Initial activities in the field of ecology were realized within this institution at the end of the eighties, when development programme was entirely directed towards life quality enhacement in accordance with ecological principles. The first projects related to environmental protection were realized on local and regional level until the beginning of the nineties, when cooperation with the AVALON foundation from Netherlands was established and six-year international project was created and realized, with the aim to elaborate concepts of ecologically balanced and economically sustainable production and development of the region through TERRA’S macro project installment which initiated creation of the first organic production law in Serbia.
With the expansion of the activites in the field of environmental protection, within the inner structure of the Open University emerged the Centre for Ecology, which has been implementing development programmes and programmes aimed at increasing ecological awareness for ten years already - offering trainings for education workers with the aim of upgrading their knowledge in the field of ecology, programmes intended for professional training, occupational retraining and innovation of knowledge of the employed and unemployed in the field of active participation of citizens in finding solutions to environmental problems, projects of innovative economic development based on ecological principles, informing citizens about national legislation and regulations on life and work in protected natural environments.
Being concentrated on andragogical work in the field of education of tourism, ecology and agricultural workers, the Open University has established important international contacts and formed a network of partner institutions on national and international level. Among numerous partners the most prominent are the University of Geneva (Institute of Environmental Sciences (ISE)), Reutlingen Expert Akademie, Singidunum University (Faculty of Applied Ecology - FUTURA), etc.