Startups with innovative digital solutions in the field of agriculture showed great interest in this year&#8217;s support program, and the jury chose seven of the best teams from Serbia and the region &#8211; Atar, Windy, Eco Patents, PhenoMap Pro, Farmit, Veles Sense and Beeamond. The third generation of the accelerator has significantly improved resources available to the participants &#8211; this year’s programme is enriched with the partnership of the ICT Hub’s project &#8220;Serbia Innovates&#8221;, funded by the USAID.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3388" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2213.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="4000" />
The director of the BioSense Institute, Vladimir Crnojević said in his welcoming address that the idea of the accelerator is to support innovative resources in the AgTech.
&#8220;There is a great potential for development in this area in Serbia and the most innovative ideas are developed in the agricultural sector. That is why our acceleration programme is particularly interesting for startups. Our goal is to offer something specific in the AgTech domain, which will added value to the entire innovative environment in Serbia&#8221;, said prof. Crnojević.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3389" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2239.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="4000" />
The startup teams presented their products and solutions, including, among others, a platform for direct connection between consumers from urban areas and agricultural producers, a tool against drought, urban beehives for growing bees in the interior and many other promising solutions that will be developed in the next three months in the BioSense accelerator. In this way, the good practice of providing support to innovative entrepreneurs in the development of ideas and solutions that will contribute to the digital transformation of agriculture continues.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3390" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2279.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="4000" />
The programme will be implemented through intensive training, personal mentoring and access to BioSense research resources. More than 20 eminent mentors from the country and abroad will help new technology entrepreneurs to test the feasibility and viability of their business ideas or digital solutions, and to turn ideas and products into a viable business venture.

IMG_2210

The BioSense Accelerator Kick-off

Do not miss the opportunity to apply for one of the <a href="https://biosens.rs/is-hiring">open positions</a> for scientists and top experts!
Continue to develop a career in the field of micro and nanotechnology and artificial intelligence and work on state-of-the-art equipment, in a team that encourages excellence in everything and in an environment that provides you with security and satisfaction in your daily work.
BioSense, Research and Development Institute for IT in Biosystems has opened its doors to scientists and experts who want to participate in the creation of cutting-edge digital solutions to make agriculture more efficient and science to promote social well-being and employment.
Grab your chance and become part of a team that creates the present by looking to the future!
Details of the open call are available at <a href="https://biosens.rs/en/is-hiring">biosens.rs/is-hiring</a>.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIjsC9UDbbs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

WeAreHiring

BioSense is hiring

The Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation INVITES talented young researchers-students of PhD academic studies to involve themselves in scientific research work in accredited scientific research organizations founded by the Republic of Serbia, an autonomous province or local self-government unit, as well as the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and institutes founded by it. 
Through this call, up to 300 young researchers will be involved, of which 15 young researchers from the field of art will be involved in accredited scientific research organizations from the field of art. 
Young researchers who have a graduate-master&#8217;s title and are enrolled in the first year of PhD academic studies for the academic year 2022/2023 at an accredited higher education institution in the Republic of Serbia apply for this call. 
The text of the Invitation with the <a href="http://doktorandi.mpn.gov.rs/">Application form</a> can be downloaded from the Ministry&#8217;s website: <a href="https://nitra.gov.rs/">https://nitra.gov.rs/</a>, which states the conditions of participation, the method of application, as well as the required documentation. 
The deadline for submitting the application is January 17, 2023.
&nbsp;

Sixth Call for Talented Young Researchers

<a href="https://biosens.rs/en">The BioSense Institute</a> has invited innovative startups from the IT and agricultural sectors to participate in the third edition of the accelerator, thus continuing the good practice of supporting innovative entrepreneurs in the development of ideas that will contribute to the digital transformation of agriculture. The application deadline is February 1, 2023.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://accelerator.biosense.rs/">The BioSense Accelerator</a> is the first in this area exclusively aimed at domestic technologically innovative companies, which link their further development to the agriculture and food sector.
&nbsp;
Through intensive training, personal mentoring and access to BioSense research resources, the BioSense Accelerator will provide IT entrepreneurs with the opportunity to contribute to the digitization of agriculture through the development of new solutions, as well as the improvement of existing ones.
&nbsp;
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3248" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/BioSense-Accelerator-Process.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="494" />
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The program will gather more than 20 mentors from the country and abroad, who will use their expertise, experience, contacts and ideas to help new technological entrepreneurs to test the feasibility and sustainability of their business idea and digital solutions, and to turn their ideas and products into a sustainable business venture.
&nbsp;
The improvement compared to previous editions, in addition to the significant improvement in the resources available to startups and the support provided by the H2020 <a href="https://antaresproject.eu/">ANTARES</a> project, is also reflected in the support the accelerator receives this year from the ICT Hub’s <a href="https://srbijainovira.rs/en">Serbia Innovates</a> project, funded by the USAID.
&nbsp;
“Although the previous editions of the accelerator have proved to be very successful, we constantly strive to improve the program and the quality of the support we provide to startups. The program will continue to rely on the extensive BioSense expertise in the field of digital agriculture, the resources of the BioSense Institute available to participants, as well as an intensive training program. In addition, this year we joined forces with the USAID-funded Serbia Innovates project, and the access to resources provided by the central place of the project &#8211; the Supercluster &#8211; will be a significant added value to the accelerator,&#8221; says Milica Trajković, head of the Center for Innovation and Business Development of the Biosense Institute.
&nbsp;
The program will be implemented during a three-month course in the spring of 2023, in the period from March to June, and is intended for startups that: 
• Deal with the development and implementation of innovations and IT solutions for agriculture and the food sector; 
• Solve a real problem on the market by working on improving existing solutions or digitizing previously analog solutions.
&nbsp;
Up to ten startups will be selected to participate in the program and will have two weekly workshops (live and online) held by experienced experts. Thematic meetings and other events will also be important part of the program. In addition to mentoring support, the teams will also have scientific support from the BioSense Institute in transferring knowledge, access to necessary data sets, scientific research equipment, and/or test farms &#8211; resources they need for the development of digital products.
&nbsp;
The best teams will have the opportunity to participate in a large regional final event (Demo Day), where they will present their idea to an international audience and network of investors. Applications for the BioSense Accelerator third generation are open until February 1, 2023.  A pitch deck of 10 slides and a completed application are required to apply. You can find more detailed information about the BioSense program and the application process itself on the accelerator&#8217;s official website. The BioSense team also supports potential applicants during the accelerator application preparation process.

2023-biosens-akcelerator

Open Call for BioSense Accelerator

As part of the agROBOfood project, BioSense Institute is providing support to the QualiSpot Innovation experiment, chosen through an open call. Since the goal of the project is to encourage the effective application of robotic technologies in the agricultural and food sectors, QualiSpot fits the picture perfectly since its solution might just save the day for robotic manufacturers. In an interview with Christian Rodriguez, one of the QualiSpot team leaders, it is clear that QualiSpot Will address many challanges in robotic sector.
&nbsp;
1. What are the main problems that manufacturers of robots or robotic components are facing, including Ambimetrics, the company you work in?
&nbsp;
From a business perspective, the most important issue for Ambimetrics, and we suppose for other SMEs like us that are developing components, is our position in the product supply chain: we are on the lower side of it. We only develop a part of the whole product independently from the sector we work in so we depend on others to put our products on the market.
&nbsp;
In our case, we develop a wide range of components intended for common and intelligent spray robots, but we depend on farmers being interested in the sprayer sold by our direct client. Sprayer prize, marketing and the whole performance are out of our scope.
&nbsp;
The second issue and business-related is the need to convince our clients (the sprayer/device producers) that we can deliver high-quality high-performance components for an international market despite being an SME. We have also noticed some mistrust from big players to rely on a small enterprise to carry out its global projects. This second issue introduces a technical problem: we need to adapt our development and production processes prepared for manufacturing “prototypes” and small series of tens of units to series of a hundred devices on harsh deadlines.
&nbsp;
Another technical problem sometimes overseen is the certification management for internationalization. Outside the EU, each country wants the documents, which demonstrates compliance with the applicable requirements, to be adapted to its rules and formats with the important investment in time and money.
&nbsp;
Finally, yet importantly, nowadays a clear and actual problem is the one concerning semiconductor shortage, which can lead to production halts.
&nbsp;
2. What prompted you to apply for the agROBOfood call for innovation experiments and what is the main objective of the QualiSpot experiment?
&nbsp;
As a component developer, we work in symbiosis with downstream machinery manufacturers to bring our custom-made components to international markets. Reaching the global market and succeeding in it requires extremely high spray robot reliability and does not provide a margin for component errors.
&nbsp;
We have reached a point where on the one hand, AMBI’s processes have to capture quality issues of a very complex system and on the other hand, our clients did not believe in our capability to release on time and with enough quality components for a fast-growing global demand.
&nbsp;
The main objective of Qualispot is to assure that existing spot spraying components meet customers’ quality needs so we are able to generate global market impact, while not sacrificing AMBI’s ability to swiftly and cost-efficiently react to new customer/market requirements.We want to move from being a pure engineering service company to an agile, scalable producer of spot spray robotics
&nbsp;
3. How your solutions developed within the agROBOfood project framework can help solve the problems mentioned above?
&nbsp;
We have been able to change our development processes from top to bottom both in the software area and the hardware one: we have introduced the Continuous Integration system within our projects, allowing us to detect bugs sooner in the development process. 
We have also introduced a Test-Driven Design standpoint in our developments, creating at first a great base of tests for all the already developed codes. We keep adding new ones for the new functionalities added to each SW release. The result is fewer bugs, the best quality and greater reliability for our clients.
&nbsp;
On the hardware side, we have created several automated testers and simulators for our components being able to analyse more devices in less time avoiding human action.
We are able to validate upward supply chain provider elements, as well as assure our components are free of design/components bugs in a fast, and more important, traceable way. This has given us the needed tools to cope with the increasing demand and to present Clients with the quality results they demanded.
&nbsp;
On the field, Qualispot has allowed us to put to test our latest developments. In this area, the most important thing we figured out is the lack of suitable measurement tools for precision agriculture in the sector. Coming from very demanding sectors concerning accuracy, traceability and precision, we are facing a shortage of “good” tools to demonstrate our components (and so the client´s robot sprayers which use them) are capable of being as efficient as we state.
&nbsp;
4. What are the main characteristics and functionalities of the products?
&nbsp;
We have two lines of work within the project: The internal one deals with Designing and building quality into the company&#8217;s DNA, making quality assurance a part of company culture, where quality is &#8220;owned&#8221; by the whole team: Continuous integration, automating testing by software and hardware tools are the clue.
&nbsp;
On the external one, we are looking for more efficient and environment-friendly components, so we have developed and patented an electronic driving head for electric solenoid valves (for use in spot sprayers, as well other industrial processes) which save up to 95% of the power needed to move them.
&nbsp;
We are also developing a spot spraying algorithm to reduce to the maximum the quantity of pesticide used for treating a field. We use AI edge processing as well as precision GPS to reduce the area treated and the quantity of wasted product used.
&nbsp;
5. Do you think your solutions will have a global impact and gain a competitive edge in a global marketplace?
For the time being, the robotic spot sprayers as well as sprayers using our components are being successful in obtaining technical awards in national and international exhibitions from 2014 concerning innovation. On the field, farmers and researchers are obtaining the gains we say would be thanks to the perfect combination of the sprayer technology of our clients with our control systems and other components.
Qualispot has given AMBIMETRICS the chance to put our experience and knowledge into agriculture services, and we are sure we are ready to satisfy the demand of an agriculture market eager for productive high-tech devices for their work. 
Our production has trebled in 2022 despite all the disturbance we can find in the world and we expect 2023 will be better, once Qualispot results can be translated to the production line.

qualispot team leaders

QualiSpot is today’s “it”innovation experiment and this is what you should know about it

<ol>
<li>You work at the BioSense Institute, but at the same time you are a Ph.D. student. How important is it for young people and students to take their first career steps right at the Institute?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
When you start your carrier as a young researcher, it is really important in which institution you start, what team of colleagues, and how much patience, time, and understanding you receive from your supervisor or mentor, because you are a student who already finished the studies with probably very little or no practical knowledge at all. All of this is very important so that you do not give up facing a rush of insecurity, thinking “this is not for me, they are all Einsteins,&#8221; and choose another way of your carrier. As someone who already had experience, I can say that BioSense gave me a smooth transition from student life to reality. With a lot of theoretical and a little practical knowledge, I got the opportunity to learn, improve and develop my ideas step by step, and BioSense provided me with all the necessary conditions.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>What projects are you working on and what is your role in them?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Currently, for me as a Ph.D. candidate, my biggest project is my Ph.D. thesis, in which I am working on the planned development of irrigation in the Vojvodina region. This research was a part of the APV project proposal, which is finished, but my research continued. Now, I am working on detecting irrigation fields from satellite as well as on the geospatial analysis of that fields. Besides that, I work on several national and international projects where I process satellite but also other geospatial data with the aim to keep a sustainable environment, sustainable agriculture, and water resource management.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>Your areas of research are remote sensing, geoinformatics, water resource management, agriculture and environment. What led you to unite all of these fields and what is perhaps the most important connecting point? </li>
</ol>
 
I would say that the most important connecting point is life on the Earth. As someone who works with science, I do not want that science to remain within the framework of research papers and conferences, but to be a contribution to a better quality of life. As a geographer and nature lover, I spend a lot of time in nature and the desire to preserve it is something that gives me motivation for research. Nature conservation is closely related to human life, so we have a closed circle that requires knowledge from different fields in order to be able to realize some ideas. With the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems, as well as the application of artificial intelligence, today we can handle a large amount of data and thus come to various discoveries, solutions and applications applicable in everyday life.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>They say that without science there is no social prosperity and development. How do you see it? What is the most important role of science and scientists today?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
As I already mentioned, the most important role of the scientist is to make science available and applicable for anyone in social community. That is the only way to reach some aim, development, and prosperity of society. Everything comes from science, and the day we decided to deal with it, that day we took responsibility towards society. Of course, we are not the only ones who influence whether something will be applied in society or not, but it is certainly up to us to start the initiative, actively participate in changes, and make our contribution through the knowledge we have.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>&#8220;Science without prudence is like a lottery game. The scientist, namely, is putting himself in danger of losing everything he’s invested,&#8221; Einstein said. Do you believe that to be the case? Or does a scientist always win?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Einstein was a smart man, he knew why he said that 🙂 However, everything is a matter of perception. I believe that a scientist never loses. Work in science can be compared with climbing the mountain. If you start the climb with the sole aim of conquering the summit and a storm hits, you will be forced to come back down, and you will be disappointed because you do not have a selfie from the summit. An empty story. However, if the summit was not your only goal on that climb, but experience and psycho-physical development, you will return to the foothills not disappointed, aware that you have much more experience and readiness to conquer that peak a second time. Then the next one is even higher, then the next one is even heavier. It is the same in science. The storms that come may throw you back a few steps and even to the beginning, but now you have a lot more experience and knowledge that this time brings you, if not to the top, then definitely closer to it. If we want to climb Mount Everest, there is a long list of mountains to climb, descend, and not give up! 🙂

Mirjana Radulovic

Meet Mirijana Radulovic

<ol>
<li>What is it like to work at the BioSense Institute, a scientific beacon, but also an innovation hub where the process &#8220;from idea to realization&#8221; is nurtured and truly useful digital solutions for farmers and other actors in the sector are created?</li>
</ol>
 
 
For me, working at BioSense represents a great challenge and constant acquisition of new knowledge and experience. I have always liked jobs that involve communication with people, organization and teamwork. As my job involves contact between the developer and the user of the application, and I am not a developer by profession, it was initially a challenge for me to participate in this type of communication. Our applications are created when an idea is born about how to properly help farmers and other actors in this sector in their daily activities, and the path to realizing that idea is something that fulfills me. Along the way, there are constant changes and adaptation of the application to the clients, and daily contact with the application creators &#8211; our developers and the transfer of requests and suggestions from the clients, for me is a great pleasure but also a challenge. It is necessary to properly convey messages from clients to developers, determine priorities and deadlines for each task assigned to a developer. Also, it is a great pleasure to see how much the daily work in our applications contributes to and facilitates the work of our clients.
 
<ol start="2">
<li>What projects are you working on and what is your role in them?</li>
</ol>
 
 
<a href="https://biosens.rs/en/digital-solutions/smart-agro-2">SMARTAGRO </a>&#8211; Application for Generali insurance in agriculture. There is a web and mobile application. The mobile application is used for damage assessment by assessors in the field. The web application is used to view policies and claims, view reports, assign tasks to assessors, etc.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://biosens.rs/en/digital-solutions/ddor-terra">DDOR TERRA</a> &#8211; Application for DDOR insurance in agriculture. In addition to the mobile application for appraisers, there is also a mobile application for users, i.e. clients who have insured their plots against damage. This way, it is possible for the user to report the damage himself, but also to monitor the weather forecast, the movement of hail clouds, etc. In the web part of the application, it is possible to review all the data that is of great use for assessing the damage on the insured plots.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://biosens.rs/en/projects/agrosense-apv">AGROSENS APV</a> &#8211; Application for grants at the local self-government level. There is a mobile application for assessment on the field and a web application for entering tenders and applications, scoring, contracting and ranking applications, as well as viewing various reports.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://biosens.rs/en/themes/agrosense">AGROSENSE</a> &#8211; A platform that helps farmers monitor crop conditions and plan agricultural activities. There is a web and mobile application. The mobile application is for entering data and taking photos of crops in the field, and the web application is quite comprehensive, providing options such as activities input, monitoring the weather forecasts, monitoring the latest news about diseases and pests for each crop, plot zoning and proposal of sampling points, recommendation of the amount and type of fertilizer based on the latest soil analysis, etc.
&nbsp;
My role in these projects is to turn client requests into developer tasks, set deadlines and priorities. When the tasks are completed, I test them and write the instructions for the application. If the clients notice some errors or want to make some suggestions, they contact me, and I further communicate with the developers.
 
 
<ol start="3">
<li>It seems that all these projects have a great social, but also economic impact?</li>
</ol>
 
 
Each project contributes to the social community in its own way but also has a great impact on saving money in agriculture and protecting the environment.
&nbsp;
Agricultural insurance applications are very beneficial to the employees of insurance companies in various ways. Assessors throughout Serbia use our mobile applications every day to assess damage to crops. In addition to important data, this application also enables them to take photos of the damage caused to the insured plots and send them, and managers and coordinators to see all this data through the web application and to assess the damage based on that. On the web applications, there are various options, such as viewing parcels on a map, cloud and hail radar, assigning tasks to assessors, as well as viewing various reports.
&nbsp;
Applications related to grants are also useful in many ways. In addition to being useful for employees working on the grants, entering applications and ranking lists, these applications also benefit users who can apply online for the grants. It is possible for them to fill in data and attach documents through the application, and if it is necessary to supplement the documentation, they will be notified by email. Through the application, one can see the number of points and track the status of the application.
&nbsp;
Although we are proud of all our applications, I must highlight the AgroSense platform and the contribution it makes to our farmers in digitizing Serbian agriculture and increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of domestic producers. AgroSense is a digital platform that provides support to farmers and agricultural companies in monitoring crop conditions and planning agricultural activities, and the use of basic services is completely free.
&nbsp;
Basic services include:
<ul>
<li>Weather forecast at the plot location;</li>
<li>Diary of agricultural activities;</li>
<li>Review of crop photos;</li>
<li>Overview of soil analysis;</li>
<li>Satellite crop indices that describe plant growth, photosynthesis intensity and availability of water and nutrients;</li>
<li>Information about the appearance of pests and diseases in the area around the plot.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Additional services are available for advanced users, such as:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Collection, visualization, and analysis of data from own sensors: weather stations, soil and leaf moisture sensors, etc.;</li>
<li>Storage and visualization of own data from agricultural machines (yield and moisture map, terrain profile map, etc.);</li>
<li>Storage and visualization of maps of the physical and chemical composition of the soil;</li>
<li>Determination of management zones.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
The AgroSense platform enables the zoning of the plot based on a satellite image, and with the help of an algorithm, recommended sampling points are generated for the given zones. The mobile app helps users find those points on the plot by navigating them to each point. This way, soil sampling is greatly facilitated, and after analyzing the soil and entering it into the application, a recommendation for fertilization is obtained. This significantly reduces the costs of fertilization and avoids over-fertilization, which is very common and lowers the quality of the soil and pollutes the environment.
 
<ol start="4">
<li> What is the best part of your job?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
This business, although it may not look like, can be very creative. The process of designing what the app will look like is the most beautiful part for me. It is necessary to put the client&#8217;s requests into practice, to connect all the parts into a perfect whole. It&#8217;s actually a very complex process where we often draw the layout of each screen and design how the app will look and function. We find the best solutions and implement ideas into action.
&nbsp;
Also, when developers finish a task or a form, I am the person who checks it and finds errors. Finding bugs and communicating with developers is also something that is interesting to me. When everything works as it should and there are no &#8220;bugs&#8221; I feel satisfied and fulfilled.
 
<ol start="5">
<li> Given that you participate in the creation of applications and that you are in some way the link between users and developers working at BioSense, what is necessary for your role to be successful, and for users to get the digital solution they need?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
In my job, everything depends on good communication and organization. It is necessary to observe the wishes of the clients individually, but it is also important to have a vision of how the application will look in the end when it represents the whole. Communication is important in defining the wishes of clients, but apart from understanding their wishes, sometimes it is necessary to propose the most adequate solution, from the point of view of the user but also from the point of view of the solutions that developers can offer. There is no such thing as impossible for us. With the help of the great team that I am a part of, it is possible to find a solution for every situation. As far as organization is concerned, it is necessary to know how to set priorities and how much time is needed for which task. It happens that users come forward and report an error. Then you need to put everything aside and react quickly. Multitasking is also something that is very important in this job. Working on multiple projects requires switching from one project to another multiple times during the workday.
 
