Prof. Dr. Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro
From Classrooms to Competitiveness: How Montenegro Is Building Its Future Through Education and Innovation”
Prof. Dr. Anđela Jakšić Stojanović currently serves as the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro, a role she has held since October 2023 as part of the Government of Montenegro led by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić. In her capacity as minister, she is responsible for steering national policy in education, scientific research and innovation, with a focus on modernising Montenegro’s education system and aligning it with contemporary international standards. Her mandate includes overseeing significant infrastructure investments in educational facilities, supporting research initiatives, and advancing strategic reforms designed to strengthen the country’s knowledge economy and innovation ecosystem.
Mrs Jakšić Stojanović, you are the head of a ministry that brings together education, science and innovation. How do you define today the core mission of the Ministry in contemporary Montenegrin society?
As the Minister responsible for a portfolio that integrates education, science and innovation, I define the core mission of the Ministry today as the establishment of a system in which pupils and students are placed at the centre, and in which knowledge, creativity and innovation are acknowledged as the foundations of the sustainable development of Montenegrin society.
Our priority is to ensure high-quality, accessible and safe education for all children, alongside strong support for teachers and all employees within the education system. It is precisely for this reason that, since the beginning of the mandate of the current Government, the largest investment cycle in the field of educational infrastructure in contemporary Montenegro has been under way. To date, more than EUR 100 million has been allocated in the reconstruction and adaptation of existing facilities, as well as in the commencement of construction of new buildings at all levels of education – from pre-school, through primary and secondary education, to higher education – and significant capital investments will continue in the coming period.
At the same time, we are placing strong emphasis on the enhancement of research and innovation infrastructure, as well as on providing systematic support to researchers and innovators. Our objective is to further strengthen the educational, scientific research and innovation community, encourage excellence, and develop Montenegro as a country of knowledge, science and innovation.
The education system is often referred to as the foundation of the long-term development of a state. Which reform priorities do you consider to be the most important at this moment, and why?
The education system constitutes the foundation of societal development in every respect. Today, all developed countries have strong education systems, which serve as a driving force for the development of society as a whole, precisely through the holistic upbringing and education of children and young people.
At this very moment, it is of paramount importance to strengthen educational infrastructure, modernise existing facilities and construct new objects equipped with the most advanced equipment and teaching resources, in order to create the necessary preconditions for the forthcoming reform of the education system.
The reform steps envisaged by the Education Reform Strategy 2025-2035 include: the adoption of the National Curriculum Framework; alignment of the scope and structure of curricula at all levels of education with best international practices; the development of a methodological framework and quality standards for subject curricula; the development of programmes for cross-curricular themes; the preparation of new subject curricula; as well as the development of new textbooks. It is precisely these activities that will enable the creation of a high-quality and inclusive education system that will be accessible to every child in Montenegro.
Science and research are inextricably linked to the quality of education. How is the Ministry working to strengthen the relation between educational institutions and the scientific research sector?
Science and research constitute the foundation of educational quality, which is why the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation is acting in a structured and systematic way to strengthen links between educational institutions and the scientific research community, employing both a strategic and a strongly practice-oriented approach. Through calls for proposals that the Ministry regularly launches in the field of scientific research activity, in line with the Strategy for Scientific Research Activity, the priority area identified is “Science, Education and Culture”. This clearly demonstrates the State’s commitment to ensuring that research processes are directly linked to the improvement of the education system and the development of a knowledge-based society.
It is particularly important to emphasise that Montenegro is currently undergoing a comprehensive reform of the education system for the period 2025-2035. In this context, research in the field of education addressing the digitalisation of teaching, lifelong learning, bilingual and dual education, as well as contemporary pedagogical approaches, has been recognised as essential for the formulation of high-quality, empirically grounded education policies.
