Today, a one-day conference titled “Raising awareness of the importance of digital transformation of public administration” was held in the City Hall, organized by the City of Sarajevo in cooperation with the Verlab Scientific Research Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Medical Devices and Artificial Intelligence.
The modernization of public administration is emphasized through the digital agenda for the Western Balkans, which, among other things, defines the advantages of digital transformation, such as faster economic growth, more jobs and better services. The regional exchange of knowledge and ideas, but also the regional connection and enabling of electronic services within the region, is of inestimable importance for the further development of every economy, but also of the region as a whole. The goal of the conference was the exchange of regional experiences with regard to the digital transformation of public administration and society in general.
Deputy Mayor Mr. Haris Bašić addressed those present on behalf of the City of Sarajevo, and emphasized the dedication of the city administration in the digitization of internal and external processes.
The director of the team for public administration reform and eGovernment in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia gave an invited lecture on the topic of digitalization of public administration, Mrs. Marta Arsovska Tomovska. Digitization, as one of the priorities of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, transformed the way public administration works and increased its economy, transparency and quality of work. In her address, she emphasized the need for a strategic commitment, a digital leader, and significant financial resources for the digital transformation of public administration. However, although the investment at the beginning is significant, the profitability is multiple.
At the conference, the Minister of Science, Higher Education and Youth of Sarajevo Canton, prof. Dr. Aleksandra Nikolić, who emphasized in her address that it is the last moment to return to the position of thinking about the future, emphasizing the importance of scientific research as a catalyst for social progress.
Prof. dr. Sanja Damjanović. This scientist has been working for more than twenty years in renowned international research institutes, such as CERN in Switzerland and GSI in Germany, and in the period from 2016 to 2020 she held the position of Minister of Science in the Government of Montenegro.
In her talk, dr. Damjanović pointed out that a new scientific and research infrastructure in the form of state-of-the-art high-performance computer systems, expert systems based on artificial intelligence algorithms available to public administration, the academic community, scientific research institutions, science and technology parks and the economy is necessary for the revitalization of the concept innovation and implementation of solutions. The establishment of scientific research institutes, such as the Verlab Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is recognized as a good practice in other countries.
Dr. Lejla Gurbeta Pokvić, director of the Scientific Research Institute Verlab, in her talk at the conference, concluded that the digital transformation of society as a whole requires a strategic commitment, but also significant support in the development of a competitive scientific research and innovation ecosystem in Bosnia and Herzegovina that will ensure international recognition and as such support the process of digital transformation in our country.