<ol start="6">
<li> When developing an application, the vision of how it should look and what functionality it should have is constantly changing. How do you deal with changes and challenges during the development process?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
It is true that in the process of creating an application, there are often changes in functionality. This happens because sometimes it is not possible to immediately see what is necessary at the beginning. And sometimes it happens that it is necessary to change some functionalities in order to leave the possibility for further development and upgrading, which would be more useful for the client in the long run. There is never one person on the client&#8217;s side, but several of them, and because of this, during the process of creating an application, new proposals, ideas and more useful solutions come up. Sometimes we are the ones who notice that a solution can be reached in another, more adequate way, so we make changes accordingly. All these changes are made with the aim of better functioning of the application and easier use of the application by the user.
As for my dealing with challenges during these changes, it has never been a problem for me. Right from the beginning, I understood that it is an integral part of the job and that it is necessary to achieve a better end-result. In fact, there is a charm in these changes because it is a sign that we have come up with better ideas and the most adequate solution.
&nbsp;

Dragana Ćuk 1

Meet Dragana Ćuk

<ol>
<li>Can it be said that BioSense is an Institute in the world and the whole world in one Institute? What is it like to work at a place that is evolving rapidly?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Of course, it can. Although it was founded only a few years ago, the BioSense Institute represents an important point on the map of European scientific institutions that dictate trends in science with their work, while at the same time working to translate scientific results into practical application, the ultimate goal of which is to create a modern, sustainable agroecosystem. However, I would say that there are more small worlds in BioSense. Although what the Institute is most recognizable for is modern agriculture, research is also carried out in other fields, which certainly contribute to the mission and vision of BioSense. That&#8217;s how I, as someone with a PhD in Ecology, found my place at the Institute, where I can do what I love in a scientific sense but also work in an international environment, even though I live in Serbia, considering that we have a lot of colleagues who come from outside the borders.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>What projects are you involved in and what is your role in them?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Currently, the project Serbian Pollinator Advice Strategy, financed by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, is the focus. As part of this project, together with colleagues from the Faculty of Sciences, during this and the next two years, we will monitor wild bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and hoverflies, as well as the plant species they visit, in order to gain insight into the current situation and to predict the future trend of abundance and diversity of pollinating insects in Serbia. We conduct research during three seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) at 30 locations throughout Serbia. The idea is for this to be the first step towards the establishment of continuous monitoring of pollinators, which is already mandatory for the member states of the European Union. As part of this project, in addition to participating in field activities, I am the leader of the work package that deals with data processing. Also, I worked on the project of creating the first Red List of hoverflies, which is an assessment of the extinction risk of all species of these insects recorded in Europe. This was followed by a project aimed at creating a practical conservation plan for endangered species of hoverflies. In addition, as an external associate, I am currently involved in two international projects that deal with the topic of pollinator conservation and the systematization of available knowledge about them at the European level.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>Will your research contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and the improvement of harmony between man and nature? In what way?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
The focus of my research is hoverflies, an important group of insect pollinators, which have also shown potential for use in biological pest control. Since I am an ecologist, I am most interested in researching the distribution patterns of these species, studying their roles in the ecosystem, finding answers to the question of which traits make them sensitive to changes in the environment, and all this with the aim of their protection and conservation. Since the entire food chain, with man at the top, would collapse if pollinators disappeared, it is clear that we must do everything in our power to prevent this from happening, and the first step in conservation is to gain as much knowledge as possible about the species that we want to save. I consider it one of the most important tasks of scientists in this field to bring closer the importance of pollinators to people, as well as to explain how small things they do themselves can contribute to pollinator preservation.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>In science, it is not rare that you dedicate yourself to something for months, years, and the results are not immediately visible. How do you stay motivated to continue your research, to persevere?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Indeed, it is easy to lose motivation when the desired result does not come immediately. I find the cure for that where all my scientific work begins &#8211; in nature. Going to a place that has not been anthropogenically altered (which is unfortunately increasingly difficult to find nowadays), where I have the opportunity to see nature and all its beauty in its full glory, reminds me why I do this job, despite the many challenges it brings with it. Simply, I like the fact that by choosing the vocation of a scientist, I contribute to the preservation of the most valuable resource that we as humans have.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>What are the wrong perceptions about science, about ecology that people have, and you would like them to change? How does the entire BioSense team work on this?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
I think people often don&#8217;t believe scientifically proven facts. This is a problem that is, unfortunately, becoming more prevalent, so there are entire movements of people who believe that climate change is a conspiracy by green movements that want to enslave humanity, or those who deny the existence of human influence on climate change. On the other hand, scientifically proven and verifiable facts are that today the world is about one degree Celsius warmer than it was before widespread industrialization, that the 20 warmest recorded years in history happened in the last 22 years. Satellite images show a dramatic decline in Arctic Sea ice over the past 40 years or so, while the Greenland ice sheet has experienced record melting in recent years. The entire BioSense team, although very diversified in terms of research topics, contributes to the discovery of relevant scientific facts, each in their own field, as well as to the active demonstration of scientific discoveries, which I believe is the best way to popularize science and restore faith in it.
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>You are a member of the Advisory Board of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) specialist group for hoverflies and an associate researcher at the Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe) in Helsinki. What have you concluded, where is Serbia on the world map of science? Are we keeping up with the world?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
That&#8217;s right, I was lucky enough to work closely with a large number of foreign experts in my field during my research. I would say that Serbia is generally on the right track to reach the level of the world&#8217;s leading scientific institutions in one moment. Investing in the development of promising and ambitious young scientists on one hand, and institutions like BioSense, which have a vision for solving some of the global problems, on the other hand, is the only way to stay on that path.

Marija Miličić

Meet Marija Milicic

<div class="news-content">
The <a href="https://www.ilter.network/">ILTER</a> scientific conference will take place this year in Novi Sad, Serbia, 12-14 October, 2022. The conference will be open to all interested parties. It will be held side-by-side with the annual ILTER Coordinating Committee meeting. CC members will receive a separate message regarding that meeting.
</div>
<a href="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ILTER-22-Agenda-final-1.pdf">ILTER 22 Agenda final</a> &#8211; Please note that slight changes in the agenda are possible
<a href="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ILTER-abstract-book-2.pdf">ILTER abstract book</a>
<a href="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Presentation-guidelines.pdf">Presentation guidelines</a>
<a href="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Travel-Information-Guide.pdf">Travel Information Guide</a>
<a href="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Virtual-participation-instructions.pdf">Virtual participation instructions</a>
&nbsp;
<div class="news-content">
Each presenting author will be required to register for the conference. The registration fee (stated in Euros, including local VAT) for in-person participation is 350 €.
All abstracts accepted will either be for poster or oral presentation (face to face). You are asked to submit an abstract on your research and indicate your choice of session.
The sessions (9am – 12am each day) are as follows:
<ol>
<li>IT and its applications in ecological/environmental science:
<ul>
<li>day 1 – ILTER IT technical issues;</li>
<li>day 2 – research coming out of DIEMS data;</li>
<li>day 3 – models and other IT science;</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Nature-based solutions and restoration ecology (days 1 – 3);</li>
<li>Publications resulting from LTER and LTSER sites (days 1 – 3)</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Abstract submission is now closed
<del>Abstract submission deadline: September 25th, 2022</del>
Due to the change of the EC meeting from China to Serbia we allow abstracts to be submitted until September 15th; we will approve presentations on a first come-first served basis to ensure presenters can book travel as soon as they know they are presenting
Abstract submission process
All abstracts must be submitted in English. Maximum number of words: 300 excluding titles, authors and affiliations.
Please write:
<ol>
<li>Title of your presentation:</li>
<li>Keywords:</li>
<li>Abstract of the presentation:</li>
<li>Name:</li>
<li>Affiliation:</li>
<li>email:</li>
<li>preferred session</li>
<li>Other comments</li>
</ol>
Please register using our <a href="https://survey.biosense.rs/index.php?r=survey/index&amp;sid=126424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FORM.</a> If you wish to submit an abstract, you can either enter it in the form or send it in Word (or plain text) format to Dusanka Vujanovic (dusanka.vujanovic@biosense.rs). Dusanka is also your contact for possible questions.
</div>

ilter_logo

Call for contributions for the ILTER scientific conference, Novi Sad, Serbia, 12-14 October 2022

<ol>
<li>What does it mean for you to be a researcher trainee at BioSense Institute, a place where people practice world science, and innovative ideas are materialized for the benefit of society?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Earning scientific experience. For me, this is the most important item for answering this question. To do science is a very difficult job, although that is something hard to understand for someone outside of science in terms of how science is a job or what “doing science” means. I think that doing research in science is a synergy of continual learning and gaining huge experience. Learning means to understand something to facilitate my future research. On the other hand, gaining notable experience helps me to learn more effectively, to predict or assume the outcome in work. Additionally, there is the question of time. A workday of a scientist can be very long, especially if the experiment lasts longer than expected or there is an idea that can be implemented immediately during the experiment.
&nbsp;
Collaboration. What is unique for BioSense Institute is the fact that I can collaborate with colleagues from different scientific disciplines. That has helped me a lot in getting out of the frame of one scientific area, which in my case is physics. I consider multidisciplinary necessary for the faster and more effective implementation of new ideas. Here, I would also mention collaboration with international institutions through scientific projects. It is another plus to give a chance to a young researcher to travel and widen their knowledge, but also a plus for the Institute as well.
&nbsp;
Doing science. This suits my character a lot.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>What projects are you working on and what is your role in them? </li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
For a young researcher and student of doctoral studies like me, the most important project is research within the doctoral dissertation.
Beside that, I am working in several project groups:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/en/projects/integration-of-paper-based-nucleic-acid-testing-methods-into-microfluidic-devices-for-improved-biosensing-applications-2">IPANEMA</a> – development of graphene-based biosensing platforms for the detection of cyanotoxins</li>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/en/projects/networking-activities-for-nanotechnology-facilitated-cancer-theranostics-2">NANOFACTS</a> – development of biosensors for the detection of cancer biomarkers and microfluidic chips for the integration into a “laboratory-on-chip”</li>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/en/projects/realsense1-monitoring-of-cell-culture-parameters-using-sensors-for-biomass-and-nutrients-metabolites-in-media-lab-on-a-chip-loc-approach-2019-2021-good-food-institute-2018-competitive-grant-pro-2">RealSense</a> – research on possibilities of detecting ammonia in cell culture medium</li>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/en/projects/micolabaptasens-microfluidic-lab-on-a-chip-platform-for-fast-detection-of-pathogenic-bacteria-using-novel-electrochemical-aptamer-based-biosensors">MicroLabAptaSens</a> – development of new graphene-based biosensors for the detection of some pathogens in food.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>What research is in your focus and what prompted you to dedicate yourself to it?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Currently, I am working on my PhD thesis research, and that is my most important task. The research concerns the development of new graphene field-effect transistor-based biosensing solutions for the detection of some food contaminants, such as mycotoxins and cyanotoxins. Since I come from the field of physics, my research focuses on mechanisms and principles of detection, which imply a lot of experimental and theoretical work, along with the development of the biosensor for accurate and precise detection. Besides that, my research includes the development of other graphene- and grapheneous material-based biosensors. At the beginning of my BioSense journey, I did not know that I would work on the abovementioned research, but soon after I started, the nature and complexity of the topic attracted me to the point where I would devote myself fully and label it as my scientific expertise. Right now, together with my supervisor, we are the only researchers working with the graphene materials at the institute, and I think it is very important for me to be the basis of the future research group with the expertise in graphene.
&nbsp;
To be honest, what motivates and demotivates me at the same time is unsuccessful experiments. I am always looking for motivation wishing for an experiment to work by considering possible mistakes. It is in human nature to be disappointed by a failure, and one should be realistic and say that “a failed experiment“ may affect you and your further work negatively. But in my case, such state of mind lasts short (especially if I go into some off-topic discussion with the colleagues from the office). And, this is the thing I found comfortable, a dynamic road along the research way! But when the experiment works, there is only a motivation to make future success.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>Why are these studies important and how will they change the world? Will ordinary citizens benefit from it?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Research in the field of (bio)sensing mainly focuses on finding the best combination of materials and recognition elements for analytes to realize the best sensitivity, better specificity, and a fast response. Such goals are set also in my research. Graphene is a material known to have extraordinary electrical characteristics, and such properties are used to develop sensing elements with unprecedented performances not found in the literature. Reaching such performances and its reproducibility are important because of the need for overcoming current standard methods for analysis. These analyses are very accurate and reliable, but there is a need for more professional staff, and the duration of analyses can take days. Present-day needs are different. Namely, the need for a fast yet reliable analysis is of utmost desire, as well as in-field analysis, which is advantageous for biosensors with respect to the laboratory analysis. Therefore, it is always useful to develop solutions that would be used by ordinary customers without any knowledge about the analysis method.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>You often cooperate with researchers from Europe, but also from around the world. How important is this exchange of ideas and knowledge?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
In my opinion, I think that for BioSense as a young institute, collaboration with scientific centers from Europe and the world is highly desirable. That will make BioSense a part of the global scientific map. The other thing is, of course, knowledge transfer. For us, young researchers, it is very useful to gain knowledge at international institutions, to learn how research is planned and realized, how one research group is working, and finally to engage in future collaborations with them.
&nbsp;
I am pleased that I have had the chance to visit a couple of universities and research groups worldwide through the European Commission projects. Each of those visits was a new experience for me and an opportunity to learn about new technology or methods. And, of course, a unique opportunity to travel!
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>What do you think is the greatest responsibility of researchers and scientists today?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
The biggest responsibility of each scientist is to respect the codices of science and to bring out facts resulting from only experimental or theoretical cognition. Perhaps this is the hardest part for a researcher – to persuade the public regarding the reliability and accuracy of his/her study. Especially today, in an era of social networks, when everybody can be a scientist despite their potentially non-scientific background, the trust in a scientist is getting weaker. That is why I think that the responsibility of a scientist to explain the research and present the results to the general public is very big today. Also, I would add the mankind progress, which brings a lot of challenges, such as needs for food, economic development, or environmental issues. In my opinion, scientists are those who should lead human progress in a right and sustainable direction.
&nbsp;

