We have the pleasure to announce that the UR-WISE project will participate in the upcoming Kopaonik Business Forum 2026 , one of the region’s most prominent platforms for economic dialogue and policy exchange.
For more than three decades, the Kopaonik Business Forum has brought together high-level representatives of government, business, academia, and international organisations to discuss strategic directions for Serbia’s economic development, industrial policy, and global competitiveness.
As part of the Forum programme, UR-WISE will co-organise a special guest speaker session titled: “Best Countries in the World”.The presentation will be delivered by Prof. David Reibstein, William Stewart Woodside Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and the lead researcher and principal architect of the U.S. News & World Report – Best Countries Report methodology, a global study first presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2016.
During the session, Prof. Reibstein will present the Best Countries 2025 results, offering insights into how global perceptions shape national competitiveness, investment attractiveness, tourism flows, and broader economic positioning. The presentation will also outline how perception-driven analytical frameworks can inform strategic efforts to strengthen Serbia’s international positioning.
In the opening segment of his engagement in Serbia, Prof. Reibstein will introduce policy-oriented reflections on how the Best Countries analytical framework can inform strategic efforts to strengthen Serbia’s global positioning, particularly in the areas of investment promotion, national branding, and long-term competitiveness.
UR-WISE’s participation in the Kopaonik Business Forum represents an important step in bridging academic research, data-driven policy analysis, and high-level economic dialogue. By contributing cutting-edge global perception analytics to the Forum agenda, the project reinforces its mission to support evidence-based policymaking and international positioning strategies for urban and regional development.