A BRIEF HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES OF THE UNION OF ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS OF SERBIA

The roots of Serbian technical civilization run deep in time of Royal family Nemanjic. Mining - metallurgical undertakes and building of magnificent sacral objects in middle age Serbian State, can be considered as a beginning of Serbian engineering.

After the First (in 1804), and especially after the second Serbian Rebellion (in 1815) engineering get in force. First educated engineers came in Serbia from Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1830s. At that time, the main preoccupations of engineers were railway construction, town planning, construction of sewage disposal and water supply systems, as well as creating of national defense system.

More than 600 engineers of different disciplines were engaged in various projects, on the territory of Serbia, in XIX century. In 1844 architecture, technical and mathematical subjects, were introduced in teaching process of Belgrade Lycea, while special Department for Technical sciences was established in 1853. Ten years later, in 1863, Great School with Technical Faculty started to work.

Growing number of engineers and influences from other countries (the most prominent Serbian engineers had been educated at the leading foreign universities and they have had  contacts with members of British Engineering Association and  Engineers’ Societies from  Germany, France and America) were the main factors which led to the establishing of the first  engineering association, in 1868.

On January 11th 1868 first announcement on establishing of Technicians’ Society signed, on behalf of 25 eminent engineers, by Emilijan Josimoviæ (Rector of Great school), Jovan Ristiæ (Executive in Ministry of Construction), Kosta Alkoviæ (Professor at Great school and Minister for construction) and Dimitrije Stojanoviæ (Professor at Technical Faculty)  was published in “Serbian newspapers”. When  Technicians’ society was established, there were no other technical associations in the countries of Balkan peninsula. They were formed more than ten years later. First President of Technicians` Society (with 35 engineers - members at that time) was Emilijan Josimoviæ, Rector of  Great school.

Soon after, on 1869 Serbian Agriculture Society was established. 1890 was the year of establishment of Association of Serbian Engineers, while Association of Serbian Engineers and Architects was established in 1896.

Favorable circumstances, intensive economic development, construction  of Serbian State Railways as well as the increase in the number of engineers in Serbia (200) resulted in strengthening of engineering organization in 1890s. First edition of «Serbian Technical Journal» was published in 1890.

Those first attempts of gathering together engineers in Serbia and creating their professional organization were successful. Since that time engineering organization in Serbia has developed and changed its name several times but stayed the organization whose main objective was to affirm the professional identity of the engineers, and to promote excellence in the education, training and professional development of its members.

Activities

The Union of Engineers and Technicians of Serbia is a voluntary, social-scientific, professional, non-party organization of engineers and technicians and their organizations in the Republic of Serbia, open for cooperation with other scientific-professional, commercial and other organizations on the basis of mutual recognition, mutual respect and independence in work. The main purposes and tasks of UETS are:

• Assembling of engineers and technicians of Serbia for the purpose of fulfilling of their interests and increase of their expert knowledge providing appropriate status in community
• Joining, strengthening and massification of engineering-technicians` organizations of Serbia, development of mutual cooperation as well as the cooperation with appropriate international organizations of engineers and technicians.
• Improvement of order-interest, reputation and protection of members of the engineering- technicians` organizations of Serbia and providing of help to its members and organizations - members.
• Providing help to engineers and technicians in scientific, expert improvement and organization of appropriate forms of permanent education.
• Monitoring, contemporary development of engineering and technology and pointing out the currents of events and changes in this area and providing opinion on optimality of engineering and technological solutions in investment and other enterprises.
• Caring for and development of ethics of engineering- technician profession, human rights and freedoms.
• Work on technical regulations (law, regulations and standards) providing its modernity, adequacy, actuality and functionality.
• Stimulating and helping the activities and initiatives aiming to preserve the human environment and area organization, saving and rationalization of spending of all sorts of energy.

As organization which brings together eminent engineers from all disciplines and in accordance with our objective to promote excellence in the science, art and practice of engineering the Union of Engineers and Technicians of Serbia is one of the founders of Engineering Academy.

The UETS is a collective member of the Commercial Chamber of Serbia and has developed cooperation with Serbian Academy of Science and Republican Ministries. The Union has established cooperation with other regional engineering organizations and its representatives actively participate in work FEANI  - European Federation of National Engineering Associations and COPISEE - Permanent Conference of Engineers of South-East Europe.Union of Engineers and Technicians of Serbia organizes and conducts Specialist`s exams for engineers of fifteen different technical disciplines.In a cooperation with faculties, universities, enterprises, economic and professional associations

UETS organizes various scientific meetings, professional reunions, congresses, seminars, conferences.

The Union has developed publishing activity. It publishes its reputable professional magazine “Tehnika” as well as the other professional literature - books, brochures, newspapers, magazines and other periodicals.