Meet Stefan Jarić

Startapi koji imaju inovativna digitalna rešenja u oblasti poljoprivrede pokazali su veliko interesovanje za ovogodišnji program podrške, a žiri je izabrao sedam najkvalitetnijih timova iz Srbije i regiona – Atar, Windy, Eco Patents, PhenoMap Pro, Farmit, Veles Sense i Beeamond. U odnosu na prethodna izdanja, u trećoj generaciji akceleratora učesnicima su na raspolaganju značajno unapređeni resursi &#8211; ove godine Biosens akcelerator podršku dobija i od projekta ICT Hub-a “Srbija Inovira”, koji finansira USAID.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3388" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2213.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="4000" />
Dobrodošlicu učesnicima poželeo je direktor Instituta BioSens prof. dr Vladimir Crnojević, koji je poručio da je ideja akceleratora da podrži inovativne resurse u agrotehnološkoj oblasti.
“U Srbiji postoji veliki potencijal za razvoj u ovoj oblasti, najviše inovativnih ideja se razvija upravo u sektoru poljoprivrede i zbog toga je naš program akceleracije posebno interesantan startapima. Cilj nam je da kao institut ponudimo nešto specifično u agrotehnološkom domenu, što će dati dodatnu vrednost celokupnom inovativnom ambijentu u Srbiji”, rekao je prof. Crnojević.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3389" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2239.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="4000" />
Startap timovi predstavili su svoje proizvode i rešenja među kojima su, između ostalih, platforma za direktno povezivanje potrošača iz urbanih sredina i poljoprivrednih proizvođača, sredstvo protiv suše, urbane košnice za gajenje pčela u enterijeru i mnoga druga perspektivna rešenja koja će u naredna tri meseca razvijati u BioSens akceleratoru. Na taj način nastavlja se dobra praksa pružanja podrške inovativnim preduzetnicima u razvoju ideja i rešenja koji će doprineti digitalnoj transformaciji poljoprivrede.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3390" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG_2279.jpg" alt="" width="6000" height="4000" />
Program će biti realizovan kroz intenzivne obuke, lično mentorstvo i pristup BioSens istraživačkim resursima. Više od 20 eminentnih mentora iz zemlje i inostranstva, pomoći će novim tehnološkim preduzetnicima da testiraju izvodljivost i održivost svojih poslovnih ideja ili digitalnih rešenja, i da ideje i proizvode pretvore u održiv poslovni poduhvat.

Startovao BioSens akcelerator

Ne propustite priliku da se prijavite na neku od <a href="https://biosens.rs/is-hiring">otvorenih pozicija</a> za naučnike i vrhunske stručnjake!
Nastavite da razvijate karijeru u oblasti mikro i nano tehnologije i veštačke inteligencije i radite na najsavremenijoj opremi, u timu koji podstiče izvrsnost u svemu i u okruženju koje vam pruža sigurnost i zadovoljstvo u svakodnevnom radu.
Istraživačko-razvojni institut za informacione tehnologije biosistema BioSens otvorio je vrata naučnicima i stručnjacima koji žele da učestvuju u kreiranju vrhunskih digitalnih rešenja kako bi poljoprivredu učinio efikasnijom i naukom podstakao društveni boljitak i zaposlenost.
Ugrabite svoju šansu i postanite deo tima koji stvara sadašnjost gledajući u budućnost!
Sve detalje o konkursu možete pronaći na <a href="https://biosens.rs/is-hiring">https://biosens.rs/is-hiring</a>.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIjsC9UDbbs" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

BioSens zapošljava

Ministarstvo nauke, tehnološkog razvoja i inovacija POZIVA talentovane mlade istraživače-studente doktorskih akademskih studija za uključivanje u naučnoistraživački rad u akreditovanim naučnoistraživačkim organizacijama čiji je osnivač Republika Srbija, autonomna pokrajina odnosno jedinica lokalne samouprave kao i Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti i instituti čiji je ona osnivač.
Kroz ovaj poziv uključiće se do 300 mladih istraživača, od kog broja će se do 15 mladih istraživača iz oblasti umetnosti uključiti u akreditovane naučnoistraživačke organizacije iz oblasti umetnosti.
Na ovaj poziv prijavljuju se mladi istraživači koji imaju titulu diplomirani-master i prvi put upisanu prvu godinu doktorskih akademskih studija za školsku 2022/2023. godinu na akreditovanoj visokoškolskoj ustanovi u Republici Srbiji.
Tekst Poziva sa <a href="http://doktorandi.mpn.gov.rs/">obrascem Prijave</a> preuzimaju se na sajtu Ministarstva: <a href="https://nitra.gov.rs/">https://nitra.gov.rs/</a>, u kojima su navedeni uslovi učešća, način prijave, kao i potrebna dokumentacija.
Rok za podnošenje prijave je 17. januar 2023. godine.

Šesti poziv talentovanim mladim istraživačima

<a href="https://biosens.rs/">Institut BioSens</a> pozvao je inovativne startape iz IT i poljoprivrednog sektora da učestvuju u trećem izdanju akceleratora i na taj način nastavlja dobru praksu pružanja podrške inovativnim preduzetnicima u razvoju ideja koje će doprineti digitalnoj transformaciji poljoprivrede. Rok za prijavu je 01. februar 2023.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://accelerator.biosense.rs/">BioSens akcelerator</a> je prvi na ovim prostorima isključivo usmeren ka domaćim tehnološko-inovativnim kompanijama, koje svoj dalji razvoj vezuju za sektor poljoprivrede i hrane.
&nbsp;
Kroz intenzivne obuke, lično mentorstvo i pristup BioSens istraživačkim resursima, BioSens akcelerator će pružiti mogućnost domaćim IT preduzetnicima da kroz razvoj novih rešenja, kao i unapređenje postojećih, doprinesu digitalizaciji poljoprivrede.
&nbsp;
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3248" src="https://api.biosens.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/BioSense-Accelerator-Process.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="494" />
&nbsp;
Program će okupiti više od 20 mentora iz zemlje i inostranstva, koji će svojom ekspertizom, iskustvom, kontaktima i idejama pomoći novim tehnološkim preduzetnicima da testiraju izvodljivost i održivost svoje poslovne ideje i digitalnih rešenja, i da svoje ideje i proizvode pretvore u održiv poslovni poduhvat.
&nbsp;
Unapređenje u odnosu na prethodna izdanja se, pored značajnog unapređenja u resursima koji su na raspolaganju startapima i podršci koju pruža H2020 projekat <a href="https://antaresproject.eu/">ANTARES</a>, ogleda i u podršci koju akcelerator ove godine dobija od projekta ICT Hub-a <a href="https://srbijainovira.rs/">Srbija Inovira</a>, koji finansira USAID.
&nbsp;
&#8220;Iako su se prethodna izdanja akceleratora pokazala veoma uspešnim, mi konstantno težimo unapređenju programa i kvaliteta podrške koju pružamo startapima. Program će se i dalje oslanjati na široku BioSens ekspertizu u oblasti digitalne poljoprivrede, resurse Instituta BioSens koji stoje na raspolaganju polaznicima, kao i na intenzivan trening program. Pored toga, ove godine smo udružili snage sa projektom Srbija Inovira koji finansira USAID , a pristup resursima koje pruža centralno mesto projekta – Superklaster – biće značajna dodata vrednost akceleratoru“, kaže Milica Trajković, rukovodilac Centra za inovacije i razvoj poslovanja Biosens Instituta.
&nbsp;
Program će biti realizovan tokom tromesečnog kursa na proleće 2023, u periodu od marta do juna, a namenjen je startapima koji se: 
• bave se razvojem i primenom inovacija i IT rešenja za poljoprivredu i prehrambeni sektor; 
• rešavaju realan problem na tržištu tako što rade na unapređenju već postojećih rešenja ili digitalizaciji prethodno analognih rešenja.
&nbsp;
Za učešće u programu biće odabrano do deset startapa. Rad će se odvijati kroz dve nedeljne radionice (uživo i onlajn) koje će držati stručnjaci sa iskustvom, a veliku ulogu imaće i tematski susreti, sastanci i druga dešavanja. Pored mentorske podrške, timovi će imati i naučnu podršku Instituta BioSens u prenošenja znanja, pristupu neophodnim setovima podataka, naučno-istraživačkoj opremi, i/ili test farmama – resursima koji su im neophodni za razvoj digitalnih proizvoda.
&nbsp;
Najbolji timovi imaće priliku da učestvuju na velikom regionalnom završnom događaju (Demo Day), gde će predstaviti svoju ideju pred internacionalnom publikom i internacionalnom mrežom investitora. 
Prijave za treću generaciju BioSens akceleratora otvorene su do 1. februara 2023. godine. Za prijavu je neophodan pitch deck od 10 slajdova i popunjena prijava. Detaljnije informacije o BioSens programu i samom procesu prijave možete pronaći na zvaničnom sajtu akceleratora. BioSens tim pruža podršku potencijalnim aplikantima i tokom procesa pripreme prijave za akcelerator.

