The 14th Science Festival was officially opened today in Banja Luka, where over the course of two days visitors will have the opportunity to see more than one hundred experiments, scientific demonstrations, and other activities designed to promote science in an engaging and accessible way.

This year's Festival is again being held at two locations: the University Campus and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Banja Luka, where visitors will also be able to explore the planetarium, aquarium, and terrarium.

At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, Draga Mastilović, stated that the Government will allocate significantly increased funding for science next year, as it is a prerequisite for the technological development of the Republic. He emphasised that young people in the Republic of Srpska will be the backbone of its scientific and technological development, and that the Government and all relevant institutions must create the necessary conditions for them.

"The Government has also in previous years allocated significant funds and made considerable efforts to improve the quality of higher education, particularly student standards," said Mastilović.

He added that, through budget rebalancing, funding for scientific research will be increased this year, largely thanks to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska, Savo Minić, and his understanding of the importance of science and the need for greater investment in this field.

"The presence of Prime Minister Minić at the opening of the Science Festival shows that better days lie ahead for this field, and that we will, in addition to higher education, focus on research work and support for science," the minister said.

He recalled that the aim of the Science Festival is to introduce young people to science and help them understand that it is not something intimidating, but rather interesting and engaging.

"That is why we organise the Science Festival every year. In the coming period, the Republic of Srpska will make significant investments and remain strongly committed to science," he said.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska, Savo Minić, stated that the Government aims to enable the youngest generations to receive a good education and keep pace with modern trends, technologies, and science.

Speaking at the opening of the 14th Science Festival at the Campus of the University of Banja Luka, Minić said the event is intended to bring practical knowledge and experiments closer to primary and secondary school pupils, as well as to those actively engaged in science.

"We want to keep up with the modern world," Minić said, noting that he was welcomed at the entrance of the sports hall in the Campus by the robot "Robo".

"The Science Festival in Banja Luka has shown that science knows no geographical or generational boundaries and is accessible to everyone," said Professor Dalibor Kesić of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Banja Luka.

Kesić emphasised that science can be highly engaging when presented in the right way, and that it can be dynamic and intriguing.

This year's Festival will feature more than 20 faculties from the universities of Banja Luka and Istočno Sarajevo, as well as the Institute of Genetic Resources, the Public Health Institute of the Republic of Srpska, the Police Training Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, and several secondary schools.