It is important to highlight that among the postdoctoral research projects for excellence funded by the Ministry, there is also a project in the field of education focused on one of the most upto-date issues in contemporary education – the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on young people’s learning. This project, inter alia, examines and analyses how smartphones and artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, affect the attention and learning outcomes of secondary school students, as well as the ways in which these tools can be responsibly and effectively integrated into the teaching process in Montenegro. The particular value of this research lies in the fact that, for the first time, it systematically analyses the effects of measures such as the ban on smartphones in schools, drawing on empirical evidence relevant to public policy-making.
In parallel, special attention is devoted to work with children and young people. Over the course of the year, the Directorate for Scientific Research Activity also launched a literary competition for primary and secondary school students on the theme “Women in Science – Inspiration for the Future”, with the objective of promoting role models in science, advancing gender equality, and encouraging children’s and young people’s interest in scientific creativity. In addition, within the framework of the Science and Innovation Festival, efforts were made to bring science and innovation closer to primary and secondary school students and to encourage them to consider future careers in these fields. Furthermore, activities such as Girls in ICT Day additionally contribute to breaking down stereotypes and encouraging girls to pursue STEM fields. All of these, together with numerous other initiatives, form part of the Ministry’s integrated approach aimed at strengthening the connection between science, education and society, with the clear objective of ensuring that knowledge, research and innovation serve as drivers of Montenegro’s long-term development.
Innovation has become a key factor in the competitiveness of small states. How can Montenegro develop its innovation potential under conditions of limited resources?
When discussing the competitiveness of small states, we must be realistic. Montenegro does not enjoy the advantages of scale, nor the budgetary capacity available to large economies; therefore, growth can be built exclusively on high-quality and innovative solutions. In this context, investment in innovation is a developmental necessity.
This approach is clearly embedded in the Science and Innovation Programme 2026-2030, which introduces a unified, multiannual framework for investment in research and innovation, with a clear focus on economic competitiveness and the return on invested funds. The Programme envisages an indicative financial framework of over EUR 131 million for the period 2026-2030, of which EUR 90 million is allocated to strengthening the innovation capacities of the economy, and EUR 41 million to the development of scientific infrastructure and human resources. The Reform Agenda of Montenegro 2024-2027 (EU Growth Plan), in particular Reform 1.2.2 “Further development of the research and innovation ecosystem for a knowledge-based economy”, foresees an increase in investment in research and development and the strengthening of the scientific and innovation community in Montenegro.
At the same time, in the previous period we have witnessed a clear upward trend in investment in research and innovation. The continuous growth in financial allocations for science, innovation and technological development can be traced back to 2021, when the national research and innovation system began operating under a new framework for the implementation of innovation policy and smart specialisation, and when programme-based budgeting was introduced in Montenegro. The research and development budget followed the trajectory below:
in 2021, it amounted to EUR 5,012,422.27;
in 2022, it amounted to EUR 7,717,132.78;
in 2023, it amounted to EUR 12,562,547.49;
in 2024, it amounted to EUR 14,997,925.29;
in 2025, it is projected at EUR 15,352,543.66,
with an additional increase of EUR 6.9 million from a special economic citizenship programme supporting the development of innovation.
This demonstrates that the system is being built not declaratively, but substantively.
This framework is directly linked to the process of drafting the new Smart Specialisation Strategy 2026-2031, which is currently at an advanced stage of preparation. The first Strategy laid the foundations of the system: institutions were established, financial instruments were introduced, cooperation between science and the business sector was strengthened, and Montenegro’s participation in European programmes increased, including more than EUR 3.8 million secured from Horizon Europe for 28 projects. In addition, during the implementation of the Smart Specialisation Strategy of Montenegro 2019-2024, a total of over EUR 167 million was invested in strengthening innovation and RDI capacities, infrastructure development, and the stimulation of the innovation ecosystem. This figure reflects total investments in the implementation of the Strategy from its adoption in 2019 through to 2024 and represents one of the most significant national investments in the development of research, innovation and competitiveness in recent years.
