The study of mathematical logic was initiated in the mid-sixties by a group of mathematicians and philosophers from the University of Belgrade. The work was continued at the Mathematical Institute in the form of a seminar established by Professor Slaviša B. Prešić. This seminar has been continuously active for nearly 50 years. In former Yugoslavia, the seminar had close relations with the fellow logicians from Zagreb for a long time. During the seventies and eighties, it was the fastest-growing mathematical group in Serbia, attracting a large number of graduate students. Some of them continued their studies at prestigious European and North American universities and made brilliant research careers there. Among them are ICM invited speakers Stevo Todorčević and Ilijas Farah.

The members of the seminar are distinguished and senior logicians, as well as graduate students. Everyone is encouraged to give lectures of general interest and present their own results. In particular, doctoral students engaged in logic are expected to give lectures on some advanced topics within their studies, as well as to present their results. Occasionally, short courses are organised. Guest logicians from abroad are welcome.

The seminar covers topics from the foundations of mathematics and philosophy, numerous connections of logic with classical mathematical disciplines and computer science, the role of logic in the teaching of mathematics, etc. Traditionally, attention is paid to all major areas of logic: set theory, model theory, proof theory, and recursion theory. Over a long period of time, lectures in these areas were predominant, while in the last two decades, the number of lectures on topics in algebra, topology, combinatorics, and theoretical computer science related to logic has significantly increased.