The construction of the BIO4 campus has begun in the vicinity of the Torlak Institute, aiming to transform Belgrade into a significant bioeconomic center in Europe.
This campus, designated as the hub for biomedicine, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and biodiversity, will span approximately 30 hectares. The estimated cost is around 450 million euros, with 200 million euros secured from a loan by the Development Bank of the Council of Europe. The project is expected to be completed by 2026.
Jelena Begović, the Minister of Science, mentioned that the construction of the campus is divided into several phases. In the initial phase, there will be the construction of 110,000 square meters of laboratory space, business premises accommodating seven faculties, and nine scientific institutes.
“It will feature a science and technology park for the startup ecosystem, research and development centers for large, small, and medium-sized companies, both domestic and international, involved in bio-pharma,” stated Begović.
She added that over 300 laboratories will be built, where experts from Serbia, including initially more than 1,000 PhD holders, will work on developing innovations and enhancing the quality of life in Serbia. Begović previously mentioned that the hallmark of the campus will be the central building called Minglarijum, which will house a conference center and a multimedia exhibition space.
The future occupants of the BIO4 campus will include Biological, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Medical, Agricultural, Technical-Metallurgical, and Sports and Physical Education faculties, the Belgrade Science and Technology Park, as well as nine institutes – for molecular genetics and genetic engineering, multidisciplinary research, nuclear energy application, medical research, biological research “Siniša Stanković,” artificial intelligence, chemistry, technology, “Biosens,” and the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases “Dedinje.”
As previously announced, the campus will serve as an opportunity for domestic researchers and a platform for the return of specialists from the Serbian diaspora.
The campus has established partnerships with global companies such as Roche, Takeda, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Pfizer, Swiss Rockets (with whom an agreement has been signed to work on the development of oncology and nuclear medicine), and the BGI Group. BGI is one of the leading Chinese companies in the field of biotechnology and biomedicine and has been collaborating with the Serbian government for three years. They have already opened a development center in Belgrade with more than 15 specialists from Serbia working in the field of artificial intelligence.
