A special part of the programme, maintained and fostered by the CPN from the very beginning, are interactive school workshops. These workshops are organized each month on the premises of the Science Club and at the Makers Space, for elementary and secondary school students; since 2017, special workshops for preschoolers have been also organized once a week.

During the workshops, the lecturer introduces the participants to the popular science topic of the day, and the participants have the opportunity, with the lecturer’s help, to try out the technology themselves, perform experiments, or use the acquired knowledge and do something with their own hands. This type of work gives children the opportunity to cooperate, think and find new, creative solutions, facilitates learning and their understanding of various scientific fields, simplifies access to scientific topics, and dispels prejudice about "difficult" sciences.

Find out more at  prijave.cpn.rs/mejkers

Registration for the workshops is performed by the teachers on a monthly schedule and participation is completely free. During 2018 alone, over 180 school and preschool workshops were held, bringing together more than 3000 kids.

Since its foundation, Center for the Promotion of Science has organized at least two major popular science events every year. The goal of these major projects is to present scientific topics and fields as colorful and simple as possible to as many people as possible. Therefore, these events cover a large number of formats - exhibitions, lectures, panel discussions, workshops, scientific plays, performances, conferences, masterclasses. Since 2012, we have been organizing the event May, the Month of Mathematics. Why? Because Serbia is one of 8 countries in the world whose students are afraid of mathematics, and even adults are not much keener, the research conducted by Center for the Promotion of Science in 2012 shows. However, we can significantly influence the image of this science, show its purpose and the challenges it provides.

Find out more at: m3.cpn.rs

With great efforts of the most prominent mathematicians, we have proven that while it is difficult to bring mathematical ideas closer to a wider audience, it is still possible. During the month of May, like in any other month since the Big Bang until now, math has been counting without interruption. It is everywhere - in the cosmic depths, in computer processors, in rainforests and oceans, in bakeries, in children's playgrounds. Mathematics pervades everyday life. Many prominent mathematicians from Europe have been coming to Serbia for this event. However, the core of the programme consists of several visiting math exhibitions, as well as numerous interactive mathematical exhibits and installations developed in Serbia. Every day, workshops are organized for all interested visitors on several locations, including workshops adapted for students, but also competitions, quizzes, popular lectures and debates.

With great efforts of the most prominent mathematicians, we have proven that while it is difficult to bring mathematical ideas closer to a wider audience, it is still possible. During the month of May, like in any other month since the Big Bang until now, math has been counting without interruption. It is everywhere - in the cosmic depths, in computer processors, in rainforests and oceans, in bakeries, in children's playgrounds. Mathematics pervades everyday life. Many prominent mathematicians from Europe have been coming to Serbia for this event. However, the core of the programme consists of several visiting math exhibitions, as well as numerous interactive mathematical exhibits and installations developed in Serbia. Every day, workshops are organized for all interested visitors on several locations, including workshops adapted for students, but also competitions, quizzes, popular lectures and debates.

The works bring together teams and individuals who are willing to go beyond their own disciplines and intersect through different degrees of collaboration.

The topics that emerge in this approach confront us with daily challenges and our presence in an environment which is characterized by technological advancement. They give shape and form to the invisible aspects of the modern and the human. The authors of the art+science+makers exhibition pose important topical questions and, through the creative use of technology, provide us with new insights into the phenomena of which we ourselves are a part.

In order to get closer and better acquainted with the world of plants, their senses, the way they live and react to the environment, the Center for the Promotion of Science, in cooperation with the Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, organized an event entitled Plant Intelligence in 2017 . The event was opened with a lecture by Daniel Chamovitz, a biologist, professor at Tel Aviv University, and author of the popular science bestseller What a Plant Knows, published by the Center for the Promotion of Science. The centerpiece of the event was an interactive exhibition which draws a parallel between our senses and similar processes in plants. In addition to the exhibition, the programme also included workshops, lectures, panel discussions and an open lab.

Find out more at www.cpn.rs/inteligencija-biljaka

Since its founding in 2010, the Center for the Promotion of Science has been actively developing its international cooperation, through involvement in related European and global associations, participation in conferences and various events bringing together similar organizations, and the implementation of joint plans and programmes.

