On Thursday, 24th September 2015, the PEXIM Foundation organised a reception in honour of the new generation of PEXIM scholars. In cooperation with the Cambridge Trust, the PEXIM Foundation has the honour and pleasure to provide support to four students from Serbia to embark on master’s studies at the University of Cambridge. This year, two students work in the field of Physics, one in Public Health and one in Environmental Policy.

The reception was attended by honourable guests, HMA of United Kingdom in Serbia, Mr Denis Keefe and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Kori Udovicki, as well as by long-established friends of the PEXIM Foundation, representatives of the corporate and public sectors and current and former students of the University of Cambridge.

The reception was opened in an introductory speech given by Mihail Petreski, the President and Founder of the PEXIM Foundation, who reminisced on the previous activities of the PEXIM Foundation and introduced the 6th generation of PEXIM scholars: Stefan Badža, Stefan Anđelković, Iva Jugović and Tamara Nora Živković.

HMA of the United Kingdom in Serbia, Mr Denis Keefe shared his experience of networking with bright Cambridge scholars: “It is with great pleasure that I have answered the call to attend the PEXIM Foundation’s reception. I can confirm that all events organised by the PEXIM Foundation, in Serbia and in the United Kingdom, are attended by exceptionally talented people, from whom I am able to hear many interesting things. Five months ago, the UK Embassy in Serbia hosted the signing of a new contract between the PEXIM Foundation and the Cambridge Trust. The cooperation has been extended up to 2020 and this will enable a significant number of young people to develop while attending one of the globally most prestigious Universities. Additionally, these young people will have an extraordinary opportunity to fully develop their potential, within a leading scientific and academic environment. As an alumnus of Churchill College, I am aware of how Cambridge shaped and influenced my professional and personal development, and because of that, I am happy to share in tonight’s excitement.”

Kori Udovicki, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government expressed her pleasure to have attended the PEXIM networking event and met the outstanding new generation of PEXIM scholars. ”I am glad to see that these five young bright people, thanks to the PEXIM Foundation, got the opportunity they deserved – to study at one of the best universities in the world. Still, I hope that PEXIM scholars will use the knowledge and experience obtained abroad to come back to Serbia and help improve it. Just like I did”.

On this occasion, the PEXIM Foundation announced with great pleasure the start of its cooperation with the Centre for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD). Starting from this year, CIRSD will provide a scholarship for one student from Serbia, with a preference for students accepted at Queens’ College, Cambridge. CIRSD was founded by Vuk Jeremić, the former United Nations General Assembly’s President and an alumnus of Queens’ who stated that ”helping young talents stay on the path toward success is one of the noblest feelings of all. Having been able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a group of distinguished investors in Serbia’s top-calibre individuals was, as such, a solemn privilege indeed. The Centre for International Relations and Sustainable Development is proud to have had the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful endeavour, and will thus continue to provide support to our country’s best and brightest. I wish to thank the PEXIM Foundation for hosting our representatives, and look forward to what seems to be a promising journey of fruitful cooperation and friendship.”

Over the course of six years of its operations, the PEXIM Foundation in partnership with the Cambridge Trust, has provided support to 20 scholars from Serbia and Macedonia, with the total investment amounting to around 845,000 EUR. The PEXIM Foundation provides support so that upon return to their countries of origin, the scholars may offer their services and talents to government institutions and employers from the private and public sector, which serves as a basis for improving the economic and social climate and propelling the development of their homelands.