Dragan Conic, young scientist - When a wheel starts rolling

(Dragan Conic) There are many people who, with a degree at the wall and working book in their pocket, wait for a job for years. There is also a number of people who earn working as freelancers something which does not require university degree. There are few people who take their live in their hands and head towards business success on their own.

Dragan Conic (25), MS in physical chemistry and PhD student, is a researcher at the Institute for nuclear sciences Vinca where he deals with development of material for hydrogen storage as a fuel of the future, in renewable energy resources field.

Still, with initiative, energy and extensive work, he presented to wider business audience so next year he will try to operate in commercial sector.

He says his greatest wish is to use his scientific work in industry.

- My idea is to work in "research and development department of a company and to create something new. When I started thinking in that direction, entrepreneurship was something I saw. I wondered which skills I lack to implement the road from product creation to market placement.

Dragan Conic was born in Leskovac where he completed his primary and secondary education.

During his studies, he was hired for different projects so he travelled worldwide.

- I was in Stuttgart in German air traffic center, I was hired at science festivals so I visited the Festival of creativity and science in Seoul in South Korea. I wanted to deal with science and I have always wanted that my researches, apart from scientific aspect, have importance in implementation. More precisely, I wanted to decrease a huge gap between research work and its implementation – a young scientist says for our portal.

In a wish to decrease the gap, he was not a second late, but he decided to develop his entrepreneurial skills.

- I was extremely motivated by lectures of professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Veljko Milutinovic. I liked his approach in information concept and project presentation to potential investors. I also attended Mokra gora School of Management where I met Dragisa Ristovski, a founder of "Dr Gilbert center". As their scholar, I finished the Academy of commercial communication and learnt sales skills, influencing skills, etc.

He said the wheel started rolling then…

(AmChamps – Young Leaders in Change) - I went through "AmChamps – Young Leaders in Change", unique one-year educational program of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). The idea was provide skills which would make students with formal degree, more successful. We learnt about leadership, team work, ethics, and media relations.

Dragan Conic participated at the "Learn Today - Lead Tomorrow" team competition in solving case study organized by consulting company EY ("Ernst & Young"), as a part of "EY Future leaders’ program".

EY "LearnToday - LeadTomorrow" competition provided a chance to 12 teams from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina to present their solutions for specific case study problem.

- The task was that our fictional company carries out diversification of its portfolio. We were developing financial analysis and risk analysis and in line with that we proposed the next steps.

All these project and activities opened him door of a big domestic company. As of New Year, Dragan Conic will be a part of young leaders at "Delta Holding".

When asked what made him pick up this unusual career path, he replied:

- A man has a need to contribute to the world and to see his work results. Respecting those who deal with territory due to some long-term objectives and strategies, I prefer specific results. At the end, the most important thing is a positive attitude and a wish to find a solution.

M.K.

Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča Beograd

Mokrogorska Škola Menadžmenta

D.R. GILBERT GROUP Beograd

Američka privredna komora u Srbiji AmCham Serbia

Ernst & Young d.o.o. Beograd

Delta Holding d.o.o. Beograd