Meetings of the Student Seminar of the Mathematical Institute have been regularly held since 2017 on Fridays at 12 pm, preceding the meetings of the Mathematics Colloquium, which is why the Student Seminar is informally called the “The Little Colloquium”. The talks at the seminar are given by undergraduate, masters and PhD students and the seminar covers a broad range of topics related to mathematics, computer science and mechanics, as well as to their applications. The overall aim is to help the students begin their scientific work and to provide additional scientific training, as well as to spread the relevant information and to support young researchers at the beginning of their career.

The Student Seminar represents a platform through which the students and established researchers can meet each other and discuss their experiences and interests, which stimulates their collaboration. In contrast to seminars focusing on a particular mathematical topic, the goals of the Student Seminar are improving students’ skills of giving talks and presenting results, introducing them to academic practices and assisting with finding research centres and research groups where the students could deepen their own interests. Additionally, the collaborators of the seminar have been actively taking part in the organisation of the event May, the Month of Mathematics, in activities of the Petnica Science Centre and in teaching at Belgrade’s Mathematical Grammar School.

The initiative to establish the seminar came from Jelena Marković and Stevan Gajović, then students of the Faculty of Mathematics of the University of Belgrade. The seminar was supported in its earliest stage by the Institute’s director Dr Zoran Ognjanović, and the Chairman of the Mathematics Colloquium Dr Zoran Petrić. Although the Mathematical Institute had had an established tradition of maintaining relationship with students in Serbia and abroad even before establishing the Student seminar, the seminar significantly contributed to this tradition. Since its founding, the Chairperson of the Student Seminar has been Dr Đorđe Baralić, while the first secretary in 2017 was Dr Boriša Kuzeljević. Since 2017, the secretary of the seminar has been Dr Luka Milićević.

During the last four years the seminar has hosted students from all public universities in Serbia, as well as students studying at various universities abroad. It is particularly important to mention that the “Annual event” has been organised by the seminar since 2019, gathering many students, both from Serbia and abroad. Fostering scientific relationships between young researchers is an important aspect of its activities. Furthermore, it is through the Student Seminar that the Institute effectively supports the former students of the Mathematical Grammar School who signed the Good Intentions Memorandum; these are the students who participated in mathematical and computer science high school Olympics.

The Student Seminar also hosts the talks given by the final round candidates for various Mathematical Institute Student Awards, which are given for the best PhD and master’s theses and the best student papers in mathematics and in computer science. These awards were established in 2017, while an award for the best high school thesis for the students of Mathematical Grammar School was awarded for the first time in 2018. The high school laureates also have the chance to give a talk at the seminar. The call for applications opens in December every year and the evaluation committees consist of established scientists of the Mathematical Institute and university professors.

Since 2020, the Institute has organised student research internship in mathematics, mechanics, computer science and other related fields that are among the Student Seminar disciplines of interest. The students work on open problems with guidance from experienced researchers of the Institute. The aim of these projects is to provide students with the opportunity to experience what doing research and working at the Institute are like, as well as to make students more acquainted with the Institute as an institution where they may potentially pursue their scientific career.

The seminar has an excellent collaboration with and strong support of all other Colloquia and seminars of the Institute. The members of the Institute that have been particularly supportive include Dr Zoran Ognjanović, Dr Tatjana Davidović, Dr Zoran Petrić, Dr Pavle Blagojević, and Biljana Nedeljkov.