A delegation led by Mr. Mladen Sarcevic, Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, paid a visit to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on 8 November, 2018.

SIMM and Serbian delegation reached a consensus that on the basis of initial cooperation, research institutes from Serbia and SIMM would build a cooperation-oriented community. Taking full advantages of abundant natural medical resources in Serbia, the community was designed to make further research on drug and functional foods through systematic screening of chemical composition and pharmacological activities.

Besides, the Second China-Balkans Mini-Symposium on Natural Products and Drug Discovery is expected to be held in Belgrade, Serbia in 2019. Scholars from neighboring countries such as Macedonia and Greece will also participate this symposium.