In parallel, we also started participating in project consortia and applications. The first project the Center participated in was the 2012 Researchers' Night under the title FRIEND2YOU, funded through the European Commission's FP7 programme. The project coordinator was the Faculty of Technical Sciences from Novi Sad. After this, the Center has significantly developed its cooperation, and actively participated and applied for project funding through various EU-funded programmes - FP7, LLP Comenius, Erasmus+, Creative Europe, COST and Horizon 2020.

Find out more at  eu.cpn.rs

Starting in 2014, the Center has become a regular participant in several projects dealing with diverse topics such as (in)formal education, implementation of the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) concept, gender framework, ethics, interdisciplinary collaboration of scientists and artists... In the last two years, with a focus on scientific communication as an umbrella activity of CPN, the most represented projects are those focusing on science education, i.e. the modern STEM education model (STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).

In response to the demands of complex participation in projects and an increasing number of diverse activities, a Department for International Cooperation was formed in mid-2015 to integrate the application process, management and coordination of EU-funded projects, and to improve networking and contacts with related partners and associations.

In 2018, the Center for the Promotion of Science commenced work on 9 new projects which address a range of important social issues and focus on science education for all generations, linking art and science, research activities, but also climate change and artificial intelligence as topics shaping both our present and the future. Through these projects, the Center has received a budget worth half a million euros in total. Six projects received funding through the Horizon 2020 programme, with one each from Creative Europe, Erasmus+ and COST framework. The projects are run by organizations from Ireland, Austria, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Serbia, and in addition to numerous European partners, they also include partners from distant countries and cultures such as Japan, Canada, South Africa or Georgia.

At the time of writing (January 2019), the Center is a participating partner in a record 13 active European projects and initiatives. The total number of projects in which CPN has participated since the beginning of activities in the field of international cooperation and EU-funded projects is 32, which, considering the size of the Center and the number of employees and engaged staff, is a unique and exceptional result at the level of Serbia and the wider region.

The main part of the Makerspace is the space open in the afternoon where club members can work. All content is available in consultation with the expert on duty. Production material is also available and members are free to bring and use any additional resources they might need, in consultation with us.

In addition, for all members of the Makerspace, the CPN organizes special courses in STEM disciplines - science, technology, engineering, math. All interested members will be able to apply in accordance with the course schedule, which will be posted on the website.

A group of researchers, both reviewers and editors of international journals (amongst others, participants in COST action TD1306 "New frontiers in peer review"), in collaboration with the Center for the Promotion of Science (CPN), created a peer review seminar aimed at PhD students and younger researchers. At some universities in Serbia, students are trained in writing scientific papers, while there is hardly any peer review training. A survey conducted among the editors of 22 print magazines in Serbia (50 out of 70 editors replied) showed that the review process was ineffective, mainly due to poor response of invited reviewers, a long waiting times for review, and partly due to lack of competence and expertise of reviewers. Some editors feel that training of reviewers (especially younger generations) is the way to go in order to improve efficiency.

A 3-hour seminar, featuring five lecturers, covering the topics ranging from how to do reviews properly, through ethics in peer review to the epistemological aspects of writing and reviewing scientific papers and the functioning of specific peer review networks and platforms such as Publons. Prominent lecturers with extensive editing and reviewing experience for renowned scientific journals also address a number of interesting questions related to the peer review process: why review?; what are the goals of the review?; does the reviewer assist the journal editor or the author?; is the reviewer also an author of the reviewed work?; can the reviewer be objective?; can the review be cited?; and many other issues.

In 2017 and 2018 the Seminar was held on 5 occasions: at the Center for the Promotion of Science and at the Rectorates of the Universities of Niš, Novi Sad and Kragujevac. The seminar was attended by 275 participants, 84% of whom were young researchers (doctoral students, researchers) and 16% senior professors and scientists. 31% of them belonged to the field of social sciences, 30% came from technical and technological sciences, 24% from natural sciences and 15% from the field of medical sciences. The organizers of the seminar think that the reviewer training should continue, that members of the academic community are quite interested in the topic, and the result of the test review showed that there is a realistic need for such training. Training young people will increase the competence of individuals, the number of reviewers available, and thus the efficiency of the peer review process in journals.

