The Third Internal Conference of the Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy “A Step Forward 2025” was held on 11 December 2025, bringing together researchers of the Institute, as well as collaborators and colleagues from other scientific and university institutions.
The conference provided an opportunity to present current results achieved during 2025, including a large number of papers published in leading international scientific journals and presented at prestigious scientific conferences, as well as science-based innovations with potential for commercial application. These results further confirm IHTM’s position as one of the most active scientific institutions in the Republic of Serbia.
During 2025, the process of institutional transformation continued within the SAIGE (Serbia Accelerating Innovation and Growth Entrepreneurship) project, aimed at modernizing all segments of the Institute’s operations. Key outcomes of this process include an increase in joint projects between different Centers of the Institute, the development of innovations, greater employee involvement in governance, and improved communication with the wider community through a new website and the establishment of a new administrative team.
The central event of this year’s conference was a panel discussion entitled “From Research to Commercial Application”, at which Technology Transfer Office advisors Dr Nikola Lončar and Danijela Matović discussed innovation development and the process of commercialization of scientific results.
In 2025, IHTM researchers published a total of 235 scientific papers, including 156 papers in M21 category journals. In the same period, 25 new research projects were approved for the Institute—11 national, 8 international, and 6 internal. For the first time, internal calls were launched for projects under the Proof of Concept (PoC) and SEED programs, providing additional support to early-career researchers in developing management and leadership skills.
IHTM’s international cooperation is particularly reflected through projects within the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Staff Exchange program, as well as through EUREKA, NATO Science for Peace, Western Balkans Innovation Voucher, OINI Dubna, and CERIC-ERIC projects, confirming the Institute’s high level of international recognition.
Awards were also presented for the best scientific papers published in the prestigious journals Carbohydrate Polymers and Progress in Organic Coatings, while the title of the best and most promising innovation of 2025 was awarded to “BIOSOFTENER”, a biocidal fabric softener with strong potential for near-term market application. In addition, newly graduated PhD holders who defended their doctoral dissertations during the year were ceremonially promoted.
The “A Step Forward 2025” conference once again confirmed IHTM’s steady advancement in scientific research, international cooperation, and institutional development, with a clear commitment to modernization, innovation, and the strengthening of professional standards in line with contemporary European practices.
