The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister for Education, Science and Technology Dr. Srđan Verbić, Zrenjanin’s mayor Čedomir Janjić, Provincial Secretary for Science and Technology Vladimir Pavlov, the Chancellor of Novi Sad University Prof. Dr. Dušan Nikolić, Dean of the Faculty Prof. Dr. Milan Pavlović and NIS Deputy CEO Andrey Shibanov. These laboratories have been put into operation to facilitate the completion of a newly accredited programme of studies entitled “Industrial engineering in oil and gas extraction” that commenced in the academic year 2014/2015. This modern programme has been created in a pooled effort of Technical Faculty and NIS, in association with the State Technical university in the town of Uhta, Russian Federation. It is an interdisciplinary programme and envisages visits of the professors from Uhta university, completion of professional practice and modern way of conducting lectures. “We gathered here today to demonstrate the huge importance we attach to education. I wish we had more programmes of this sort to motivate students who intend to study in Serbia, and I wish we had more as socially responsible companies as is the NIS Company”, said the Minister for Education, Science and Technology Dr. Srđan Verbić. “I would like to use this occasion to express my gratitude to NIS for its contribution to perfecting learning conditions at faculties and express a hope that this cooperation will continue for years to come. Тhis cooperation is of great importance to all of us, both the faculty and university. If we pool efforts with a view to strengthen institutions, I think we will create a better future for all of us”, stated the Chancellor of Novi Sad University Prof. Dr. Dušan Nikolić. “The NIS Company provided a predominant support to our faculty in creating conditions for quality studies and enabling students to acquire knowledge reguired for the profession of oil and gas engineers”, Dean of “Mihajlo Pupin” Technical Faculty Prof. Dr. Milan Pavlović said. The opening ceremony was an opportunity for NIS Deputy CEO Andrey Shibanov to say that: “Creating conditions conditions for quality education is a prerequisite for professional staff. Consequently, the young and educated are the principal cell of each successful society. With this in mind, we make every effort to create adequate conditions for work and study to as many educational institutions as possible – by opening modern laboratories and classrooms, as well as by granting scholarships to best performing students, and also by our involvement in programmes of modernisation of the existing curriculum and by granting accreditations to new study programmes, as is exactly the case at your faculty”. Danijela Markov, a second year student of the newly accredited programme, “Industrial engineering in oil and gas extraction” has said: “We greatly appreciate all efforts made to provide us with this study programme, akin to the one at the University in the town of Uhta. To us the students means a lot the NIS Company facilitation in equipping these two laboratories, as well as the opportunity to make use of NIS’ training centre in Zrenjanin, which ensures a better conducting of teaching programme. The study used to boil down to just acquiring theretical knowledge, and now we can have an opportunity to apply them in practice as well, which is pivotal for better understanding of the material.“ The laboratories were launched to create modern conditions for students’ training as well as give new possibilites for practical exercises. Its cooperation with institutions of science and education NIS develops within its programme “Power of Knowledge”.
