Novi Sad Open University, also known as NOU, was a center offering many courses. It was located in Novi Sad, Serbia. Currently, NOU is an children's cultural center. History Novi Sad Open University (originally the "Radivoj Cirpanov" Labor University) was founded on 20 November, 1952, but as the legal successor of the National University, which was founded in 1919, has been present in Novi Sad for 90 years. NOU was given his final form in 1968 when the City's Cultural Information Centre joined his ranks. Thus, the Novi Sad Open University was established as an organisation for general and professional education and cultural information and education for the culture of children, citizens and workers. Since its establishment to date, almost 2.5 million students have passed through the Labor University, undergoing permanent organisational changes adapted to the different needs of society and the population. Over the years, NOU has achieved co-operation with all the country's science and education institutions, as well as with numerous international institutions, ministries and embassies through which the program was exchanged. As one of the largest labour universities in the country, NOU has always been a leader in the processes of education and cultural presentation in the territory of Vojvodina. A recognizable form of the NOU's work process is also to monitor the latest European and world trends in culture and education. A number of modern programs were waiting to solve the institution's business space problem, due to the original building of the Labor University (located in Vojvođanskih brigada 7 Street) burning down on 6 April, 2000. The fire started on the 12th floor of the building and quickly spread, taking the life of Milica Prostran, who was a worker from TV "Duga". The cause of the fire was speculated to have been caused by faulty electrical installations. The building and fate of the university itself lingered for over a decade. In the first years after the fire, building property was mostly city property, while during the time of Mayor Maje Gojković, NOU was expelled from the system of the Novi Sad institutions. