Serbia’s EU research grantees call on European Commission for help amid mass protests

Dozens of researchers who hold EU research grants in Serbia have written a joint a letter to the European Commission calling on it to help tackle corruption in the country. 

“As members of the research community, we strongly believe that corruption is not just an administrative issue; it is endangering the lives of our families, students, and colleagues,” the letter, dated March 4, says. 

Systemic governance failures “threaten the long-term sustainability of research in Serbia,” it goes on, pointing to the increasing number of skilled researchers leaving academia. “Many researchers are also leaving Serbia, not necessarily for financial reasons but in search of a more stable, organised, and meritocratic research and life environment free of corruption,” it says.

The letter comes as scientists in Serbia joined a general strike on March 7 and a mass demonstration in Belgrade on March 8 in support of student protesters who have been on the streets since November 3. 

Another major demonstration is planned for March 15, with scientists increasingly backing student demands for social justice, less corruption and more democracy. European institutions have so far remained largely quiet about the situation in Serbia.

“Many of us in the academic community have taken concrete steps to escalate our concerns to European institutions [. . .] urging them to recognise the gravity of the situation,” said Igor Stanković, principal investigator on the Blessed and Ultimate-I Horizon projects at the Institute of Physics in Belgrade, and a lead signatory to the letter. 

The letter outlines challenges such as corruption, governance failures and loss of trust in institutions as major problems for research in the country. “Meaningful progress is impossible without addressing these systemic issues,” says Stanković. “We hope this message reaches the wider international academic community, and we appreciate any efforts to amplify the voices of those fighting for integrity and transparency.”

Signed by 80 researchers from universities and research institutes across Serbia, the letter calls on European research and education institutions to “publicly support the students’ demands for transparency, accountability and meaningful reforms in governance and higher education, in line with the EU accession criteria.” Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2012.

The letter also urges European institutions to “advocate for increased protections for academic freedom and institutional transparency, ensuring Serbia meets the rule-of-law benchmarks critical for EU integration.” There should also be monitoring to assess “the impact of corruption and political instability on scientific research in Serbia.”

The European Commission has acknowledged receiving the letter, but has neither replied nor commented on its demands.

Corruption affects academia

International indices generally place Serbia in the mid- to lower-middle ranks for corruption. Transparency International, for example, ranks it 105 out of 180 countries for corruption perception, with a worsening trend.

Academics say the same issues that plague wider society, such as corruption and lack of accountability, also affect academia in the country. For example, Stanković says, Serbia is lagging on the implementation of open science and the findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable principles for research data. 

There are also concerns about the accuracy of research reporting within institutions. Both stem from slow implementation of policies, and from under-development of the necessary infrastructure and compliance mechanisms, he says.

The student revolt over issues of transparency and accountability was triggered by a railway station canopy collapse that killed 15 people in November, and has grown into a mass protest seen by many as indirectly seeking regime change of the controversial president Aleksandar Vučić. 

Vučić claims the government has met all student demands, and has accepted the resignation of two ministers and the prime minister over the situation. He has accused protesters of attempting a “colour revolution” of the kind seen in post-Soviet states such as Georgia and Ukraine, and has suggested a “counter-revolution” will follow.

The researchers’ letter states that “thousands of students have taken to the streets in peaceful protests against the rampant corruption that has infiltrated our public institutions.” Meanwhile, many university faculties remain blockaded as part of the protests. This has caused significant disruptions to university life and academic activities, the letter says.

Joining demonstrations

Beyond the official walkouts, many researchers have been demonstrating in other ways. “A lot of different protest actions are organised throughout Serbia each day and a significant number of researchers participate and even organise such initiatives,” said Antun Balaž, a research professor at the Institute of Physics Belgrade and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, who both signed the letter and joined a recent strike organised by the Science Union.

“We are also actively supporting our students, and have joined their protests in Novi Sad, Kragujevac, and Niš,” he added. “It was really heartwarming to meet so many colleagues from other university centres, most of whom we only meet at conferences. Now, working together on issues more important than ever, it was overwhelming to be met with such outpouring of solidarity, love and compassion.”

Researchers are also planning to join protests planned in Belgrade on March 15 and are “looking forward to helping students in whatever way we can,” says Balaž.

One of the Science Union’s strike coordinators, Srđan Atanasovski, a senior researcher at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Institute for Musicology, says he is satisfied with the action, which saw around one thousand researchers in Belgrade alone joining the protest each day.

He says the union’s priority now is for the science ministry to extend the academic titles of young researchers, as they are at immediate risk of losing their jobs because of the delays related to protests. “They have been unable to complete their PhD obligations on time,” he said. “Most of them also have contracts that are limited to the same duration as the title.” 

Science Business has approached Serbia’s government and the European Commission for comment.