The University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and TOYO Tire Serbia have signed an Agreement on scientific and technical cooperation, laying the foundation for the development and enhancement of mutual collaboration. The agreement was signed by the Dean, Prof. Dr Vladimir Popović, and the CEO of TOYO Tire Serbia, Mr. Tomohisa Yamaguchi.
The signing ceremony took place during the visit of a five-member delegation from TOYO Tire Serbia, which, in addition to Mr. Yamaguchi, included Mr. Aykut Gidergi (Chief Operating Officer – COO), Mr. Akito Tanaka (Deputy Plant Manager), Mr. Kengo Sasakura (Chief Financial Officer – CFO), and Mr. Aleksandar Petrić (HR Manager).
The guests were welcomed by Dean Prof. Dr Vladimir Popović. The meeting was also attended by Vice Dean for Education, Prof. Dr Živana Jakovljević, Vice Dean for Research, Prof. Dr Dragoslava Stojiljković, Vice Dean for International Cooperation and Development, Prof. Dr Maja Todorović, as well as Assist. Prof. Dr Aleksandar Dimić from the Department of General Machine Design, who also organized the visit.
The discussions focused on potential and future directions of cooperation, particularly in the areas of scientific research advancement, as well as education and training of future engineers.
The visit and agreement come at a time of significant expansion of research and development (R&D) activities within TOYO Tire, which has been operating in Serbia since 2019. The company is planning to establish an R&D centre within its factory in Inđija, with operations expected to begin in January 2027. This facility will serve as the company’s primary European research hub, with activities in Serbia focused on the development of advanced rubber compounds, materials science research, and mixing technologies, with a particular emphasis on improving processing techniques.
At the end of the visit, representatives of TOYO Tire Serbia toured several faculty laboratories, where they had the opportunity to explore the educational and research potential of the faculty, as well as its scientific and infrastructure capacities.
Key activities and results in the field of thermal turbomachinery were presented by Prof. Dr Milan Petrović, Head of the Laboratory for Thermal Turbomachinery. Prof. Dr Maja Todorović, Head of the Laboratory for Rational Energy Use, introduced the guests to the laboratory’s research activities and advanced equipment. The work and projects of the Laboratory for Cybernetics and Mechatronic Systems (CMSysLab) and the Laboratory for Manufacturing Automation were presented by Prof. Dr Živana Jakovljević, who leads both laboratories.