The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska Željko Budimir stated that the "Dr. Milan Jelić" Fund has been nurturing the policy of awarding scholarships to the best students for years and that so far over 13.5 million BAM has been allocated for this purpose.

-This shows that since 2007 the Fund has been working well and finding successful students. This year, 137 scholarships were awarded, nine of which were for the third cycle of studies, seven for the second, and the rest for the first - Budimir said.

He emphasized that students from Srpska, whether they study at domestic or foreign universities, show good results and that every scholarship awarded is well deserved.

- It is important to us that our students study at the most prestigious universities in the world, but it is especially important that we motivate them to return to the Republic of Srpska as experts - said Budimir.

Jovana Mlinarević, scholarship recipient of the third cycle of studies, who chose the domestic university to acquire knowledge, thanked the relevant minister and the "Dr. Milan Jelić" Fund for the trust, bearing in mind that she received the scholarship for the previous two cycles of studies.

-The scholarship means a lot to me in my doctoral studies because the expenses are significantly higher, primarily tuition fees, but there is also a desire to publish papers in higher-ranking journals and to network with teachers from other countries in order to work on joint projects - said Mlinarević.

The fourth-year student of the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka, Radovan Ivanović, also thanked for the scholarship, who pointed out that he is honored to be a scholarship recipient of the Fund, which recognizes those whose work and results stand out from the rest.

- This is proof that all the efforts and work are not in vain and that they have been recognized - emphasized Ivanovic.

The annual grant for scholarships of the "Dr. Milan Jelić" Fund amounts to 750,000 BAM, and a new contenst should be announced in May 2024.