Otvoren poziv za BioSens akcelerator

<ol>
<li>Vi radite na Institutu BioSens, ali u isto vreme ste i doktorand. Koliko je važno za mlade ljude i studente da svoje prve korake naprave baš na Institutu?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Kad započinjete svoju karijeru kao mladi istaživač veoma je važno gde je započinjete, kakva je institucija u koju idete, kakav je kolektiv, koliko strpljenja, vremena i razumevanja imate od strane mentora jer ste student koji je tek završio fakultet sa verovatno vrlo malo praktičnog iskustva.
&nbsp;
Ovo je sve veoma važno da ne biste pred naletom nesigurnosti i „nije ovo za mene, ovde su svi Ajnštajni“ odustali i usmerili karijeru u neku drugu stranu. Kao neko ko sa sobom već nosi ovo iskustvo mogu da kažem da mi BioSens pružio jedan fin prelazak iz studentskog u realan život. Sa mnogo teorijskog i malo praktičnog znanja dobila sam priliku da učim, usavršavam se i razvijam svoje ideje korak po korak za šta mi je BioSens pružio sve neophodne uslove.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>Na kojim projektima radite i koja je Vaša uloga u njima?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Trenutno, najveći projekat za mene kao doktoranda jeste moja teza gde radim na planskom razvoju navodnjavanja u Vojvodini. Ovo istraživanje je bilo deo APV projekta koji je završen ali naravno, posle toga moje istraživanje je nastavljeno. Trenutno se bavim detekcijom navodnjavanih površina iz satelita kao i njihovom geoprostornom analizom. Pored toga radim na nekoliko nacionalnih i internacionalnih projekata gde se bavim analizom satelitskih slika i drugih geoprostornih podataka u cilju očuvanja životne sredine, održive poljoprivrede i održivog upravljanja vodnim resursima.
 
<ol start="3">
<li>Vaše oblasti istraživanja su daljinska detekcija, geoinformatika, upravljanje vodnim resursima, poljoprivreda i životna sredna. Šta vas je navelo da objedinite sve to i šta je možda ovim oblastima najvažnija povezna tačka?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Rekla bih da je najvažnija povezna tačka život na zemlji. Kao neko ko se bavi naukom, ne želim da ona nauka ostane u okvirima časopisa i konferencija, nego da moj rad bude doprinos za bolji i kvalitetniji život. Kao geograf i ljubitelj prirode mnogo vremena provodim u prirodi i želja za njenim očuvanjem je nešto što mi daje motivaciju za istraživanja. Očuvanje prirode je usko povezano sa životom čoveka tako da onda imamo jednu zaokruženu celinu koja zahteva znanje iz različitih oblasti kako biso uspeli da realizujemo neke ideje. Upotrebom daljinske detekcije i geografskih informacionih sistema, ali i primenom veštačke inteligencije, danas možemo da baratamo sa velikom količinom podataka i tako dođemo do različitih otkrića, rešenja i aplikacija primenljivih u svakodnevnom životu.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>Kažu da bez nauke nema društvenog prosperiteta i razvoja. Kako Vi to vidite? Koja je najznačajnija uloga nauke i naučnika danas?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Kao što sam već pomenula, najvažnija uloga naučnika jeste da nauku učini dostupnom i primenljivom bilo kome u društvenoj zajednici. Jedino tako možemo da postignemo razvoj i prosperitet društva u kom živimo. Sve potiče od nauke, i onog dana kad smo odlučili da se time bavimo, tog dana smo na neki način i preuzeli odgovornost prema društvu. Naravno, nismo jedini koji utičemo na to da li će nešto biti primenjeno u društvu ili ne, ali na nama je svakako da pokrećemo inicijativu, aktivno učestvujemo u promenama i damo svoj doprinos kroz znanje kojim raspolažemo.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>„Nauka bez razboritosti je kao igra na lutriji. Naučnik se, naime, izlaže opasnosti da izgubi sve što je uložio“, govorio ja Ajnštajn. Da li verujete da je tako? Ili naučnik ipak uvek dobija?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Ajnštaj je pametan čovek bio, zna on zašto je to govorio 🙂 No, sve je stvar percepcije. Lično smatram da naučnik nikad ne gubi. Rad u nauci možemo da uporedimo sa planinarenjem. Ukoliko krenete na uspon sa jedinim ciljem da osvojite vrh i naiđe oluja, bićete prinuđeni da se vratite dole i razočarani što nemate selfi sa vrha. Prazna priča. Međutim, ukoliko vam vrh nije bio jedini cilj na tom penjanju već iskustvo i psiho-fizički razvoj ličnosti, vratićete se u podnožje nerazočarani, svesni da imate mnogo više iskustva i spremnosti da taj vrh osvojite drugi put. Pa sledeći još viši, pa sledeći još teži. Tako je i u nauci. Oluje koje nailaze mogu da vas bace nekoliko koraka nazad pa čak i na početak, ali sad imate mnogo više iskustva i znanja što vas ovaj put dovodi, ako ne do vrha onda, definitivno bliže njemu. Da bismo popeli na Mont Everest dugačak je spisak planina na koje se treba popeti, spustiti i neodustati! 🙂

Upoznajte Mirjanu Radulović

<ol>
<li>Kako je to raditi na Institutu BioSens, naučnom svetioniku, ali i inovacionom habu gde se neguje proces „od ideje do realizacije“ i nastaju zaista korisna digitalna rešenja za poljoprivrednike i druge aktere u tom sektoru?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
 
Rad u Biosensu za mene predstavlja veliki izazov i stalno sticanje novog znanja i iskustva. Oduvek sam volela poslove koji podrazumevaju komunikaciju sa ljudima, organizaciju i timski rad.  S obzirom da moj posao podrazumeva kontakt između programera i korisnika aplikacije, a da ja po struci nisam programer, za mene je u početku bio izazov učestvovati u ovakvoj vrsti komunikacije.  Naše aplikacije nastaju kada se rodi ideja o tome kako na pravi način pomoći  poljoprivrednicima i drugim akterima u ovom sektoru u svakodnevnom obavljanju aktivnosti, a put do realizacije te ideje je nešto što mene ispunjava. Na tom putu, dešavaju se konstantne promene i prilagođavanje aplikacije klijentima, a svakodnevni kontakt sa kreatorima aplikacija -našim programerima i prenošenje zahteva i sugestija od strane klijenata, za mene predstavlja veliko zadovoljstvo ali i izazov. Potrebno je na pravi način preneti poruke od klijenata ka programerima, odrediti prioritete i rokove za svaki task koji je dodeljen nekom programeru. Takođe, veliko je zadovoljstvo videti koliko našim klijentima svakodnevni rad u našim aplikacijama doprinosi i olakšava obavljanje poslova.
 
<ol start="2">
<li>Na kojim projektima radite i kakva je Vaša uloga u njima? </li>
</ol>
 
 
<a href="https://biosens.rs/digital-solutions/smart-agro">SMARTAGRO</a>&#8211; Aplikacija za Generali osiguranje u poljoprivredi. Postoji web i mobilna aplikacija. Mobilna aplikacija se koristi za procenu štete od strane procenitelja na terenu. Web aplikacija se koristi za pregled polisa i šteta, pregled izveštaja, dodeljivanje zadataka proceniteljima itd.
 
<a href="https://biosens.rs/digital-solutions/ddor-terra-2">DDOR TERRA</a>&#8211; Aplikacija za ddor osiguranje u poljoprivredi. Osim mobilne aplikacije za procenitelje, postoji i mobilna aplikacija za korisnike tj. klijente koji su osigurali svoje parcele od štete. Ovim putem moguće je da korisnik prijavi štetu sam, ali i da prati vremensku prognozu, kretanje gradonosnih oblaka i sl. U web delu aplikacije moguće je pregledati sve podatke koji su od velike koristi za procenu štete na osiguranim parcelama.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/agrosense-apv">AGROSENS APV</a>&#8211; Aplikacija za konkurse na nivou lokalne samouprave. Postoji mobilna aplikacija za procenu na terenu i web aplikacija koja služi za unos konkursa i prijava, bodovanje, ugovaranje i rangiranje prijava, kao i pregled raznih izveštaja.
 
<a href="https://agrosens.rs/">AGROSENS</a>&#8211; Platforma koja pomaže poljoprivrednicima da prate stanje useva i planiraju poljoprivredne aktivnosti. Postoji web i mobilna aplikacija. Mobilna aplikacija je za unos podataka i fotografisanje useva na terenu, a web aplikacija je dosta opširna i ona pruža razne mogućnosti kao što su: unos aktivnosti, praćenje vremenske prognoze, praćenje najnovijih vesti o bolestima i štetočinama za svaku kulturu, zoniranje parcele i predlog tačaka uzorkovanja, preporuka količine i vrste đubriva na osnovu poslednje analize zemljišta i sl.
 
Moja uloga u ovim projektima je da zahteve klijenata pretvorim u taskove za programere, odredim rokove i prioritete. Kada su taskovi završeni, ja ih testiram i napišem uputstvo za aplikaciju. Ukoliko klijenti primete neke greške ili žele da daju neke predloge i sugestije oni me kontaktiraju, a ja dalje komuniciram sa programerima.
 
 
<ol start="3">
<li>Čini se da svi ovi projekti imaju veliki društveni, ali i ekonomski uticaj?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
 
Svaki projekat na svoj način doprinosi drušvenoj zajednici, ali ima i veliki uticaj na uštedu novčanih sredstava u poljoprivredi i na zaštitu životne sredine.
Aplikacije za osiguranje u poljoprivredi mnogo doprinose zaposlenima u osiguravajućim kućama na različite načine. Procenitelji širom Srbije svakodnevno koriste naše mobilne aplikacije za procenu štete na usevima. Osim važnih podataka, ovom aplikacijom im je omogućeno i da fotografišu štete nastale na osiguranim parcelama i da ih pošalju, a menadžerima i koordinatorima da putem web aplikacije vide sve te podatke i da na osnovu toga procene štetu. Na web aplikacijama postoje razne mogućnosti kao što su pregled parcela na mapi, radar za oblake i grad, dodeljivanje zadataka proceniteljima, kao i pregled različitih izveštaja.
&nbsp;
Aplikacije koje su vezane za konkurse su takođe višestruko korisne. Osim što su korisne za zaposlene koji rade na konkursima, unose prijave i rangiraju liste, ove aplikacije koriste i korisnicima koji mogu da se prijave onlajn na konkurs. Omogućeno je da popune podatke i prilože dokumenta putem aplikacije, a ukoliko je potrebno da dopune dokumentaciju biće obavešteni putem mejla. Putem aplikacije moguće je videti broj bodova i pratiti status prijave.
Iako smo mi ponosni na sve svoje aplikacije, posebno moram da napomenem Agrosens platformu i doprinos koji ona daje našim poljoprivrednicima u digitalizaciji poljoprivrede Srbije i povećanju efikasnosti i konkurentnosti domaćih proizvođača. AgroSens je digitalna platforma koja pruža podršku poljoprivrednicima i poljoprivrednim kompanijama u praćenju stanja useva i planiranju poljoprivrednih aktivnosti, a korišćenje osnovnih servisa je potpuno besplatno.
&nbsp;
Osnovni servisi podrazumevaju:
<ul>
<li>Vremensku prognozu na lokaciji parcele;</li>
<li>Dnevnik poljoprivrednih aktivnosti;</li>
<li>Pregled fotografija useva;</li>
<li>Pregled analize zemljišta;</li>
<li>Satelitski indeksi useva koji opisuju rastu biljaka, intenzitet fotosinteze i dostupnost vode i hranljivih materija;</li>
<li>Informacije o pojavi štetočina i bolesti u okolini parcele.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Za napredne korisnike dostupni su i dodatni servisi, kao što su:
<ul>
<li>Prikupljanja, vizuelizacije i analize podataka sa sopstvenih senzora: meteo stanica, senzora vlažnosti zemljišta i lista itd;</li>
<li>Pohranjivanja i vizuelizacija sopstvenih podataka sa poljoprivrednih mašina (mapa prinosa i vlage, mapa profila terena i dr.);</li>
<li>Pohranjivanje i vizuelizacija mapa fizičkog i hemijskog sastava zemljišta;</li>
<li>Određivanje menadžment zona.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Agrosens platforma omogućava zoniranje parcele na osnovu satelitskog snimka, a uz pomoć algoritma se generišu preporučene tačke uzorkovanja po datim zonama. Mobilna aplikacija pomaže korisnicima u pronalaženju tih tačaka na parceli tako što ih navigira do svake tačke. Na taj način je veoma olakšano uzorkovanje zemlje, a nakon analize zemljišta i unosa iste u aplikaciju dobija se preporuka za đubrenje. Ovim se znatno umanjuju troškovi đubrenja i izbegava se pređubravanje, koje je veoma često, a zbog kog se snižava kvalitet zemljišta i zagađuje životna sredina.
&nbsp;
 