Any researcher would say that a doctorate is intended primarily for the mentor, the committee, and the home institution. For a scientific institution, a doctorate is a "rite of passage", which symbolically indicates that the candidate is ready for a scientific career. From the perspective of ordinary citizens, a researcher is someone who could and should provide fresh and credible answers to many questions of public concern. Doctorates in prose represent socially engaged science. This unusual experiment in science communication involved two authors from the Center for the Promotion of Science, 11 illustrators from five countries and 11 researchers who have defended their doctoral theses in Serbia in the last five years. The book consists of eleven essays inspired by doctoral dissertation topics in exciting, contemporary scientific fields, such as physics of complex systems, evolution of morality, reading literacy, typography, computer diagnostics, etc.

At the 62nd International Book Fair in Belgrade, the book Doctorates in Prose: Illustrated Stories by Nikola Zdravković and Ivan Umeljić, cover design and layout by Milena Savić, received the prestigious Bodan Kršić Award for the most beautiful book. This is how the members of the jury, professors of the Faculty of Applied Arts, Jugoslav Vlahović, Tijana Kojić and Olivera Batajić Sretenović, explained their decision: “Effective typographic approach to illustration on the cover creates an interesting interplay between the abstract and readable, and the choice of tactile material helps build a special relationship to the book… Several illustrators contributed to this book, which is not noticeable at first glance, although their expression is diverse and authentic. Their work holds the book together in a solid stylistic form and does not interfere with its flow... We believe this compelling graphic treatment contributed to an even more interesting experience of the unusually conceived topic of this book."

“Nick Sousanis’s Unflattening is a complex, beautiful, delirious meditation on just about everything under the sun; a unique and bracing read.” (Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics and Making Comics)

“It is a book that is dense with the syntheses of ideas, nimble, far-reaching and impossible to summarize. It liberates itself from the standard layout of panels within frames, teaching the eye and mind to read the unfailingly intelligent black-and-white artwork in unconventional and new ways. Unflattening deserves a place as a compulsory textbook in schools.” (Neel Mukherjee, New Statesman)

“Written with remarkable clarity and insight, its sometimes-haunting, sometimes-breath-taking illustrations prove the book’s arguments about how visual information can shape our understanding… Essential reading for anyone seeking to create, critique, or consider the visual narrative form.” (Publishers Weekly)

Under this concept, the CPN has developed a programme designed for teachers whose primary purpose is to create an environment for learning and science discovery in which everyone is welcome to ask questions, explore, experiment and create new knowledge. As the national contact point for the largest European network of science teachers - Scientix, our idea is to connect teachers, their practices and experiences, and to promote STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), new pedagogical approaches, collaboration and project financing through various EU funds.

The program is implemented using the resources and developed practices of several EU projects in which the Center participates: SySTEM 2020, ODDYSEy, CREATIONS, Hypatia and STEM School Label. It is our desire to introduce educators to these projects and invite them to get involved in the activities that are of interest to them. In 2017 and 2018, over 40 events were held within this programme in Belgrade and 20 cities and towns across Serbia.

Find out more at eu.cpn.rs/naucno-obrazovanje-za-odgovorno-drustvo

Scientix is Europe's largest online community bringing together STEM teachers, as well as numerous decision makers and educators, with a view to supporting these disciplines and new pedagogical approaches. The online platform contains numerous projects by teachers themselves, which represent good practice examples. Among them, there are exceptionally high quality and successful projects involving teachers from Serbia. The main objective of the Center is to increase the number of such projects and teachers from Serbia involved.

The SySTEM2020 project focuses on learning outside of the classroom, primarily in the field of natural science and math. Mapping this type of extracurricular activities across Europe, as well as assessing the number and availability of transdisciplinary programmes are the basis for recommendations to educators in terms of conducting similar programmes. The survey will cover students aged 9 to 20 from 19 countries, with a balanced representation of different geographical and socio-economic status. Minorities and migrant communities will also be involved, providing an active map covering various existing practices in Europe.

STEM School Label is a project designed to accredit schools at European level which approach teaching STEM subjects in an efficient and innovative way, thus significantly contributing to the acquisition of skills and raising the level of competence in this field. The idea of this project is to strengthen collaboration between schools, industry and researchers at the local level, thus facilitating the transition from one stage to another in education.

The main goal of the ODYSSEy project is to help students focused on the natural sciences and technical disciplines improve skills such as argumentation, critical thinking and oral presentation. In addition to the Center for the Promotion of Science, partners in the ODYSSEy project include the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, the Energy Discovery Science Center in Tallinn, Estonia, and the Institute for the Study of Rhetoric and Communication in Athens, Greece.

