Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence: Perspectives from Serbia and Israel

The report details two distinct models for bioeconomic development: Serbia's approach, which leverages its strong ICT infrastructure and the development of the BIO4 Campus to become a regional biotechnology hub, and Israel's strategy, which treats bioconvergence as a national priority through the National Bioconvergence Program. Both nations emphasize the synergy between AI, engineering, and biology to innovate in healthcare, agriculture, and sustainability.

• Serbia is developing the BIO4 Campus, a $600 million multidisciplinary center in Belgrade scheduled for completion by mid-2027. The campus will span 20 hectares and include over 300 laboratories and R&D centers, employing more than 1,000 doctors and 4,000 students to position Serbia as a European bioeconomy hub.
• Serbia's ICT sector is a primary driver of its economic growth, with service exports reaching €4.2 billion in 2024 and contributing 10% of the national GDP. The government is integrating this digital base into the bioeconomy through investments in the National Data Center in Kragujevac and a National Platform for Artificial Intelligence.
• Serbia has established a comprehensive AI framework, becoming the first country in Southeast Europe to adopt a National AI Strategy in 2019. It has since introduced AI into elementary and high school curriculums and established the Institute for AI as a center of excellence.
• Israel has designated bioconvergence—the integration of biological sciences with engineering, computation, and software—as a national strategic priority. The National Bioconvergence Program, approved in 2022 with an initial budget of approximately $133 million, aims for a total investment of roughly $610 million over 10 years.
• Israel's bioconvergence ecosystem has grown significantly, with the number of companies in the field increasing from approximately 30 in 2015 to over 160 by 2024. Health technologies comprise the largest share of these companies at 51.5%, followed by food (22.1%) and agriculture (12.9%).
• Israel invests more in R&D as a percentage of GDP than any other OECD nation, at 6.3% of GDP. This is supported by a strong academic pipeline, with approximately 500 new PhDs in bio-related fields graduating annually.
• Israel utilizes a 'regulatory sandbox' through its Disruptive Innovation Program to accelerate the market entry of complex bioconvergence technologies. Examples include SpotitEarly, which uses AI and canine scent detection for diagnostics, and Precise, which focuses on 3D bio-printed corneas.
• Both Serbia and Israel emphasize the necessity of interdisciplinary human capital. Israel has trained 1,000 biologists and engineers through specialized programs, while Serbia has implemented the 'Masters 4.0 Bioinformatics' initiative to modernize university curriculums.

APA

World Economic Forum (2025). Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence: Perspectives from Serbia and Israel. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Pathways_to_Bioeconomy_and_Bioconvergence_Perspectives_from_Serbia_and_Israel_2025.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence: Perspectives from Serbia and Israel. 2025. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Pathways_to_Bioeconomy_and_Bioconvergence_Perspectives_from_Serbia_and_Israel_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence: Perspectives from Serbia and Israel |date=May 2025 |url=https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Pathways_to_Bioeconomy_and_Bioconvergence_Perspectives_from_Serbia_and_Israel_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2025pathways, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Pathways to Bioeconomy and Bioconvergence: Perspectives from Serbia and Israel}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Pathways_to_Bioeconomy_and_Bioconvergence_Perspectives_from_Serbia_and_Israel_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }