Institute presents assessment findings and Strategy Action Plan 2027–2029

On Friday, 16 October 2026, the Institute held a staff meeting in its ceremonial hall. At the meeting, the Institute presented the findings of an assessment of its current state, the Action Plan for its Strategy for 2027–2029 and a competency framework for researchers.

Staff were addressed by the Institute’s Director, Dr Jelena Lukić, and Jasna Dragosavac, Assistant Director for Science, Technological Development and Innovation. The aim of the meeting was to share the assessment results with colleagues and to look together at the next steps in the Institute’s development.

Strong foundations for growth

The assessment showed that the Institute has what it needs for further growth: expertise, a market and technology. Its greatest assets are its highly qualified staff and one of the strongest reputations in power engineering in Serbia and the region. The Institute also has accredited laboratories and a rare combination of research, laboratory testing, consulting and equipment development.

The assessment also recognised the Institute’s innovation potential. The Institute holds three patents, including the TeslaSorb technology. It has a Technology Transfer Office, an Office for Projects and Institutional Funding, and an Office for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence. It is already carrying out concrete projects to digitalise the power grid. These results come from an institutional transformation carried out in recent years with support from the SAIGE programme.

The main task for the coming period is to give the Institute’s existing capabilities clearer direction and connect them more closely.

Strategy Action Plan 2027–2029

The meeting presented the Institute’s development vision and the Action Plan for its Strategy for 2027–2029, with the steps to achieve it. These include:

• adopting new policies on people, science, investment, markets and internationalisation
• improving the organisation in marketing and sales, project management, financial management and science
• developing new working procedures

Competency framework for researchers

In the second part of the meeting, Ivona Simić presented a proposed competency framework for researchers. She is a recognised HR consultant specialising in employee development and a World Bank consultant. Such a framework supports higher-quality research, clearer career paths, better use of resources and a move away from purely formal evaluation criteria.

The proposed model covers five hard skills:

• methodological and analytical expertise
• scientific communication and publishing
• project management and research funding
• international collaboration and networking
• the societal and economic impact of research

It also covers five soft skills:

• effective communication
• collaboration and teamwork
• initiative and innovation
• prioritisation and time management
• leadership

Competencies are assessed on a four-level scale: basic, intermediate, advanced and expert.

Thanks to our staff

The Institute’s management emphasised that staff support and satisfaction are key to the Institute’s success and continued growth. The Institute thanks all colleagues for the dedication, trust and expertise they bring to our shared goals every day.