Academic Standards Day in Belgrade – Massive Student Interest in Standardization

The program was opened with a welcome speech delivered by the Acting Director of the Institute for Standardization of Serbia, Tatjana Bojanić, Professor Dr Ivana Mijatović, as well as representatives of the host institution, the Faculty of Organizational Sciences. From the very beginning, it was evident that participants were in for a dynamic and content-rich program.

The opening speeches were followed by the session titled “A quick lesson on standardization,” during which Professor Dr Ivana Mijatović and Tatjana Bojanić presented the importance of standards to students in a clear and accessible manner.

Particular attention was drawn to the panel discussion “The future belongs to them: Why is student participation in standardization important?” which highlighted the role of standards in dual education, innovation, and research. Representatives of the IEC program “Young Professionals” took part in the panel, along with researchers from the H-Bridges team of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade and a student involved in dual education at the ISS. The European Student Association for Standardization was also presented, offering students an opportunity to become actively involved.

A special moment of the event was marked by the visit of Nana, a therapy dog, who brought additional warmth and positive energy to the participants as part of the presentation of the newly established national technical committee ‘Assistance Dogs’.

The program continued with the panel “Teaching standardization,” within which university professors discussed approaches to educating students on standardization and emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary approach. This was followed by the session “Standardization in practice – Diverse experiences,” where various company representatives shared concrete examples of the application of standards in business operations.

One of the most engaging segments of the event was the interactive activity “Serious Smile Game,” organized at the end of the gathering. Through this creative format, students reinforced their knowledge, socialized, and participated in a friendly competition in a positive atmosphere.

At the conclusion of the event, all participants were awarded certificates of participation and symbolic gifts as part of the #SayYesToStandards initiative, which was the central theme of the event.

The Institute for Standardization of Serbia invited students to become involved in the work of technical committees and youth leadership programs in the future.

Following the event, which brought together 88% undergraduate students, 10% master’s students, and 2% doctoral students, participants completed a survey expressing a high level of satisfaction with both the organization of the event and the subject matter, as well as with the engaging way standardization was presented. They agreed that they had learned many new things, that the event would remain a memorable new experience, and that the knowledge gained would be applicable in their future endeavors. Participants also emphasized that the speakers were engaging, that the content was educational, and that the event provided them with a much clearer understanding of standardization, a field with which they previously had little familiarity.

The Academic Standards Day in Belgrade was an opportunity for students to get to know their national standardization body and to gain insight into the opportunities that standardization offers in education and future careers. At the same time, it enabled the Institute for Standardization of Serbia to better understand the needs of the academic community and to consider new forms of cooperation. At the same time, it was also an opportunity for the Institute for Standardization of Serbia to better understand the needs of the academic community and to consider new forms of cooperation.