The Geographical Institute was founded on May 31, 1947. One of the initiators and founders was Petar S. Jovanovich, who directed the Institute until his death in 1957.
    The Institute is a scientific institution whose main activity is to organize, systematically carry out, and advance scientific work in the area of geography.
    In particular, the mission of the Institute is to conduct systematic study of geographical phenomena, landforms, and physical processes, especially geomorphological and anthropogeographic ones. This research encompasses geographical units not only in Serbia itself, but also in wider surrounding territories with interesting geographical problems.
    The Institute is organized in three divisions: the Division of Physical Geography, the Division of Social Geography, and the Division of Regional Geography, with an accompanying cartographic service.
    The Geographical Institute publishes papers by staff members in two publications, “Zbornik Radova” and “Posebna Izdanja.” Forty-six issues of “Zbornik Radova” with more than 500 author contributions have been published to date, as well as 51 monographs in “Posebna Izdanja”.
    The Institute has organized many scientific congresses on current geographical themes and collaborates with geographical institutes of the academies of sciences of other countries.
    Staff members of the Institute have taken part in numerous scientific congresses in Yugoslavia and abroad.
    The Institute has 30 staff members, who work on projects financed by the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Science and Technology and other institutions.
    The Geographical Institute has to date carried out several major projects, among which the Geomorphological (Morphostructural) Map of Serbia (1:500,000), the Geomorphological Map of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1:500,000), and complex geographical studies of individual regions in Serbia, districts in the Sar Mountains, and numerous municipalities in Serbia stand out in particular.
 
Organization: “Jovan Cvijic” Geographical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Address: Djure Jaksica 9, 11000 Belgrade
Presentation: www.gi.sanu.ac.rs

 
 

    The Institute was founded on April 30, 1948 as the Institute for the Protection and Scientific Study of Natural Rarities of the People's Republic of Serbia. For five decades, continuous work has been carried out on the protection of nature. At the proposal of experts of this institution, about 1,200 natural areas have been protected in Serbia. Up to 1997, 5% of the territory of Serbia was placed under protection, and the Physical Plan of the Republic of Serbia calls for the protection of 10% by the year 2010.
    Seventy experts in different fields are employed by the Institute. The Institute has its headquarters in Belgrade and branch offices in Novi Sad, Pristina, and Nis. Activities are organized within the framework of the following sectors: protection of nature; protection of biodiversity; research and development; general tasks; museum-related activity; and education and communication in protection of nature and the environment.
    The composition, areas of specialization, and experience of staff members provide the basis for an interdisciplinary, integral, and active approach to the protection of nature in keeping with current European and world concepts and conventions. Extensive international cooperation and membership in European and world organizations such as IUCN (the International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and Europarc (the European Federation of National Parks and Nature Parks) ensures constant monitoring of modern trends and adoption of international standards in the protection of nature.
    As an aspect of work on the protection of our natural and cultural heritage, the Institute has for decades devoted considerable attention to the protection of geological and speleological phenomena. It has been a member since 1995 of the “ProGEO” Association of Europe, which unites all institutions and associations of European countries engaged in protecting their geological heritage. At the initiative of the Institute for the Protection of Nature of Serbia, a National Council for Protection of the Geological Heritage with headquarters in the Institute was formed, first at the level of the Republic of Serbia and later at the level of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
 
Organization: Institute for Protection of Nature of Serbia
Address: III bulevar 106, 11000 Belgrade
Presentation: www.natureprotection.org.rs

 
 

    The Faculty of Geography was formed in 1995, when departments of the Faculty of Science were transformed into independent teaching-scientific organizations. Its precursor was the Geographical Institute, which was founded in 1893 as part of the University of Belgrade. The first director of the Geographical Institute was Jovan Cvijic. In organizational terms, the Geographical Institute belonged to the Faculty of Philosophy from 1905 to 1947, after which it became part of the Faculty of Science. Thus, geography has been nurtured at the University of Belgrade for more than a hundred years.
    The Faculty of Geography is an independent teaching-scientific institution. It employs nine full professors, 10 associate professors, seven assistant professors, 19 graduate assistants, and 17 other workers. Its main activity is the education of university-trained experts in the areas of geography and physical planning. About 1000 students are registered in both fields of instruction. Post-graduate specialist programs and studies leading to the master’s degree are also offered. The faculty has seven departments, three laboratories, and one research center. The library of the faculty possesses a fund of 24,600 library items, including 8,200 books and 16,400 issues of journals. The main scientific activity of the faculty involves work on research projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Serbia. Many such projects have been successfully carried out to date. The Faculty of Geography is engaged in publishing activity as well. The Collection of Papers of Staff Members (Zbornik radova saradnika) is published annually, and monographs are issued in the Special Editions (Posebna izdanja) series. Textbooks intended for students of the Faculty of Geography are also published.
 
Organization: Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade
Address: Studentski Trg 3, 11000 Belgrade
Presentation:  www.gef.bg.ac.rs

 
 

    Even though biology has a long tradition at the University of Belgrade, the Faculty of Biology is one of the younger faculties, since its independent status was confirmed only in 1995. The foundations of university level biology instruction in Serbia were laid as far back as 1838, when the Lycee was established in Kragujevac, and in 1853, when the Lycee of the Serbian Principality in Belgrade was reorganized by decree of Alexandar Karadjordjevic, Prince of Serbia. Botany and zoology were studied among other disciplines in the Department of Natural Sciences and Technology of the Belgrade Lycee (within the then-existing Cabinets of Botany and Zoology, respectively).
    The most important segments of activity of the Faculty of Biology currently include the realization of scientific projects (funded by the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Science and Technology), publishing activity, construction of the building of the Faculty in the “Jevremovac” Botanical Garden, and inception of a new study program, Ecology and Environment Protection.
    In the future, the link connecting all of the biological sciences will be increasingly recognized in Serbia with the aim of explaining the universal secrets of life.
 
Organization: Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade
Address: Studentski Trg 16, 11000 Belgrade
Presentation:  www.bio.bg.ac.rs