On March 22, 2024, the ceremonial opening of the newly established Center for Advanced and Postdoctoral Research – CAPRIS UKIM took place, at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje. The opening of the Center was attended by the rector of the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, Prof. Dr. Biljana Angelova, vice-rectors of the University, deans, and directors of the University’s units, as well as guest representatives from the University of Rijeka, the University of Belgrade, and the University of Pristina. To discuss the reasons, goals, and expected results of the Center’s work, we spoke with Prof. Dr. Ognen Marina, dean of the Faculty of Architecture – Skopje at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje.

We find ourselves in the space of the newly opened Center for Advanced and Postdoctoral Research at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, located within the campus of the Faculty of Architecture. Tell us more about the Center.

The Center for Advanced and Postdoctoral Research at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje is the first of its kind at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, the first in the Republic of North Macedonia, and arguably the first in the regions of Southeastern Europe and the Western Balkans, given the specific scientific focus on sustainable urban development. The establishment of such a center marks a pivotal moment in building scientific excellence and promoting postdoctoral research at our university and in our country, aiming to stimulate innovation and promote a multidisciplinary approach to scientific work in the Southeastern Europe and Western Balkans region.

What are the reasons for opening such a center?

Over the past 30 years, the region of Southeastern Europe, especially the Western Balkans, has undergone social transformation, but unfortunately, also experienced academic and scientific isolation. This situation prompted social and political processes through which the entire society, particularly the scientific and academic community, faced an exceptionally difficult task of creating new values within the community, but with limited access to the processes shaping the European social, economic, and scientific space.

In 2022, the Faculty of Architecture – Skopje at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, in collaboration with the Rectorate of UKIM and the Center for Advanced Studies of Southeast Europe (CAS SEE) at the University of Rijeka, Croatia, initiated the establishment of the Center for Advanced and Postdoctoral Research at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje (CAPRIS UKIM) as part of a broader network of similar centers for advanced studies at universities in the Southeastern Europe region. Based on this initiative, in March 2023, with tremendous support from the rector, Prof. Dr. Biljana Angelova, the Rectorate of UKIM, and the entire University, the Senate of UKIM decided to establish the Center.

What are the goals of the Center?

The Center aims to establish new forms of scientific research by introducing postdoctoral research and providing a new space for the exchange of knowledge and experiences between scientists and society, conducted through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to the challenges of the built environment, modern society, and local communities.

The importance of establishing CAPRIS UKIM is reflected in creating opportunities to connect scientific personnel and scientific infrastructure in the country from various fields by promoting transdisciplinary research integrating multiple scientific areas to develop innovative solutions. CAPRIS UKIM will identify young scientists from the country, as well as scientists and researchers from the region and the world, to enable them to conduct advanced postdoctoral research, promote scientific work, and create innovations on topics related to sustainable development relevant to our society and the region, within broader international frameworks.

Does the establishment of such a center at UKIM, particularly at the Faculty of Architecture, have predecessors, or do you link it to any previous experiences?

It is important to note that the establishment of CAPRIS UKIM in Skopje is based on the legacy of the post-earthquake reconstruction project of Skopje in the period following the catastrophic earthquake of 1963. With this project, the international community, led by the UN, demonstrated extraordinary support and solidarity with the citizens of Skopje, enabling the creation of a new urban development plan for the city center with exceptional international support and involvement of hundreds of internationally recognized scientists, experts, architects, and urban planners. At the same time, the UN facilitated knowledge transfer in the fields of urbanism, architecture, seismic engineering, art, as well as policy-making for sustainable urban development.

During this period, with the assistance of the UN and the international community, a series of scientifically educational and artistic institutions of national and global significance were established (such as the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology – IZIIS at UKIM, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and others), and a number of young architects and urban planners, future professors at the Faculty of Architecture at UKIM, were educated in world-renowned academic and scientific centers such as Yale University, USA, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Manchester, UK, and others. The post-earthquake reconstruction project of Skopje demonstrated the importance of architecture and urbanism as opportunities for collective action and building new cities and communities in a divided world, promoting the awareness that building human habitats is a sustainable way to address the socio-political and economic problems of the modern world.

This synergy of science, development policies, and global experience on how to build better and fairer cities and societies is the unique value of the Skopje project, demonstrating the capacity of scientists, experts, architects, planners, and engineers to solve the problems of cities and societies.