A round table on "Improving green business and innovation through the cooperation of industry and research institutions" was held yesterday in the premises of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, organized within the project "Environmentally Sound Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Industrial and Hazardous Waste Sectors in BiH" (POPs)", financed by Sweden and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in BiH (UNDP).

The event was organized on the occasion of the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH and five faculties from the country (Faculty of Technology, University of Banja Luka; Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo; Faculty of Technology, University of Tuzla; Faculty of Metallurgy and Technology, University of Zenica; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Zenica). The aim of this agreement is to encourage scientific and research work in the field of green business and increase the competitiveness of industries on the domestic and foreign markets. The agreement defines the areas of cooperation, as well as the activities that will be implemented over a period of two years, through training programs in the field of green business, technical consulting in the application of advanced technologies of interest to industries in BiH, as well as research and innovation, and increasing the knowledge of experts in industries, teaching staff, students and faculty associates.

The Vice President of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, Ahmet Egrlić, stated: "The principles of green business are imposed on domestic exporters as necessary, if they want to be part of the EU value chain and be competitive on that market. With the aim of educating domestic companies about this area, the Chamber initiated and participated in a series of activities related to the green transition. In order for our industry to adopt the knowledge and principles of green chemistry, the support of higher education institutions that will educate students in accordance with new knowledge and technologies is necessary. It is very important to apply that knowledge in the production itself, which will inevitably lead to increasing the competitiveness of green business in BiH".

The implementation of the principles of green chemistry in the industrial sector, with the aim of preventing the use and release of new persistent organic pollutants, is one of the components of UNDP's POPs project.

The manager of the POPs project in UNDP BiH Alma Mirvić, said on that occasion: "Today, when all industries in the world are introducing adapted models of green business and the industry closely cooperates with scientific and research institutions in order to improve processes and innovate in accordance with modern and sustainable practices, it is particularly significant that in Bosnia and Herzegovina we support such connections. All of these are necessary steps to reduce the pressure on the precious environment, the quality of life of current and future generations depends on its cleanliness and sustainability."

The round table was attended by representatives of the industrial sector, public institutions and the academic community to discuss cooperation modules, opportunities for the improvement of green business and the development of innovative solutions that lead to the optimization of technological processes. The faculties that signed the Agreement were represented by Prof. Ph.D. Borislav Malinović, Dean of the Faculty of Technology Banja Luka, Nusret Imamović, Vice-Dean for scientific research and Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Zenica, Prof. Ph.D. Sc. Farzet Bikić, Dean of the Faculty of Metallurgy and Technology in Zenica, Dr. Sc. Mirnesa Zohorović, Docent of the Faculty of Technology in Tuzla, and Prof. Ph.D. Lejla Klepo, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science in Sarajevo.

They expressed their satisfaction with the agreed cooperation with the industry in the promotion of green business and innovation. It was pointed out that universities, as centers of knowledge, research and education, have the capacity to provide the expertise and resources needed to develop innovative solutions that will promote sustainability and environmental protection. Through cooperation with industry, universities can combine academic knowledge with practical experience and technological resources that industry has. Universities also play a key role in educating future experts in the field of green business. These are also the goals of this project activity, i.e. the establishment of long-term partnerships with the industrial sector, which enables a faster transfer of new knowledge and technological innovations into practice, thus accelerating the transition to a greener and more sustainable future.