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The Institute for Standardization of Serbia celebrates a significant anniversary

The Institute for Standardization of Serbia is celebrating a significant anniversary this year – 90 years of standardization in Serbia. The initiative to establish the first standardization body was launched in 1934 by the Association of Yugoslav Engineers and Architects, under the leadership of the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering in Belgrade and the President of the Association, Professor Dušan Tomić. The founding assembly of the Yugoslav Committee for Normalization was held on 16 September, 1934, in room number 98 of the present-day Faculty of Electrical Engineering. On the same day, nine decades later, a panel discussion entitled „Standardization - From Need to Incentive for Innovation and Education“ was held in the same place. The panel discussion, moderated by Professor Dr. Miloš Jelić, was attended by representatives of faculties and organizations with which the Institute cooperates, and three topics were discussed.

The first, „Institutional framework for education on standardization“ was opened by Prof. Dr. Ivana Mijatović, a full professor at the Department of Management and Standardization at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade. She pointed out that the first initiative for education in standardization was launched in 1965 and that it is of strategic importance. That is why the European Commission called on university professors from 22 EU countries, Serbia, and Turkey in 2017 to, among other things, provide personnel with competencies in the field of standardization. At the end of her presentation, the professor added that research works must be based on standards and that standardization itself is a necessary tool for mobilizing knowledge.

The second topic, „From innovation to standards and from standards to innovation“ was opened by Prof. Dr. Ranka Stanković, from the Faculty of Mining and Geology, Vice President of the Society for Language Resources and Technologies (Jerteh) and Chairperson of ISS NTC A037, Terminology.

Professor Stanković emphasized that standardization enables easier application of innovations and facilitates communication between different language systems and technologies, but also that established standards enable new innovations, citing examples in which standards have improved the development of technologies and stimulated new research. She further highlighted the opportunities, but also the challenges in standardization, concluding that the standardization of language resources supports technological development, but also preserves linguistic and cultural identity and cultural heritage. 

Radiša Knežević, a representative of the Institute and Head of the Sector for General Standardization Fields, spoke on the topic „Standardization - from the need of the profession to the need for experts“. The need for standards was first recognized by experts from various fields because standardization achieves consistency in the quality level of products and services, user safety, interoperability, and compliance with laws and regulations, as well as efficiency and competitiveness. On the other hand, the successful application and development of standards depend on the experts who participate in standardization because they ensure that the standards are relevant, that they are applied, and that they are adapted to the needs of the economy.

At the very end of the two-hour gathering, the director of the Institute, Tatjana Bojanić, invited all participants to expand their cooperation with the Institute, which on 11 October, at the University Library "Svetozar Marković", is opening an Information center that will allow all students of the University of Belgrade to access and read published Serbian standards. 

To mark the founding of the first national standardization body at the present-day Faculty of Electrical Engineering (formerly the Faculty of Engineering), the ISS Director presented a plaque to the hosts, represented by Dr. Jelena Ćertić, Vice Dean for Teaching. The plaque bears an engraved message stating that the Faculty of Electrical Engineering was the place where the Serbian Standardization Institute was founded in 1934.

The panel discussion is one of the events that the Institute is organizing to mark its anniversary. The next event is a Gala Academy scheduled for 10 October at the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade, where a monograph on 90 years of standardization in Serbia will be presented.