- As a part of project BW Exceptional, Belgrade Waterfront had awarded the best students of doctoral studies from selected faculties of the University of Belgrade with EUR 5,000 each for their further professional development
- On this occasion, a panel discussion was held on the topic of career development of young professionals, the challenges they face and the importance of support from the private sector
Belgrade, February 27, 2019. Belgrade Waterfront had awarded valuable cash prizes to the best doctorands of the four faculties of the University of Belgrade as a part of the project “BW Exceptional”, in order to help them in further professional development.
At the ceremony held at the Belgrade Waterfront Sales Centre, a prize for outstanding academic results of EUR 5,000 was received by the best doctorands of four faculties: Andrija Radovic and Danilo Joksimovic from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Nemanja Vuksanovic and Radovan Kastratovic from the Faculty of Economics, Ljubica Duskov and Nikola Todorovic from the Faculty of Geography, as well as Antanasije Punosevac and Mina Rakidzic from the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The faculties which are attended by the awarded students have been chosen because of the connection of their scientific, research and artistic areas with the activities of Belgrade Waterfront. The selection of the best doctorands was decided by the faculties themselves, and the selection criteria were the best average grade and the speed of study at all three levels of study – basic, master and PhD studies.
Speaking about the project and the motivation for its startup, Nikola Nedeljkovic, General Manager of Belgrade Waterfront, especially emphasized the importance of private sector participation in programs for support of young talents.
„I believe that in addition to helping young doctorands, in this way, we will contribute and raise awareness about the importance of investing in the education of young professionals, and in particular PhD students, who need the most financial support due to highly specialized training“, said Nedeljkovic. „These young people are some of the best scientists and artists that Serbia has, and the embodiment of all virtues that we respect and nurture as a company – diligent work, effort and dedication to achieving the best results. We have no doubt that they have just begun to thread success. We hope that this award will be an incentive for them to be even better and to create a better future with their work“, he added.
On this occasion, a panel discussion on the career development of young experts and the challenges they face was held. Awarded doctorands, together with Dejana Lazic, Director of the University of Belgrade Centre for Career Development and Student Counseling, participated in the panel discussion “Youth and career development: how to stimulate excellence?”, and moderator of the discussion was journalist and editor Zoran Stanojevic. The discussion, which raised a number of important questions about ways to support young professionals, the transition from the academic environment to the labor market, and also the role of the private sector in this process, was attended by other students and faculty representatives.
„The Centre for Career Development is dedicated to the promotion of students and graduates as highly educated experts, with the desire that as many companies as possible support the start of their career and its further development by means of scholarships and projects. Accordingly, it is extremely important to underline the importance of involving the private sector in such actions, and the Belgrade Waterfront award project is one of the bright examples “, Dejana Lazic pointed out during the panel.
Participants concluded that, although individual work is crucial for professional progress, financial and any other type of support is needed both for the faculties, institutions and the private sector. As mentioned, they hope that in the future companies will further recognize the benefits they can have from research and scientific work.