Abstract

Subject of research are the remains of the Roman city and military camp Viminacium, which is situated in the counties of the villages Stari Kostolac and Drmno. The importance of Viminacium is that it represents the only Roman city and military camp which is not endangered by modern agglomerations. During Roman times, it had more than 35.000 inhabitants. Viminacium was the capital of the Roman province Moesia Superior, the administrative, economic and cultural centre for the area on the northern border of the Roman Empire. Within the area of the archaeological site Viminacium, during the past several years, multidisciplinary systematical geo-physical research is taking place before archaeological excavations. The application of geo-physical methods includes common work of geo-physicists, electro-engineers and archaeologists. Decisions about convenience of an archaeological site for applications of such methods, its stratigraphy, geo-physical contrast, the overview of archaeological documentation, as well as the project of measuring itself must be a result of common work.It is clear that, for a competent interpretation of geo-physical data, one needs multidisciplinary activity. After geo-physical and archaeological research comes an anthropological analysis and after that an interpretation that explains the population of Viminacium and its material culture. At this moment, the only Roman amphitheatre at the territory of the former province of Upper Moesia is being excavated.

Danube and Balkan: Cultural and Historical Heritage

Project description

The study and interpretation of cultural interaction in the Danube area, research will be aimed at highlighting the role of rivers in shaping perceptions of Serbia in Europe. In this sense, theoretically, it is a imagological, and the methodological, interpretative work, which includes the launch of new theoretical questions, collecting material, analysis, interpretation and testing assumptions about the historical, cultural and geographical importance of the Danube region in Serbia. The significance of this work lies not only in the collection and interpretation of materials such as guides for the trip on the Danube, in travel literature, cartographic views of the Danube and other relevant materials, but also in examining the scale of cultural, economic, commercial and political importance of the river in Serbia and the region of Southeast Europe. Thus, from their point of view and disciplinary aspects, researchers will interpret the significance of the Danube in the development of Serbia and the Balkans, and provide new insights into the role of cultural contact, international relations, expansion of scientific, artistic, economic, political and, in general, the impact of civilization.

Development of new information and communication technologies, based on advanced mathematical methods, with applications in medicine, telecommunications, power systems, protection of national heritage and education

Abstract

Researchers in mathematical logic and knowledge based systems, graph theory, operational research, cryptology etc., have all made breakthroughs in developing solutions for many problems on which modern technology and everyday life depend. The practice in Serbia shows that results obtained by our scientists remained on a theoretical level. Thus, we propose a concerted effort towards developing ICT applications of these results with the main objectives to:

strengthen the S&T base in Serbia for the development of ICT as the core of the knowledge-based society and economy,
utilize the knowledge of advanced mathematical methods, commonly unfamiliar to engineers, for obtaining novel or significantly improving the existing ICTs,
help reduce the digital divide by unlocking the innovation and creativity of the partners. The project will focus on a limited set of challenges with a firm mathematical background. It will establish cooperation between research groups in mathematics, CS, engineering, telecommunications, and arts and humanities for mutual benefit. We will concern • ICT

as the main research area, and its applications into some key socio-economic challenges (health, power systems, sharing of cultural resources) defined in the national strategy for science:

Contributions to prediction, prevention, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches (1.2),
New technologies for renewable energy sources and clean technology (2.2),
The cultural heritage, creating capital works (7.7).

Advanced Techniques of Cryptology, Image Processing and Computational Topology for Information Security

Abstract

The project is dedicated to research activates on advanced techniques for information security regarding data secrecy and authentication control. Accordingly, the main goals of the project are at the following directions: techniques for security evaluation of certain symmetric encryption techniques and authentication protocols; advanced stream ciphers and authentication protocols which provide high security and low implementation complexity; advanced techniques for the key management (including the broadcast encryption ones); advanced techniques for biometric authentication; application of the results achieved within prior steps for developing advanced mechanisms of information security in certain ICT systems including ones related to elements of medical ICT and smart grid.

Development of High-quality Devices for Special Applications Based on Crystal Units of New Technologies

Abstract

This project includes:

technology of double rotated SC cut quartz crystal units and ultra-thin micro-miniature AT-cut crystal units for filters;
OCXO development and realization of high stability OCXO oscilator 5-130MHz based on SC cut quartz crystal unit;
Development and realization of band-pass and band-stop crystal filters for frequencies 30-180MHz.It is proposed to be implemented in digital communication systems.Each phase of realization consists of numerous procedures in order to obtain ultra stable,high quality devices competitive on international markets.Quartz crystal unit is the heart of almost all devices for frequency control.Our proposal is to realize high-stability OCXO SC cut crystal unit from 5-30MHz band,with strict demands from the list of technical characteristics especially having in mind low phase noise, short-term and long-term stabilities.It is further planned to develop and realize ultra-thin micro-miniature AT cut crystal units for frequencies from 30-180MHz intended for filters with special demands for position and suppression of spurious resonanties, intermodulation,environmental characteristics and small frequency deviation in wide range of temperatures.

Performance optimization of energy-efficient computer and communication systems

Description of research

Project consists of the development of new methods and algorithms, derivation of theoretical results, experimental verification, and development of systems for more efficient usage of computer and communication systems, with the focus on performance and to consume less energy. The topic belongs to Green technologies, and the focus is on consuming less energy or to reduce contamination and waste materials of computer and communication systems. Research is on efficient algorithms for signal and data processing, mathematical modeling, efficient spectral usage, optimization of computer systems, and usage of reconfigurable systems. The results will be used in communication systems, wireless communication, image and speech processing, and business decisions. Commercial software solutions will be produced, new or as upgrade of existing, or as part of equipments and systems produced by our participants.

Tempus GOMES

The project aims to improve the governance and management in higher education in Serbia and enhance the role and importance of higher education in developing and expanding the state influence.

All leading higher education institutions and UMBRELLA ORGANIZATIONS in Serbia are involved in projects which aim to achieve the aforementioned goals. The governance and management modernization project in higher education is designed to improve the policy and strategy of the whole system of higher education, to enhance the role of higher education in society and to build long-term partnerships with students. Another goal of the project is to adopt standards that would guarantee the quality and improvement of a national framework for qualifications of higher education institutions.

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Tempus FINHED

The project Towards Sustainable & Equitable Financing of Higher Education Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia – FINHED aims to contribute to ensuring a more efficient, effective and equitable financing of higher education in the Western Balkans through (a) gathering and analysing fundamental and essential evidence on system-level and institutional financing and equity in higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia; (b) introduction and implementation of the EUROSTUDENT survey in the three countries of the Western Balkans; (c) strengthening local expertise in developing policies on financing and equity in higher education; (d) development of a policy framework for an efficient, effective and equitable higher education systems in the three countries; (e) development of university financing models based on sensible diversification of income streams and strengthen universities’ capacities to implement these models; and (d) the establishment of Regional Resource Point with the purpose to sustain results and disseminate them across the region.
Conceptualised in the manner above, the project would be the first to simultaneously strengthen local capacity for adequately addressing the core issues of higher education financing and equity in three countries of the Western Balkans. Moreover, by introducing and implementing one of the most relevant indicators of social dimension across Europe recognised by the Bologna Process – the EUROSTUDENT survey, the project would enable gathering unique evidence on the social dimension of higher education in these countries and at the same time enable their comparison with the rest of Europe. This synced with an enhanced financing model sensitive to the issues of equity and transparency, on one hand, and the universities embracing a more entrepreneurial and dynamic approach to their funding policies, would undoubtedly contribute to more developed, fair, efficient and consequently effective higher education systems – the sine qua non of the knowledge-based economy.