University Faculty Accounts in Serbia Closed, Ministry of Finance Takes Control of All Revenue and Opens New Accounts

(Patria) - The centralized system of the Ministry of Finance (SPIRI) took control of all faculty revenues as of January 1st, leading to the closure of accounts for higher education institutions in Serbia and their replacement with new, state-owned ones. Sources for Nova.rs emphasize that time will tell whether this system is a good move by the authorities or just another form of pressure on the academic community.

Faculties of all universities in Serbia received a letter from the Ministry of Finance on December 12th, stating that they must close all accounts to which funds for scientific projects had been paid by the end of the year.

They were informed that from January 1st, 2026, all payments would be made through the "budget execution account of the Republic of Serbia" within the SPIRI information system, which caused dissatisfaction among a part of the academic community who believe this will undermine the autonomy of universities.

However, the implementation of SPIRI began on January 5th, and as Nova.rs has learned, the accounts and sub-accounts of all faculties have been closed, while new ones have been opened for them.