<ol start="4">
<li>Šta Vam je najlepši deo posla?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
 
Ovaj posao iako možda ne deluje, može biti veoma kreativan. Sam proces osmišljavanja kako će izgledati aplikacija za mene je najlepši deo. Potrebno je zahteve klijenata sprovesti u delo, povezati sve delove u savršenu celinu. To je zapravo veoma kompleksan proces u kom često crtamo izgled svakog ekrana i osmišljavamo kako će aplikacija izgledati i funkcionisati. Pronalazimo najbolja rešenja i sprovodimo ideje u delo.
&nbsp;
Takođe, kada programeri završe neki task ili neku formu, ja sam osoba koja to proverava i pronalazi greške. Pronalaženje grešaka i komunikacija sa programerima je takođe nešto što je za mene zanimljivo. Kada sve radi kako treba i kada nema „bagova“ ja se osećam zadovoljno i ispunjeno.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
 
<ol start="5">
<li>S obzirom na to da učestvujete u pravljenju aplikacija i da ste na neki način spona između korisnika i programera koji rade u BioSensu, šta je sve neophodno da bi Vaša uloga bila uspešna, a da bi korisnici dobili digitalno rešenje koje im je potrebno?</li>
</ol>
 
U mom poslu sve zavisi od dobre komunikacije i organizacije. Potrebno je želje klijenata posmatrati i ponaosob, ali je bitno i imati viziju, kako će aplikacija na kraju izgledati kada bude predstavljala celinu. Komunikacija je bitna u definisanju želja klijenata, ali osim razumevanja njihovih želja, nekad je potrebno predložiti najadekvatnije rešenje, posmatrano iz ugla korisnika ali i iz ugla rešenja koje programeri mogu da ponude. Za nas ne postoji nemoguće. Uz pomoć sjajnog tima čiji sam deo, za svaku situaciju je moguće pronaći rešenje. Što se organizacije tiče, potrebno je znati odrediti prioritete i koliko je vremena potrebno za koji task. Dešava se da se korisnici jave i da prijave grešku. Tada je potrebno sve ostaviti po strani i brzo reagovati. Multitasking je takođe nešto što je jako bitno u ovom poslu. Rad na više projekata zahteva prebacivanje sa jednog na drugi projekat više puta u toku radnog dana.
&nbsp;
 
<ol start="6">
<li>Kada se radi jedna aplikacija, vizija o tome kako bi ona trebalo da izgleda i koje funkcionalnosti bi trebalo da ima se konstatno menja. Na koji način se suočavate sa promenama i izazovima tokom procesa razvoja?</li>
</ol>
 
 
Istina je da u procesu kreiranja neke aplikacije često dolazi do izmena u funkcionalnostima. To se dešava zato što ponekad nije moguće odmah u početku sagledati šta je sve neophodno. A nekad se desi da je potrebno izmeniti neke funkcionalnosti radi ostavljanja mogućnosti za dalji razvoj i nadogradnju, koja bi dugoročno gledano bila korisnija za klijenta u budućnosti. Na strani klijenta nikada nije jedna osoba nego više njih, i zbog toga tokom procesa kreiranja aplikacije dolazi do novih predloga, ideja i korisnijih rešenja. Nekada smo mi ti koji primetimo da se do rešenja može doći na neki drugi, adekvatniji način, pa izvršimo izmene u skladu sa tim. Sve te izmene se vrše u cilju boljeg funkcionisanja aplikacije i lakšeg korišćenja aplikacije od strane korisnika.
&nbsp;
Što se tiče mog suočavanja sa izazovima tokom ovih izmena, za mene to nikada nije predstavljalo problem. Odmah u početku sam shvatila da je to sastavni deo posla i da je neophodno za ostvarivanje boljeg krajnjeg rezultata. Zapravo u ovim izmenama i jeste draž jer je to znak da smo došli do boljih ideja i najadekvatnijeg rešenja.

Upoznajte Draganu Ćuk

<ol>
<li>Da li se za BioSens može reći da je Institut u svetu i čitav svet u jednom Institutu? Kako je to raditi na jednom mestu koje se rapidno razvija?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Svakako da može. Iako je osnovan pre svega nekoliko godina, Institut BioSens predstavlja važnu tačku na mapi evropskih naučnih institucija koje svojim radom diktiraju trendove u nauci, dok istovremeno rade na tome da naučne rezultate pretoče u praktičnu primenu čiji je ultimativni cilj stvaranje modernog, održivog agroekosistema. Međutim, rekla bih da se u BioSensu nalazi više malih svetova. Iako je ono po čemu je Institut najprepoznatljiviji moderna poljoprivreda, istraživanja se sprovode i na drugim poljima, koja svakako doprinose misiji i viziji BioSensa. Tako sam ja, kao doktor ekoloških nauka, našla svoje mesto na Institutu, gde imam priliku da se bavim onim što volim u naučnom smislu, ali i da radim u internacionalnom okruženju iako živim u Srbiji, obzirom da imamo dosta kolega koji dolaze van granica naše države.
 
<ol start="2">
<li>U koje projekte ste uključeni i koja je Vaša uloga u njima?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Trenutno je projekat Serbian Pollinator Advice Strategy, finansiran od strane Fonda za nauku Republike Srbije glavni fokus. U sklopu ovog projekta, zajedno sa kolegama sa Prirodno-matematičkog fakulteta, tokom ove i u naredne dve godine sprovodićemo monitoring divljih pčela, bumbara, leptira i osolikih muva, kao i biljnih vrsta koje oni posećuju, da bismo stekli uvid u trenutno stanje i da bi predvideli budući trend brojnosti i raznovrsnosti insekata oprašivača u Srbiji. Istraživanja vršimo tokom tri sezone (prolećne, letnje i jesenje) na 30 lokaliteta širom Srbije. Ideja je da ovo bude prvi korak ka uspostavljanju kontinuiranog monitoringa insekata oprašivača, koji je već sada obavezujuć za države članice Evropske Unije. U sklopu ovog projekta, pored učešća u terenskim aktivnostima, rukovodilac sam radnog paketa koji se bavi obradom podataka. Takođe, radila sam na projektu kreiranja prve Crvene liste osolikih muva, koja predstavlja procenu rizika od izumiranja svih vrsta ovih insekata zabeleženih u Evropi. Nakon toga, usledio je projekat koji je imao za cilj kreiranje praktičnog konzervacionog plana za ugrožene vrste osolikih muva. Pored toga, kao spoljni saradnik sam trenutno uključena u dva međunarodna projekta koja se bave tematikom očuvanja insekata oprašivača i sistematizacijom dostupnog znanja o njima na evropskom nivou.
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>Na koji način će Vaša istraživanja doprineti očuvanju biodiverziteta i poboljšanju harmonije između čoveka i prirode?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
U fokusu mog istraživanja su osolike muve, značajna grupa insekata oprašivača, koji su takođe pokazali potencijal za upotrebu u biološkoj kontroli štetočina. Obzirom da sam ekolog, najviše sam zainteresovana za istraživanje obrazaca rasprostranjenja ovih vrsta, izučavanje njihovih uloga u ekosistemu, pronalaženje odgovora na pitanje koje osobine ih čine osetljivim na promene u životnoj sredini, a sve ovo sa ciljem njihove zaštite i očuvanja. Budući da bi se kompletan lanac ishrane, sa čovekom na vrhu, urušio kada bi oprašivači nestali, jasno je da moramo uraditi sve što je u našoj moći da do toga ne dođe, a prvi korak u konzervaciji jeste da steknemo što više znanja o vrstama koje želimo da sačuvamo. Približiti ljudima značaj oprašivača, kao i objasniti kako male stvari koje oni sami urade mogu da doprinesu njihovom očuvanju, smatram jednim od najznačajnijih zadataka naučnika u ovoj oblasti.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>U nauci, često se dešava da se posvetite nečemu mesecima, godinama, a da rezultati nisu odmah vidljivi. Kako ostajete motivisani da nastavite istraživanja, da istrajete?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Zaista, lako je izgubiti motivaciju kada željeni rezultat ne dođe odmah. Lek za to pronalazim tamo gde moj ceo naučni rad počinje &#8211; u prirodi. Odlazak na neko mesto koje nije antropogeno izmenjeno (što je nažalost danas sve teže pronaći), gde imam priliku da vidim prirodu i sve njene lepote u punom sjaju me podseti zašto se bavim ovim poslom, uprkos brojnim izazovima koje nosi sa sobom. Prosto, dopada mi se činjenica da odabirom poziva naučnika doprinosim očuvanju najvrednijeg resursa koji kao čovečanstvo posedujemo.
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>Koje su to pogrešne percepcije o nauci, o ekologiji koje ljudi imaju, a Vi biste voleli da se promene? Na koji način ceo tim BioSensa radi na tome? </li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Mislim da ljudi često ne veruju naučno dokazanim činjenicama. Ovo je problem koji je nažalost sve više zastupljen, pa tako postoje čitavi pokreti ljudi koji veruju da su klimatske promene zavera od strane zelenih pokreta koji žele da porobe čovečanstvo, ili onih koji negiraju postojanje uticaja čoveka na klimatske promene. Sa druge strane, naučno dokazane i proverljive činjenice jesu da  je danas svet oko jedan stepen Celzijusa topliji nego što je bio pre široko rasprostranjene industrijalizacije, da se dvadeset najtoplijih zabeleženih godina u istoriji desilo u poslednje 22 godine. Satelitski snimci pokazuju dramatično opadanje arktičkog morskog leda u poslednjih 40-ak godina, dok je grenlandski ledeni omotač poslednjih godina doživeo rekordno otapanje. Celokupan tim BioSensa, iako vrlo diverzifikovan u smislu tematike istraživanja, doprinosi otkrivanju relevantnih naučnih činjenica, svako u svojoj oblasti, kao i aktivnoj demonstraciji naučnih otkrića, što smatram da je najbolji način za popularizaciju nauke i za vraćanje vere u istu.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>Članica ste Savetodavnog odbora IUCN (Međunarodne unije za očuvanje prirode) specijalističke grupe za osolike muve i saradnik istraživač u Laboratoriji za integrativna istraživanja biodiverziteta (LIBRe) u Helsinkiju.  Šta ste zaključili, gde je Srbija na svetskoj mapi nauke? Idemo li u korak sa svetom?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Tako je, imala sam sreću da tokom svog rada blisko sarađujem sa velikim brojem stranih stručnjaka u oblasti kojom se bavim. Rekla bih da je Srbija generalno na pravom putu da u jednom momentu dostigne nivo vodećih svetskih naučnih institucija. Ulaganje u razvoj perspektivnih i ambicioznih mladih naučnika sa jedne, i institucija poput BioSensa, koje imaju viziju za rešavanje nekih od globalnih problema, sa druge strane, je jedini način da na tom putu i ostanemo.

