A team of students from the University of Belgrade received special recognition for their project, “Nuclear City of the Future”, at Global HackAtom 2026, an international competition in nuclear energy. The final round took place on September 14 and 15 as part of the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation.
This year’s competition brought together 15 teams of young professionals and students from different countries, who presented their visions for the future applications of nuclear technologies through their innovative solutions.
The Serbian team presented a concept for using nuclear energy and modern technologies to develop a sustainable city of the future. In recognition of their creativity and innovation, the team received the “Youth Energy” special award, presented by the organisers of the international Youth Festival. The team consisted of five students from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy and Faculty of Mathematics. The team was mentored by Miloš Lazarević, a PhD candidate and Research Associate at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Participation in the final round also provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with young professionals from other countries and learn about the latest developments in the Russian nuclear industry. As part of the Global HackAtom programme, participants took part in a technical visit to the city of Zarechny and the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant, one of the key facilities in Russia’s nuclear energy sector.
During the visit, participants had the opportunity to learn about the operation of a nuclear power plant, modern technologies for generating electricity from nuclear sources and the specific challenges involved in developing nuclear infrastructure and living in closed cities historically associated with the nuclear industry.
The Serbian team’s participation in this international competition in this international competition provided a valuable opportunity to connect students from various engineering, scientific and mathematical disciplines and involve them in international projects and initiatives in the field of nuclear technologies. The participation of students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering was particularly significant, as their knowledge and professional commitment contributed to Serbia’s successful representation on the international stage.