The Federal Ministry of Education and Science signed contracts with public higher education and scientific institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina this year, and funds in the total amount of 1.5 million BAM are intended to support the implementation of programs and projects in the field of science of importance to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Contracts were signed with all six public universities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – University of Sarajevo (558,000 BAM), University of “Džemal Bijedić” in Mostar (144,000 BAM), University of Mostar (198,000 BAM), University of Bihać (126,000 BAM), University of Zenica (144,000 BAM), University of Tuzla (234,000 BAM) and Franciscan Theology Sarajevo (24,000 BAM), and with university clinical centers in Sarajevo and Tuzla, i.e. University Clinical Hospital in Mostar (24,000 BAM each).
According to the words of the Federal Minister of Education and Science, Jasna Duraković, allocations for science have increased this year. Also, based on positive experiences from previous years, the academic and scientific community was once again involved in the process of distributing funds.
“The support was awarded through a contract, without a public call, that is, directly to public higher education and scientific institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, in accordance with their own strategic commitments and development needs, decide on the expenditure of the allocated funds, within the framework of defined programs,” said Minister Duraković, emphasizing that the funds can be used for the realization of scientific projects within 11 programs.
They include, among other things, programs to support scientific improvement in doctoral studies, publication of scientific literature and reference journals, inter-institutional scientific and technological cooperation of an international character, organization of domestic and international scientific gatherings and research of importance for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and co-financing of research work and study stays.
These contracts also refer to projects and programs for equipping scientific and higher education institutions when it comes to the arrangement of space, as well as the procurement of priority equipment for scientific research and research and development work, and they also precisely regulate the rights and obligations of the institutions, while the Ministry will intensify the supervision of dedicated spending funds.
As the Federal Ministry of Education and Science points out, in the Budget of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2023, almost four million BAM have been provided for the field of science, and the funds will also be allocated through a public call to other scientific institutions and societies, as well as to individuals who are not employed in any of the public higher education and scientific institutions, as well as for supporting the publication of academic and scientific journals in the field of social sciences and humanities this year.
Part of the funds will be allocated as part of the competition for financing scientific research and research development projects, taking into account the overall importance and development priorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in various scientific fields, and for the financing of obligations assumed on the basis of bilateral agreements within the framework of international scientific and technological cooperation.