Upoznajte Mariju Miličić

<ol>
<li>Šta za Vas znači to što ste istraživač- pripravnik u Institutu BioSens, mestu gde se ljudi bave svetskom naukom, a inovativne ideje materijalizuju zarad dobrobiti društva?</li>
</ol>
 
Sticanje naučnog iskustva. Mislim da je ovo možda najvažnija stavka sa kojom bih mogao da odgovorim na ovo pitanje. Baviti se naukom je zahtevan posao, iako nekome ko nije iz ove branše to pomalo teško da shvati, jer možda ne razume kako je to nauka posao ili prosto ne zna šta to podrazumeva. Istraživanje u nauci je splet kontinualnog učenja i sticanja ogromnog iskustva. Učenje podrazumeva da nešto razumem kako bih sebi olakšao dalji put istraživanja. Sa druge strane, sticanje ogromnog iskustva pomaže mi da brže učim, da predosetim ili pretpostavim ishode u radu, odnosno istraživanju. Tu je i vreme. Radni dan naučnika može da traje veoma dugo, posebno ako se eksperiment oduži, ili se rodi neka ideja koja se implementira na licu mesta.
&nbsp;
Saradnja. Imati priliku da sarađujem sa kolegama iz različitih naučnih disciplina je ono što je jedinstveno za BioSens i ono što mi je pomoglo da izađem iz kruga jedne naučne oblasti, što je u mom slučaju fizika. Smatram da je danas multidisciplinarnost neophodna kako bi se ideje implementirale u neki proizvod brže i efikasnije. Ovde bih uključio i saradnju sa svetskim institucijama kroz međunarodne projekte. Šansa koja se pruža mladim istraživačima da putuju i proširuju svoje znanje je samo doprinos nama mladima, ali i instututu.
&nbsp;
Bavljenje naukom. Ovo je nešto što ide uz moj karakter.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>Na kojim projektima radite i kakva je Vaša uloga u njima?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Kao mladom istraživaču i studentu doktorskih studija, na prvom mestu bih postavio istraživanje koje radim za svoju doktorsku tezu. Iako zvanično istraživanje nije deo nijednog projekta u većoj meri, smatram da je mi je ono najvažniji „projekat“ u ovom trenutku. Trenutno sam deo nekoliko projektnih timova:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/integration-of-paper-based-nucleic-acid-testing-methods-into-microfluidic-devices-for-improved-biosensing-applications">IPANEMA </a>– bavim se razvojem grafenskih biosenzorskih platformi za detekciju cijanotoksina;</li>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/networking-activities-for-nanotechnology-facilitated-cancer-theranostics">NANOFACTS</a> – radim na razvoju biosenzora za detekciju biomarkera, kao i mikrofluidičnih platformi za integraciju u laboratoriju-na-čipu;</li>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/realsense1-monitoring-of-cell-culture-parameters-using-sensors-for-biomass-and-nutrients-metabolites-in-media-lab-on-a-chip-loc-approach-2019-2021-good-food-institute-2018-competitive-grant-pro">RealSense</a> – istražujem mogućnosti detekcije amonijaka u medijumu za rast ćelija;</li>
<li><a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/microfluidic-lab-on-a-chip-platform-for-fast-detection-of-pathogenic-bacteria-using-novel-electrochemical-aptamer-based-biosensors">MicroLabAptaSens</a> – razvijam nove biosenzorske platforme na bazi grafenskih materijala za detekciju najčešćih patogena u hrani</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="3">
<li>Koja istraživanja su u Vašem fokusu i šta Vas je podstaklo da se tome posvetite?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
S obzirom na to da radim na istraživanju koje pripada mojoj doktorskoj tezi, mislim da je to moja najvažnija okupacija. Istraživanje se bavi razvojem novih biosenzorskih rešenja na bazi grafenskih tranzistora sa efektom polja za detekciju zagađivača u hrani, poput mikotoksina i cijanotoksina. Kao fizičaru, potrebno mi je ne samo da razvijem platformu koja će imati mogućnost tačne i pouzdane detekcije ovih zagađivača, već se moje istraživanje fokusira na mehanizme i principe detekcije, koje uključuju dosta eksperimentalnog i teorijskog rada. Pored toga, radim na razvoju drugih tipova biosenzora koji koriste grafen ili njegove derivate kao aktivni materijal. Kada sam došao da radim istraživanje na BioSens, nisam odmah znao da će mi pomenuto istraživanje biti fokus, ali me je brzo zainteresovala priroda i složenost ove teme da se posvetim maksimalno i da mi to bude naučna ekspertiza. Zajedno sa svojim mentorom smo jedini koji trenutno radimo sa grafenskim materijalima na institutu i mislim da je to veoma važno za mene da budem okosnica buduće grupe istraživača koja će se baviti grafenskim materijalima ovde. Da budem iskren, ono što me u isto vreme i motiviše i demotiviše jeste neuspeli eksperiment. Motivaciju pronalazim u želji da eksperiment uspe, ali tako što pokušavam da otkrijem gde je moguća greška. Prirodno je u čoveku da se razočara u neuspeh, pa treba biti realan i reći da “propali eksperiment” može negativno da utiče na dalji rad. Ali takvo stanje brzo prođe (posebno kada se upustim u neku “off-topic” priču sa kolegama iz kanca). I zapravo to je ono što mi najviše prija, dinamičan put kroz istraživanje! Ali kada je eksperiment uspešan, onda je naravno tu samo motivacija za buduće uspehe.
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>Zašto su ta istraživanja važna i kako će promeniti svet? Da li će i obični građani imati benefite od toga?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Istraživanja na polju (bio)senzorike se najviše fokusiraju na traženju novih kombinacija materijala i   elemenata za prepoznavanje analita, kako bi se postigla što veća osetljivost, bolja specifičnost i brz odziv. Upravo se ovakvi ciljevi postavljaju i u mojim istraživanjima. Grafen je poznat kao materijal sa izuzetnim električnim karakteristikama i upravo se te osobine koriste kako bi se postigle performanse koje nadmašuju dosadašnje u literaturi. Postizanje ovakvih performansi i njihovo reprodukovanje je važno, jer postoji potreba za prevazilaženjem trenutnih standardnih metoda za analizu uzoraka. Te analize su dosta pouzdane i tačne, međutim za njih je potreban obučen kadar i one mogu da traju danima od momenta uzorkovanja. Današnje potrebe su drugačije. Naime, potreba za brzim i preciznim analizama je sve veća, kao i analiziranje na mestu, što je velika prednost biosenzora u odnosu na laboratorijske analize. Zbog toga je uvek fokus da se razviju rešenja koja će moći da koriste obični građani bez prethodnog poznavanja metode analiziranja.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="5">
<li>Često sarađujete sa istraživačima iz Evrope, ali i iz celog sveta. Koliko je važna ta razmena ideja i znanja? </li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Mislim da je za BioSens, kao mladom instututu, saradnja sa naučnim institucijama iz Evrope i sveta preko potrebna, jer se na taj način institut stavlja na mapu naučnih centara. Druga stvar je popularna engleska fraza u nauci – knowledge transfer. Za nas, mlade naučnike, je veoma korisno da stičemo znanje kroz odlaske u svetske institucije, da vidimo na koji način se tamo planiraju i realizuju istraživanja, kako funkcioniše jedna istraživačka grupa i da naravno ostvarujemo buduću saradnju sa njima.
&nbsp;
Imao sam priliku da posetim nekoliko svetskih univerziteta i istraživačkih grupa kroz projekte Evropske komisije. Svaka od tih poseta je bila novo iskustvo za mene i prilika da naučim neku novu tehnologiju ili neke nove metode. A svakako jedinstvena prilika da se obiđe svet!
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>Šta mislite da je najveća odgovornost istraživača i naučnika danas?</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
Najveća odgovornost naučnika je da pre svega sledi kodekse nauke i da iznosi činjenice koje su rezultat čisto eksperimentalnog ili teorijskog saznanja. Možda je to upravo i onaj najteži deo za istraživača, odnosno naučnika &#8211; da ubedi obične građane da je njegova studija realna i tačna. Posebno danas, u eri društvenih mreža, kada svako pomisli da može da predstavi teoriju o nečemu iako nema predznanje za relevantnu oblast, onda se vera u naučnike nažalost smanjuje. Zbog toga smatram da je odgovornost naučnika da objasni svoje istraživanje i prenese rezultate istih na običan svet veoma velika danas. Takođe, dodao bih i razvoj čovečanstva, koji sa sobom nosi velike izazove, poput hrane, ekonomskog razvoja ili životne sredine. Smatram da je na naučnicima da vode razvoj čovečanstva u pravom i održivom smeru.

Upoznajte Stefana Jarića

U rektoratu i Naučno-tehnološkom parku u Novom Sadu, od 27. juna do 1. jula, održana je prva trening škola u Srbiji iz oblasti primene nanomaterijala u dijagnostici i lečenju raka. Školu je organizovao Institut BioSens u okviru projekta Nanofacts. U toku pet dana,  bilo je 21 predavanje, 4 radionice, 19 predavača i 60 učesnicka. Istraživači, studenti, ali i profesori imali su priliku da se usavršavaju i uče o najnovijim istraživačkim metodama i rezultatima iz te oblasti od renomiranih domaćih i stranih naučnika.
&nbsp;
Teme predavanja i radionica bile su razvoj nanomaterijala za ciljanu terapiju i dijagnostiku kancera, razvoj biosenzora za monitoring kancera, unapređenje znanja i veština istraživača u razvoju kritičkog i kreativnog načina razmišljanja, pisanju i implementaciji naučnih projekata, kao i komunikacionih veština.
&nbsp;
Projekat Nanofacts se realizuje u saradnji sa partnerima Triniti Koledžom u Dablinu i Tehničkim univerzitetom u Beču i finansiran je iz programa Evropske unije za istraživanje i inovacije, Horizont 2020. Više informacija dostupno je na sajtu <a href="https://www.nanofacts.net/">projekta,</a> društvenim mrežama, kao i na sajtu <a href="https://biosens.rs/">Instituta BioSens.</a>

Završena prva trening škola u Srbiji iz oblasti primene nanomaterijala u dijagnostici i lečenju raka

