Jelena Begović | |
---|---|
Јелена Беговић | |
Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation | |
Assumed office 26 October 2022 | |
Prime Minister | Ana Brnabić |
Preceded by | Office established [a] |
Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia | |
In office 1 August 2022 – 3 August 2022 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1970 Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
Political party | Independent |
Jelena Begović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Беговић; born 1970) is a Serbian molecular biologist who has served as minister of science, technological development and innovation in the Serbian government since 2022.
Begović was born in Belgrade, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Her family relocated to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a few years after her birth before returning to Belgrade, where she was raised. After studying for two years at the University of British Columbia in Canada, she graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Biology (Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), earning a bachelor's degree in 1998, a master's degree in 2002, and a Ph.D. in 2008. [1] [2] She has published widely in her field.
Begović became the chair of the University of Belgrade's Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering in 2014. During the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia, she oversaw the opening of the "Fire Eye" lab, which tested numerous samples. [3] [4] In late 2021, she opened the Centre for Sequencing and Bioinformatics. [5]
In the 2022 Serbian parliamentary election, the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) reserved the lead positions on its Together We Can Do Everything electoral list for non-party cultural figures and academics. [6] Begović was given the third position on the list; this was tantamount to election, and she was indeed elected when the list won a plurality victory with 120 out of 250 mandates. [7] She featured prominently in the SNS's billboard campaign in Belgrade during the election. [8] When the assembly convened, she was appointed as a member of the committee on the rights of the child; a deputy member of the committee on education, science, technological development, and the information society; and a deputy member of the environmental protection committee. [9] Her term in the assembly was brief; she resigned her seat on 3 August 2022. [10]
When Serbia's new government was established on 26 October 2022, she was appointed as the minister of science, technological development, and innovation. [11]
In January 2023, she encouraged recipients of Serbia's Fund for Young Talents Studying Abroad to return to Serbia after their studies to contribute to the development of the country. [12] In September of the same year, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution on the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development on the initiative of Begović and Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabić. This was the first time Serbia initiated and coordinated the adoption of a thematic resolution at the United Nations since rejoining the institution in 2000. [13]
Begović joined with Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić and Brnabić to launch Belgrade's BIO4 campus in December 2023. The campus is intended to become a centre of biotechnology in Europe. [14]
Jelena Begović | |
---|---|
Јелена Беговић | |
Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation | |
Assumed office 26 October 2022 | |
Prime Minister | Ana Brnabić |
Preceded by | Office established [a] |
Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia | |
In office 1 August 2022 – 3 August 2022 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1970 Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
Political party | Independent |
Jelena Begović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Беговић; born 1970) is a Serbian molecular biologist who has served as minister of science, technological development and innovation in the Serbian government since 2022.
Begović was born in Belgrade, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Her family relocated to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a few years after her birth before returning to Belgrade, where she was raised. After studying for two years at the University of British Columbia in Canada, she graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Biology (Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), earning a bachelor's degree in 1998, a master's degree in 2002, and a Ph.D. in 2008. [1] [2] She has published widely in her field.
Begović became the chair of the University of Belgrade's Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering in 2014. During the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia, she oversaw the opening of the "Fire Eye" lab, which tested numerous samples. [3] [4] In late 2021, she opened the Centre for Sequencing and Bioinformatics. [5]
In the 2022 Serbian parliamentary election, the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) reserved the lead positions on its Together We Can Do Everything electoral list for non-party cultural figures and academics. [6] Begović was given the third position on the list; this was tantamount to election, and she was indeed elected when the list won a plurality victory with 120 out of 250 mandates. [7] She featured prominently in the SNS's billboard campaign in Belgrade during the election. [8] When the assembly convened, she was appointed as a member of the committee on the rights of the child; a deputy member of the committee on education, science, technological development, and the information society; and a deputy member of the environmental protection committee. [9] Her term in the assembly was brief; she resigned her seat on 3 August 2022. [10]
When Serbia's new government was established on 26 October 2022, she was appointed as the minister of science, technological development, and innovation. [11]
In January 2023, she encouraged recipients of Serbia's Fund for Young Talents Studying Abroad to return to Serbia after their studies to contribute to the development of the country. [12] In September of the same year, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution on the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development on the initiative of Begović and Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabić. This was the first time Serbia initiated and coordinated the adoption of a thematic resolution at the United Nations since rejoining the institution in 2000. [13]
Begović joined with Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić and Brnabić to launch Belgrade's BIO4 campus in December 2023. The campus is intended to become a centre of biotechnology in Europe. [14]