The activities and achievements of NCC Serbia were presented at the memorial conference In Memory of Antun Balaž – Insights into Complex Systems, held on 11-12 June 2026, at the Institute of Physics Belgrade.
The conference was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Antun Balaž, an outstanding Serbian physicist, visionary scientific leader, and key figure in the development of high-performance computing (HPC) in Serbia. Dr. Balaž passed away unexpectedly on 4 July 2025, at the age of 52, leaving behind an extraordinary scientific and institutional legacy.
Throughout his career, Dr. Balaž made significant contributions to several areas of theoretical and computational physics. Beyond his scientific achievements, Dr. Balaž played a pioneering role in establishing modern high-performance computing infrastructure in Serbia. Dr Balaž served as the head of HPC Serbia, the National Competence Center for High-Performance Computing, playing a key role in strengthening Serbia’s HPC ecosystem and its integration into European initiatives.
Recognizing the lasting impact of his work, a dedicated segment of the conference focused on Antun Balaž’s contribution to the development of HPC and digital research infrastructures. Distinguished experts from across Europe presented lectures on current challenges and future directions in the field, including:
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Building Regional e-Infrastructure for Advanced Scientific Computing – Dr. Ognjen Prnjat (Greek Research and Technology Network, Athens, Greece)
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European Open Science Cloud: Enabling Open and Collaborative Research – Prof. Anastas Mishev and Prof. Boro Jakimovski (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia)
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Grid Computing for Large-Scale Scientific Research – Dr. Mihajlo Savić (University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
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From HPC and GRID Infrastructures to Digital Ecosystems – Dr. Stefano Cozzini (Institute for Research and Innovative Technologies, AREA Science Park, Italy)
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High-Performance Applications on Heterogeneous Systems: Benchmarking and Optimization – Prof. Emanouil Atanassov (Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Sofia, Bulgaria)
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The Serbian AI Factory Antenna: Bridging High-Performance Computing with Energy and Environmental Sustainability – Dr. Miloš Ivanović (University of Kragujevac, Serbia, and Faculty of Information Studies, Novo Mesto, Slovenia)
The conference brought together nearly 70 researchers from leading institutions in Serbia and abroad, reflecting the broad scientific community that Antun Balaž helped build throughout his career. Colleagues, collaborators, students, and friends shared scientific insights and personal memories, highlighting not only his outstanding professional achievements but also his generosity, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to science.