1. Zašto je BioSens bio Vaš izbor i u čemu vidite značaj upravljanja projektima pogotovo u sferi nauke? Da li su projekti doprineli da se skrati taj put od nauke u laboratorijima do nauke za društvo?
&nbsp;
Institut BioSens je mesto gde se rađaju i testiraju nove ideje pre nego što se prošire na širu društvenu zajednicu, a za mene kreativno i kritičko razmišljanje o inovativnim načinima poslovanja zvuči kao uzbudljiv izazov.
&nbsp;
Kroz istraživačke projekte na kojima radimo, mi podržavamo saradnju industrije i nauke obezbeđujući da se akademsko znanje i rezultati prenesu u industriju. Isto tako, ovakav pristup pruža istraživačima mogućnost da poboljšaju svoje veštine i steknu bolji uvid u potrebe industrije.
&nbsp;
Međutim, u tako kombinovanim timovima koji čine ljude iz industrije i nauke, upravljanje istraživačkim projektom naglašava taj značaj uloge projektnog menadžera. Sa jedne strane, mi smo odgovorni za menadžment i koordinaciju rada obezbeđujući da se ciljani rezultati efikasno i efektivno isporuče, a sa druge strane, naš posao je da širimo nova znanja koja se generišu u toku projekta.
&nbsp;
2. Na kojima projektima radite i kakva je vaša uloga u njima?
&nbsp;
Uključena sam u sledeće projekte:
• <a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/fostering-precision-agriculture-and-livestock-farming-through-secure-access-to-large-scale-hpc-enabled-virtual-industrial-experimentation-environment-empowering-scalable-big-data-analytics">CYBELE</a> &#8211; Fostering precision agriculture and livestock farming through secure access to large-scale HPC-enabled virtual industrial experimentation environment empowering scalable big data analytics 
<a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/value-chains-for-the-disruptive-transformation-of-urban-biowaste-into-biobased-products-in-the-city-context">• WaysTUP</a>! &#8211; Value chains for the disruptive transformation of urban biowaste into biobased products in the city context 
<a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/zerow-systemic-innovations-towards-a-zero-food-waste-supply-chain">• ZeroW</a> &#8211; Systemic Innovations Towards a Zero Food Waste Supply Chain 
<a href="https://biosens.rs/projects/business-oriented-support-to-the-european-robotics-and-agri-food-sector-towards-a-network-of-digital-innovation-hubs-in-robotics">• agROBOfood</a> &#8211; Business-Oriented Support to the European Robotics and Agri-food Sector, towards a network of Digital Innovation Hubs in Robotics
&nbsp;
Moja uloga na ovim projektima uključuje podršku, koordinaciju i evaluaciju aktivnosti eksperimenata, kao i eksploataciju i komercijalizaciju proizvoda koji proizilaze iz njih kao krajnji rezultat.
&nbsp;
3. Očekujte najbolje, predvidite najgore i budite pripremljeni za iznenađenja. Da li tako funkcionišu menadžeri projekata, koje su najvažnije veštine koje moraju da imaju i zašto?
&nbsp;
To je apsolutno tačno. Dobar projektni menadžer mora da bude kreativan u svom pristupu rešavanju problema. Problemi i razna pitanja koja zahtevaju pažnju nam se redovno pojavljuju, i naša je odgovornost da predvidimo unapred potencijalne probleme i razmislimo o mogućim rešenjima u slučaju da se oni pojave. Imati plan B i druge alternative znači omogućiti prevenciju skupih odlaganja i održavanje rada projekta po planu.
&nbsp;
Većinu vremena provodim u komunikaciji sa partnerima na projektu, pratim i izveštavam o napretku projekta, tako da su dobre komunikacione veštine neophodne svakom projektnom menadžeru. To podrazumeva pismenu i verbalnu komunikaciju, prezentacione veštine, sposobnost razjašnjavanja i parafraziranja, kao i sposobnost motivisanja kolega u kritičnim trenucima i podsticanje saradnje.
&nbsp;
I naravno, veštine upravljanja su od suštinskog značaja. Projektni menadžeri postavljaju ciljeve, planiraju i organizuju aktivnosti, koordiniraju zadatke i procenjuju performanse. Stoga je ključno imati projektnog menadžera kako bi se osiguralo pokretanje projekta na vreme, u okviru budžeta, i kako bi se ispunili postavljeni ciljevi.
&nbsp;
4. Navedite pet razloga zbog kojih volite svoj posao?
&nbsp;
Volim svoj posao zato što zaista verujem u ono što radimo. Ponosna sam što sam deo Instituta BioSens doprinoseći razvoju inovativnih poljoprivrednih rešenja, i rešenja koja doprinose zaštiti životne sredine i dobrobiti ljudi na lokalnom, državnom, regionalnom nivou, kao i na nivou Evrope.
&nbsp;
Veoma je uzbudljivo raditi u Institutut BioSens, jer mi radimo na potpuno novim idejama, ali je i izazovno. Kada pišemo i radimo na implementaciji projekata, uvek moramo da razmišljamo „izvan kutije“, jer radimo na nečemu novom i meni se dopada činjenica da mi to izazovno okruženje omogućava da rastem u profesionalnom smislu. Takođe imam priliku da učim od kolega širom Evrope koji imaju različite ekspertize. Imam priliku da sarađujem sa najboljim naučnicima, inženjerima, biznismenima i menadžerima u Evropi.
&nbsp;
Često putujemo u druge države i imamo priliku da međusobno podelimo znanje i najbolje prakse. Na ovaj način, ostajemo najbolji u ovoj oblasti.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
5. Koliko je izazovno konstantno pratiti proces digitalizacije poljoprivrede u Evropi i truditi se da se dobre prakse implementiraju kod nas i obrnuto?
&nbsp;
Veoma je izazovno, jer iako širom sveta tehnologija rapidno menja način na koji se hrana proizvodi, obrađuje i distribuira, u isto vreme je većina poljoprivrednih gazdinstava u svetu i kod nas male ili srednje veličine.
&nbsp;
Digitalna rešenja u poljoprivredi nude malim poljoprivrednicima veliki broj mogućnosti. Međutim, različiti uslovi moraju biti zadovoljeni da bi mali poljoprivrednici dobili pristup ovim inovacijama:
&nbsp;
&#8211; Internet aplikacije treba da se adaptiraju u odnosu na lokalni kontekst i jezik i treba da nude i rešenja za promociju poljoprivredne pismenosti i obrazovanja (npr. postavljanjem videa i slika) 
&#8211; Treba da uzmu u obzir društveno-kulturne faktore 
&#8211; Treba ih prilagoditi nivou digitalne pismenosti korisnika 
&#8211; Moraju biti razvijeni, testirani i unapređeni zajedno sa poljoprivrednicima/ciljnim grupama, itd.
&nbsp;
Raznovrsni izvori seoskih prihoda su još jedan komplikovani deo slagalice. Čak i u Vojvodini gde je rast poljoprivrede u poslednje vreme najjači, zarade od poljoprivrede u proseku ostaju oko 20 odsto. Drugim rečima, seoska domaćinstva obezbeđuju 80% svojih prihoda iz drugih izvora, uglavnom penzija i van poljoprivrednog gazdinstva. To ima velike posledice na ekspanziju ili tehnološku nadogradnju. Zašto bi poljoprivrednik investirao, ako rad van poljoprivrednog gazdinstva nudi bolje prihode?
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
6. Koji su najveći izazovi sa kojima ste se suočili od početka realizacije nekog projekta, pa sve do kraja i kako ste izazove pretvorili u prednosti?
&nbsp;
Najveći izazov sa kojim sam se susrela je vezan za implemetaciju CYBELE projekta gde smo razvijali moćnu HPC infrastrukturu da bismo podržali devet demonstratora koji su se odnosili na unapređenje precizne poljoprivrede i preciznog stočarstva.
Razvoj naučnih alata i aplikacija na HPC infrastrukturi nije jednostavan zadatak. Zahteva dobru i konstantnu komunikaciju između naučnika i IT developera od samog početka projekta do njegovog kraja. Uloga projektnih menadžera je veoma važna da bi omogućili međusobno razumevanje i saradnju između eksperta iz različitih oblasti. 
S obzirom da na početku projekta nismo imali jasnu sliku o tome koje sve izvore podataka ćemo koristiti kako bi alati precizne poljoprivrede i preciznog stočarstva proizveli rezultate, nekoliko meseci nakon uspostavljanja HPC infrastructure smo shvatili da CYBELE platforma nema mogućnost da podrži uploadovanje slika (satelitskih i drugih) i geoprostornih podataka koji su bili neophodni za uspeh određenih demonstratora. Ovo je bio veliki alarm u implementaciji projekta.
&nbsp;
Srećom, mi, kao projektni menadžeri smo imali redovne sastanke sa svim partnerima na projektu, te smo uspeli na vreme da primetimo ovaj problem i pripremimo plan za njegovo rešavanje. 
Jedna od najvažnijih naučenih lekcija sa ovog projekta se odnosi na upravljanje vremenom. Iako su zadaci bili poređani po prioritetima i logičnim redosledom, bilo je teško predvideti kašnjenja uzrokovana tehničkim poteškoćama da se izvrše određene aktivnosti.
&nbsp;
Takođe, tokom trajanja projekta smo se suočili sa neočekivanim događajima koji su donekle uticali da implementaciju projekta. Jedna od glavnih neočekivanih događaja je bila pandemija Covid 19 koja je prouzrokovala kašnjenja u izvršenju zadataka s obzirom da je dosta partnera na projektu obolelo od ove bolesti u različitim vremenskim periodima, određene institucije čija podrška nam je bila potrebna u određenim fazama projekta su bile zatvorene na neko vreme, radovi na poljima su bili odloženi, itd. 
Kako bismo prevazišli ove neočekivane izazove, imali smo češće sastanke na kojima smo diskutovali o uslovima u kojima se nalazi projekat.
&nbsp;
Ove aktivnosti su bile ključne, jer u ovako kompleksim projektima čak i mali propust u početnim fazama projektne implementacije može da ima veliki uticaj na finalni rezultat projekta, s obzirom da se oni ne mogu lako ispraviti u kasnijim fazama projekta.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Startovao BioSens akcelerator

Posle do sada najuspešnijeg poziva, BioSens akcelerator treći put je otvorio vrata inovativnim startapima iz IT i poljoprivrednog sektora.

Otvoren poziv za BioSens akcelerator

Poziv za inovativne startape da se prijave

Upoznajte Mariju Miličić

istraživačicu čiji rad doprinosi očuvanju biodiverziteta i harmonije između čoveka i prirode

Upoznajte Tatjanu Knežević

Strastvenog projektnog menadžera koji veruje u ostvarenje održivo-razvojnih ciljeva i zato vredno radi na upravljanju projektima BioSensa od početka do kraja.

BioSens zapošljava

Postanite deo tima Centra izvrsnosti za održivu poljoprivredu

Upoznajte Mirjanu Radulović

Istraživačicu na javi, a planinarku u duši koja veruje da je svaki planinski, ali i naučni vrh dostižan

Upoznajte Stefana Jarića

Mladog istraživača čiji je zadatak da integriše fiziku i nauku o materijalima u kompaktan i minijaturizovan čip koji ima (bio)senzorske moći

Šesti poziv talentovanim mladim istraživačima

Ministarstvo nauke, tehnološkog razvoja i inovacija uputilo poziv talentovanim mladim istraživačima. Rok za podnošenje prijave 17. januar 2023.

Upoznajte Draganu Ćuk

Mlađu saradnicu u Centru za razvoj proizvoda, najvažniju kariku između korisnika BioSensovih aplikacija i programera koji na njima rade

Završena prva trening škola u Srbiji iz oblasti primene nanomaterijala u dijagnostici i lečenju raka