The Hypatia project, named after the famous mathematician who lived in the 4th century, aims to attract 13- to 18-year-olds to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a gender-sensitive way. Local experts in the field of gender equality, science or science communication, high school teachers and teenagers who are hesitant about their choice of studies have joined a variety of activities within the Hypatia project.

The goal of the CREATIONS project is to introduce innovative teaching methods in natural sciences and mathematics based on insight learning, using elements of artistic creation. Such an approach provides students with opportunities to understand science through active and creative engagement and collaboration.

The science show is a popular science performance lasting one school class where experiments in the field of natural sciences are performed in front of the audience. This form is interesting, humorous, colourful, but above all educational. Through games and experiments, participants are becoming better acquainted with natural sciences and rational critical thinking, and learn how to approach problems not only in science but also in life.

The programme is performed on a stage or in a separate section of the room, facing the audience. The programme is conducted by one or two science demonstrators, depending on the conditions of the available space, which must have good ventilation because gases which can have unpleasant smell are used during the experiments. Also, a power supply and a source of liquid water are required, as well as a large work desk. The show also includes volunteers from the audience, so it is important that access to the stage is free.

The publication of scientific papers is the focus of PhD students, as they have a clause which obliges them to publish at least one paper in an internationally recognized journal during their studies before being allowed to acquire a new title. This can create enormous pressure, especially if the thesis is already written and the publication is still pending or not published. The Introduction to Scientific Publishing is an indispensable guide to the complex world of journals, reviews, publishers, editorial boards and citation databases. Productivity can significantly affect their promotion, appointment, financing, or even contract renewal. Particularly useful to junior researchers and PhD students, this book is full of useful tips and explanations of specific concepts and complex publishing procedures.

It is understood that students can only meet these requirements if their mentors provide them with adequate guidance and support. The discussion that takes place between administration, academics and even students is enriched with many terms and acronyms, such as "impact factor," "ISI journal," "Web of Science," or "ranking." However, at times they seem to lack the necessary experience regarding these issues and the terms are used without a thorough understanding of the subject. This in turn creates confusion and can even lead to wrong decisions. Accordingly, a brief guide covering various topics related to scientific publishing could be useful. In addition to the print edition, the Center for the Promotion of Science has also published an open-access electronic edition, which is available in its entirety here: http://nauka.cpn.rs/

Knowledge must respect the facts, and therefore the truth itself. Information does not have to do this, and opinions - well, they are sometimes gratis. They are easy to form, with little or no cost. The problem, however, is that we cannot solve climate change, the challenges of the Middle East, serious online abuse or democratic disagreement, no matter how many of us there are and how quickly we collect or read articles, new posts, comments and supporting or disapproving replies they get on the web. It is not new that other people influence us, nor is it new that we are subject to phenomena such as herding, the lemming effect, the passive observer effect, group thinking, collective exaggeration and the mistakes of the majority. But it is new that modern information technologies have increased and reinforced these phenomena. Infostorms talks about social psychology on speed.

“Infostorms is a sophisticated and accessible investigation into the crucial information flows that shape and govern so many aspects of our social, economic and political lives. It elegantly manages to select crucial results in a variety of technical fields, from logic to game theory, from economics to psychology, and make them cast new and much needed light on the infosphere. An interdisciplinary tour de force not to be missed.” (Luciano Floridi, University of Oxford)

“We all drown in the polluted information surrounding us. What people need is means of navigation, meaning and alignment. Infostorms is a thoughtful, well-written and scary warning to every media organization: Change!” (Ulrik Haagerup, Executive Director of News, Danish Broadcasting Company)

Each year, at the Belgrade International Book Fair, the Center for the Promotion of Science exhibits around a thousand publications of Serbian scientific research organizations, as well as its own publications in the field of science promotion and scientific communication. In terms of its participation in this cultural event the Center takes a thematic approach, and the motto changes every year.

At its 200m2 pavilion in the Hall 2a, the Center showcases the publishing activities of over 120 scientific and research organizations in Serbia, including: universities, faculties, the university library, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts with its institutes, research and development institutes, scientific institutes, private universities and colleges, professional societies and other institutions.

A large number of lectures and panel discussions are held every year at the CPN exhibiting space, and the Center also publishes the NIO Catalogue, a unique bibliographic edition listing all exhibited titles issued by scientific and research organizations in Serbia.