On November 6, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and her delegation paid a visit to the Multi-Omics Joint Center, a collaborative endeavor between the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology and BGI-Research.

During her visit, Prime Minister Brnabic had the opportunity to tour the facility, including the Genomics Sequencing Laboratory, Cell Omics Laboratory, and Spatial Transcriptomics Omics Laboratory. She gained an in-depth understanding of BGI’s achievements in equipment development, public platform building, research project progress, and was brief in detail of their collaborative projects in Serbia.

Prime Minister Brnabic acknowledged BGI's achievement and expressed her gratitude for BGI’s contributions to Serbia. She stressed the Serbian government's strong commitment to the development of life sciences and information technology, and she expressed her delight in witnessing the establishment of BGI R&D teams in Serbia and the exchange of Serbian students and scholars with BGI. The Prime Minister affirmed that the Serbian government would continue to support such collaborative efforts.

Prime Minister Brnabic (left) learning about BGI's equipment development.

Xu Xun, Executive Director of BGI Group, Director of BGI-Research, expressed BGI’s commitment to fostering collaboration with Serbia. He emphasized the willingness to continue contributing to improving public health, strengthening research cooperation, training talent, and advancing the life sciences and biotechnology industry in Serbia.

Xu Xun (second from the right) accompanying Prime Minister Brnabic (third from the left) during the visit to the Multi-Omics Joint Center.

The event was attended by several distinguished guests, including the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management of Serbia, Jelena Tanaskovic, the Minister of Tourism and Youth, Husein Memic, Serbian Ambassador to China, Maja Stefanovic, Deputy Director of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Huang Xun, and Liu Xin, Chief Representative of the Northern Region for BGI Group.

Prime Minister Brnabic (left) giving speech acknowledging BGI's achievements and contributions.

The Multi-Omics Integration Center, jointly operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology and BGI-Research, focuses on cutting-edge scientific and clinical research. It specializes in spatial transcriptomics omics technology, single-cell technology, and high-throughput sequencing technology. Research areas include single-cell genomics, synthetic biology, and bioinformatics.

Group photo with Prime Minister Brnabic (center front row).

BGI Group has long time cooperation with Serbia. In December 2021, Prime Minister Brnabic unveiled the Center for Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics in the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering at the University of Belgrade, constructed by BGI Group.

In November 2022, Prime Minister Brnabic met with Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BGI Group. They reached a consensus to further develop cooperation in the fields of spatial transcriptomics omics, single-cell omics, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and leverage genetic sequencing for disease prevention and control, along with joint talent development initiatives.

In April 2023, Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Group, visited Serbia and signed memoranda of cooperation with the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, and the Ministry of Health, on scientific research, industry development, public health, and precision testing, and established partnership with the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Electric Engineering.