Executive Summary
Held on June 5, 2025, at the Hilton Belgrade, the 2025 Pupin Forum reaffirmed Serbia’s role as an agile connector between East and West in a time of geopolitical flux. With participation from US diplomats, business leaders, scientists, and regional thinkers, the Forum emphasized Serbia’s potential as a driver of innovation, economic growth, and transatlantic partnership. The Pupin Initiative was celebrated as a unique civic platform enabling sustainable, non-partisan collaboration between Serbia and the United States.
A key highlight of this year’s Forum was the visit of Dr. George Friedman, one of the world’s foremost geopolitical thinkers. His presence came at a time of growing interest in Serbia’s strategic position, not only in the Balkans but within the broader transatlantic and global context. Through the lens of his trademark analytical clarity, he expressed rare optimism about Serbia’s geopolitical trajectory and its unrealized potential in the spheres of technology, talent, and diplomacy. His reflections, shared as part of the Forum’s keynote dialogue, reinforced the mission of the Pupin Initiative: to inform, connect, and elevate the US-Serbia relationship through civic action and strategic vision.
Opening Remarks: Vision of the Initiative
Vuk Velebit, President, declared the Forum a realization of a long-standing vision to link two nations and cultures. He emphasized that the Pupin Initiative is more than an annual gathering; it is a civic force for connection across sectors, including science, economy, and social development. The Initiative was hailed as the first privately funded Serbia-US platform.
Alexander Titolo, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, echoed the theme of practical realism. He underscored US readiness to partner with a Serbia that shows ambition, talent, and institutional strength, adding that transformation requires more than governments; it needs citizens and initiatives like the Pupin Initiative.
Keynote Strategic Outlook: George Friedman
Friedman highlighted Serbia’s dramatic transformation since the wars of the 1990s, positioning it within a world where America itself is pulling back to reset its role. The failure of Russia’s military ambitions in Ukraine marks the end of the Cold War and a new phase of American strategic recalibration. Friedman emphasized that US-Serbia relations have vast untapped potential in this reinvented global order.
Panel I: The Balkans and the World – Strategic Outlook in an Unstable Era
Moderated by: Misha Savić (Bloomberg)
Speakers: Philip Reeker (Former US Assistant Secretary of State), Milan Krstić (Professor, University of Belgrade), Kaush Arha (President of the Free & Open Indo-Pacific Forum and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council)
Reeker praised Pupin as a civic-driven initiative and noted that Belgrade’s future depends on youth, tech, and returning to its historic European role.
Krstić criticized the framing of the region as a new Cold War battleground—a narrative that benefits populists.
Kaush Arha stressed that strategic autonomy grows with close US ties and that regional change must come from within.
Key Message: The region must shed the victim narrative and embrace practical regionalism and partnerships, especially with the US.
Panel II: US-Serbia Business Perspectives – Investment, Trust & Opportunity
Moderated by: Tihomir Bajić (X&, Managing Partner)
Speakers: Francisco Gonzales (Executive Director, Economic Club of Miami), Marija Živanović Smith (Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, IEX), David Schoch (Co-founder and Member of the Board of the Serbian Private Equity Association)
Smith emphasized the need for distributed development across Serbia, calling for tech centers outside Belgrade.
Gonzales drew parallels between Miami’s openness and the Pupin Initiative’s ethos. Safety and a welcoming business climate are essential.
Schoch noted that Serbia is increasingly attractive for telecom and infrastructure investment.
Narratives must be better packaged to attract investment.
Key Message: Talent exists in Serbia; visibility and local partnerships are key to scaling trust and investment.
Panel III: Serbia’s Scientific and Entrepreneurial Diaspora – Biotech, AI, and Global Leadership
Moderated by: Dr. Jelena Begović
Speakers: Nemanja Petrović (Principal Engineer, Databricks), Nenad Tomašević (Co-Founder and CEO, Dren Bio), Mina Konaković Luković (Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator at Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT)
Petrović called for the development of homegrown companies, not just foreign entrants, and proposed a tech-savvy Consul General in San Francisco.
Konaković Luković stressed the importance of networking among diaspora and local ecosystems.
Tomašević shared that his professional identity lies on a thin line between scientist and entrepreneur, highlighting how this dual role is key in translating innovation into impact.
Begović concluded that science and business must transcend borders.
Key Message: Serbia’s global success depends on connecting its diaspora, enabling local innovation, and institutional support in tech diplomacy.
Closing Keynote Conversation: George Friedman & Vuk Velebit
In their closing conversation, Friedman and Velebit explored deeper geopolitical reorientations for Serbia:
Friedman urged Serbia to stop defining itself through the Balkan framework and begin embracing a vision of belonging to Eastern Europe.
He warned against wasting energy on old regional entanglements, including EU membership debates or Kosovo fixation, and called for a forward-looking strategic identity.
He stressed that Serbia must seek partners not just in Brussels but in Eastern European states with shared dynamism.
The region, he noted, suffers from a lack of self-confidence, yet Serbia’s talent and strategic location position it for global relevance.
Rather than aspiring to mimic Germany, Friedman encouraged Serbia to embrace its uniqueness and invest in tech-driven partnerships, particularly with American companies like Microsoft.
On broader issues, he emphasized that the key question is not China or Russia, but the uncertain trajectory of Europe itself.
He concluded that modern power is built on talent more than capital, and that Serbia's future lies in thinking "the unthinkable" and looking north.
Final Reflections & Takeaways
The Pupin Forum 2025 confirmed that Serbia is no longer a passive subject of geopolitical speculation but an active player in shaping its future. The US remains a vital strategic partner, but the responsibility to lead lies with Serbia’s innovators, reformers, and civic leaders. The Pupin Initiative stands as a model of this leadership.