Serbia Today Interview Danica Drakulic

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INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
Interview, Sept. 02 2009
Danica Drakulic PhD
President - ”Technology, Culture, and Development”

“Serbian Scientists as Guideposts”

By Ljiljana Samardzic

Subotica, Sept. 02 2009, (Serbia Today) – On August 31^st opened the 16^th Scientific Meeting “Technology, Culture and Development” (in further reading TCD) in Subotica’s Eco center located in Palic. The West Balkan countries meeting will last till September 3^rd and this year, participants will discuss two themes - Institutional system (its current state, consequences and possible developing strategies) and The efficiency of innovational research system (its current state, consequences and policies of efficiency increasing).

The first TCD meeting was held in 1994 when 140^th anniversary of “Mihajlo Pupin” Institute has been celebrated. On that occasion, the Board of Directors decided that such manifestations should be held annually . Since then, the Scientific Meeting TCD has been held always with new basic subject.

Since year 2000, nongovernmental organization “Technology and Society” from Belgrade is the leading carrier of this project and its organizational activities. This year, main sub organizer is the University of Economy from Subotica, but besides them, there are few more institutions in charge of the meeting organization. Those are “Mihajlo Pupin” Institute and their Center for Technology and Science Research from Belgrade and University of Electrical Engineering from Podgorica. Those are traditional organizers, but the aim of this project is to unify countries from West Balkan through this meeting and there are still some negotiations for possible co- organizers.

On this occasion, reporter of “Serbia Today” spoke with PhD Danica Drakulic, the President of Organizational Committee of the 16^th Scientific Meeting “Technology, Culture and Development”.

ST: Last year possible new organizers from other West Balkan countries were mentioned. Were there any success?

D. Drakulic: “We are still negotiating. It is very hard to have any success with it, in my opinion, due to international relations which again got worse. It also reflects on scientific relations and it is hard to build any co-operational partnerships, but we are going to give a try with the University of Economy from Prilep, as well as with some other institutions from Zagreb, Rijeka and Sarajevo. After all, a long term aim is to join partners from West Balkan countries because we defined general context of West Balkan countries on their way to European Union, meeting with a tendency to envisage key questions of, not only Serbian society, but our neighboring countries as well.”

ST: Do you have any intention to involve countries who already are members of European Union?

D. Drakulic: “In last few years, we had only couple participants from countries that recently became EU members in order to learn from their experience and to discuss it. However, since 2002 till we become EU members, we mainly consider characteristics and specific questions as forerunners and quality preparations for gaining the EU membership. There’s no doubt about usefulness of experience from countries that have already undergone changes and transitions, but, for now, the accent is on West Balkan countries. However, establishing co-operations is going very slow and is insufficiently qualitative.”

ST: There is a long tradition of 16 years, but what was the initial motive for organizing this kind of meeting?

D. Drakulic: “Vlastimir Matejic PhD, who was at that time Minister for Science and Technology in Milan Panic’s Government, the director of “Mihajlo Pupin” Institute and Professor at University of Electrical Engineering, has started this project with an aim to include at one place all questions with progressive character that are important for every community. The title of this project represents everything in any society, but with an accent on technological development. During last two decades, Serbian society has completely lost its interest for this kind of development. The consequences are immense, but, after so called democratic changes, we considered possible priorities. EU membership is not only a goal, but better life quality and living standard and preparation of Serbian society for that. In another words, our aim is to develop society in political, sociological, progressive and cultural sense in order to make ourselves adequately qualified for joining other modern European societies.”

ST: Are there any planned or actualized activities beside seminars and discussions and what would be the indicators of activity’s success?

D. Drakulic: “The meeting usually lasts for three to four days. We always wonder, consciously or subconsciously, what are possible impacts and effects of our discussions and conclusions. This gathering has quality because we have professional discussions with an interaction and experience exchanges on multidisciplinary levels, but we are deeply aware that, no matter how meaningful impact on society, culture and politics this project has, it is still insufficient.”

ST: Does the Government support this event and is its support only formal?

D. Drakulic:”There is a State support. Members of Vojvodina’s Executive Council will be present on this year’s meeting. We also have few papers from Republic Government, but besides that, in last few years, the State helped us immensely in finances, which is very important because the project does not stop with the end of the Conference. There is a process of printing of all suitable submitted papers. Support is given by Ministry of Science, Ministry of Environmental and Spatial planning, Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological development as well as by Provincial Secretariat of Education.

ST: What made you choose subjects for this year’s Meeting?

D. Drakulic:” Since 2002 we are defining insufficiently developed subjects, such as the matter of competitiveness, quality of products and institutions, problem of cooperation and organization, whether Serbia is moving toward the center of periphery of EU. So, you see, we find our motives in reality. There are many reasons for talking about it - whether there are other options besides strategy of joining EU.

Since we discussed corruption, criminal and kitsch last year, this year we defined institutions as a key matter issue. We thought that it is necessary to openly and critically talk about it and to give an evaluation of causes of institutional system’s current state and to get to see what is the main cause of corruption, criminal and kitsch in this system.”

ST: What is the relevance of TCD for society?

D. Drakulic:” Very eminent experts from sphere of Science, Media members, and spokespersons from Chambers of Commerce are present every year, which gives this meeting a progressive character. This is a group of people who are going before social movements and who are, in a way, guideposts in crossroads and critical analysis which show in which way society should go.”

ST: What are criteria for participating in this project and scientific meeting?

D. Drakulic:” Criteria are not written, but there is a Program Committee of Scientific gathering and presidency of NGO “Technology and society” who are dealing with this matter. The meeting is on high level, which is well known to the public, so we have only the best experts registered. I will mention only few names which will show how representative this project is: our President, above mentioned, Vlastimir Matejic PhD, Professor Zagorka Golubovic, Anthropologist and Professor at the University of Philosophy, Dragan Domazec PhD, ex Minister for Science from lamented Premier Zoran Djindjic’s Government, PhD Srbijanka Turajlic, Mr Trivo Indjic, Counselor of Boris Tadic and ex Ambassador in Madrid, and PhD Dragoljub Micunovic, who will speak about Political institutionalization in Serbia.

The organization is on a high level and organizers are very courteous and pleasant. Serbian society obviously has great number of experts, but the Government needs to find more efficient ways to use their knowledge, expertise and will to work on society’s prosperity.