Today, as a result of the Smart Specialisation Strategy 2019- 2024 and the considerable effort invested in establishing a stable national framework for innovation development, we have a more developed innovation ecosystem than several years ago; however, we still face a low level of private investment, amounting to only 0.20% of GDP, and cooperation between science and business at around 33% of the EU average. We are determined to improve this further. This is why the Programme 2026-2030 and the new S3 are oriented towards the same objectives: strategic focus, measurable outcomes and market impact. For a small state, this is the only sustainable route. For this reason, I believe that investment in innovation represents the most rational means for Montenegro to strengthen its competitiveness.
One of the major challenges facing Montenegrin society is the retention of young and educated people. What role do education and science policy play in this process?
The retention of young and educated people is one of the key development issues of contemporary Montenegrin society, and education and science policy play an exceptionally important role in this process. Our strategic commitment is unequivocal – to provide young people with stability and the opportunity to develop scientific research careers in Montenegro, while maintaining openness to international academic mobility and the exchange of knowledge. It is for this reason that the Strategy for Scientific Research Activity of Montenegro 2024-2028 identifies the strengthening of human resources in science as one of its central strategic objectives, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation is implementing this objective through several complementary and carefully designed programmes.
First and foremost, the Programme of Excellence Scholarships for Doctoral Research in Montenegro is aimed at retaining young researchers in the country by providing financial security, high-quality research conditions and strong mentoring support. Through this programme, young doctoral candidates are enabled to develop scientific research careers in Montenegro, while establishing links with international partners and the business sector, thereby helping to create an attractive and sustainable research environment.At the same time, we are aware that international experience is an indispensable component of contemporary scientific careers. For this reason, the Programme of Excellence Scholarships for Doctoral Research Abroad has been established; it does not encourage “brain drain”, but rather promotes the concept of knowledge circulation. This programme enables Montenegrin doctoral candidates at universities abroad to remain strongly connected to the domestic scientific research system and to return the knowledge, skills and international contacts they acquire to Montenegro through cooperation, joint projects and academic engagement.A particularly important link in the retention of young people is also the Programme for Financing Postdoctoral Research for Excellence, which is intended for early-career holders of doctoral degrees. Through this programme, conditions are being created for the very first time in a systematic manner for postdoctoral researchers to lead their own research projects, form research teams and develop independent scientific careers in Montenegro, with a strong international and business component. This sends a clear message that the State recognises and supports excellence, as well as the longterm professional development of young scientists. All of these direct measures, together with numerous other calls that encourage the involvement of young researchers, form a coherent system of science policy that conveys to young people that Montenegro wants, is able, and is willing to invest in its talents. This is not solely about financial support, but about creating an environment in which research careers are recognised, valued and sustainable. It is precisely this very approach that we see as one of the principal mechanisms for retaining young and educated individuals and for the long-term development of a knowledge-based Montenegrin society.
From the perspective of longterm development of the state, to what extent do education, science and innovation represent a strategic commitment of Montenegro for you, rather than merely a sector of public policy?
From the long-term perspective of state development, I do not regard education, science and innovation as merely one of the sectors of public policy, but rather as the cornerstone and strategic direction of Montenegro’s future development. These are areas in which we do not manage only resources, but time itself, because what we invest in knowledge today returns tomorrow in the form of stability, resilience and freedom of choice. For this reason, education, science and innovation constitute a domain where the past and the future encounter – a place where values are well-preserved, while new ideas are born. They determine the kind of institutions we build, the type of economy we develop, and the nature of our relationship with a world undergoing rapid change. Our responsibility is not to remain passive observers of change, but its active architects. By investing in knowledge and innovation, Montenegro chooses development grounded in knowledge and innovation, ethics and creativity, and affirms its commitment not to leave its future to circumstance, but to build it thoughtfully, over the long term, and in line with the values of contemporary society. In this sense, education shapes the character of society, science the depth of society, and innovation its speed and relevance.