By Biagio Carrano
A two-day event dedicated to technological innovation and its ability to improve the lives of people and organisations saw Italy and Serbia not only exchange views on the subject, but also share resources, expertise and energy in developing prototypes. The event served as an example of practical cooperation, both for today and for the future, in support of human-centred innovation.
The Italy–Serbia Innovation Forum, held on 8 and 9 June, marked another step in a long-established process through which Italy has reaffirmed its role as Serbia’s partner in the fields of innovation, digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Another key milestone in this partnership was the signing, on 20 May, of a Memorandum of Understanding on supercomputers and artificial intelligence.
Compared with previous bilateral forums, the Italy–Serbia Innovation Forum, entitled Human-Centred Innovation, had a more operational and less institutional character, placing greater emphasis on those in Serbia and Italy who are directly involved in creating innovation or using it to improve products, processes and services.
Hackathon themes
“The central theme we chose – innovation serving citizens and society – was perfectly interpreted by the speakers and experts participating in the three thematic sessions,” emphasised Professor Luciano Catani, Scientific Attaché at the Italian Embassy.
He highlighted the positive and encouraging picture that emerged from the various panel discussions:
“New technologies, when properly integrated, can not only support economic growth but also significantly improve life in our cities, both large and small, as well as working conditions.”
However, innovation is born through action and experimentation. For this reason, this year’s edition included two hackathons for young innovators from the Petnica Science Centre and the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade. The hackathons were organised in collaboration with Arduino, Impact Hub Belgrade and Confindustria Serbia.
“The most exciting moment was undoubtedly the presentation of the projects, which were truly excellent and delivered with remarkable enthusiasm. Above all, they demonstrated a clear understanding of the journey from an idea to innovation – including the challenges involved – and this gives us confidence in the next generation of innovators,” Catani noted.
Kosta Jovanović, Professor of Robotics at the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, stressed the growing importance of collaboration between countries and universities:
A moment from the presentation and award ceremony for the Hackathon participants
“The development of jointly supervised doctoral programmes is important for at least two reasons. On the one hand, students gain experience and are exposed to teaching and research models in another country, enabling them to bring that knowledge back home. On the other hand, this collaborative model helps reduce brain drain, allowing talented individuals to continue living and innovating in their own country without feeling disconnected from the most dynamic and best-organised environments.
“This cooperation between Serbia and countries such as Italy is particularly important for us, given Italy’s long-standing tradition of excellence in robotics research and industrial applications.”
Marco Gay’s speech
Addressing the central role of the human factor – which risks being marginalised by the rise of artificial intelligence and robotics – Marco Gay, President of Zest and of the Turin Industrial Union, delivered a keynote speech:
“Innovation is a human phenomenon and must be guided by human beings, because if technology harms the human factor, we will end up with a social loss that no corporate profit can compensate for.
“There is undoubtedly a need to improve workers’ skills, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, in order to achieve genuine human–machine interaction rather than merely passively accepting the outputs of artificial intelligence or automated patterns.
“At present, artificial intelligence and automation do not innovate by themselves. They can only do so when they interact with competent and creative human beings.”
At the conclusion of the Forum, the Italian Ambassador to Serbia, Luca Gori, shared his reflections with Serbian Monitor:
Ambassador Gori: ‘Putting innovation at the service of shared growth’
“This Forum stems from Belgrade’s designation by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Capital of Italian Creativity in the World. It enabled us to mobilise some of the freshest and most dynamic energies within the Italian and Serbian innovation ecosystems, creating a dialogue rooted in the traditional friendship between our peoples while firmly focused on the technological challenges of the future.
“This initiative builds upon the work that the Embassy and the wider Italy System have carried out over recent years with the objective of renewing our economic presence in Serbia and adapting it to the country’s current stage of development.
“Over the past three years, the Italian Embassy in Belgrade has organised five business forums, two scientific forums and two innovation forums, creating a coherent and continuous framework for dialogue among institutions, businesses and academia. This initiative is therefore a natural continuation of that journey and confirms Italy’s ongoing commitment to fostering cooperation and placing innovation at the service of shared growth.”
Looking ahead to EXPO 2027, where technology and innovation will play a central role in Italy’s participation, Gori stressed that the chosen theme – Human-Centred Innovation – clearly reflects Italy’s vision:
“It places the human being at the heart of every technological and organisational transformation. Through the involvement of our partners and the work of the students who participated in the Forum’s hackathons, we aim to reaffirm that innovation is never an end in itself. It must translate into progress and well-being for citizens and society.”
He concluded: “Through this approach, we intend to ensure that technological advancement serves people, communities and the common good.”
