Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic and Microsoft's Corporate Vice President Alain Crozier signed today an agreement on cooperation in the field of science and technology and purchase of software licences for Serbia’s scientific community.

Djelic explained at a press conference held afterwards that all scientists who participate in programmes financed by the Serbian government in next four years will work on legal software.

We made an excellent deal with Microsoft, Djelic said and added that Serbia got a big discount for the purchase of legal software made by this company in the value of $755,000.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced the possibility of signing an agreement in Seattle in autumn on opening a Microsoft’s innovation centre in Serbia which would serve for demonstration and preparation of some of the most advanced products and services of this company.

In the years to come, Serbia will invest significant funds for development of information technologies and will also make progress in the protection of intellectual property, he said.

Djelic noted that part of the software that is used in Serbia is illegal and that is crime, which is why Serbia will work on suppressing illegal use of someone else’s knowledge, value and property.

Crozier underlined that it is very important to protect intellectual property and make innovations, and added that this agreement will enable scientists to use the real powers of software, noting that the essence of Microsoft’s work is that people make use of innovations.