When talking about the development of sustainable technologies in Montenegro and in the Balkans in general, the South East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies, SEEIIST, should definitely be mentioned. This organization was proposed in 2016, with Montenegro becoming its first official supporter in 2017, and currently includes the following countries as members: Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Bulgaria, Greece (observer), Kosovo, Republic of Croatia, Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Republic of Serbia and Republic of Slovenia.

The main missions of the SEEIIST are stated to be, among others, to use scientific advancement to work towards achieving peace, to promote international collaboration in its projects, and to forward sustainable development of society. I believe that these aims are commendable, and should be promoted in other scientific institutions as well, as the work put in towards reaching them would allow for more sustainability on the planet. A different goal of SEEIIST would also be to promote sustainable scientific development in the Balkan region specifically, as, due to relatively recent conflicts, according processes have slowed down. Several countries in the region are also facing the so-called “brain drain”, with prospective scientists leaving their home countries to work in those they consider to be more prosperous. This process is harmful to the region’s development, therefore projects are needed to improve the scientific branch in the country, making it a more competitive career option.

The main project that the SEEIIST is working on is the creation of a Facility for Tumor Therapy and Biomedical Research with Protons and Heavier Ions, as no such center is currently functioning in the Balkan region, which has negative consequences for the population affected by cancer. Apart from being an important medical advancement, this project is also designed to promote sustainability in scientific developments, as it is planned to run on renewable energy, and to implement a variety of sustainable practices to minimize negative environmental impact.

I believe that this initiative is an important case of aligning essential scientific progress with sustainable practices, which deserves appreciation, and I hope to see more such developments from SEEIIST and from research facilities from all over the world in the future.

Sources:

https://indico.cern.ch/

https://seeiist.eu/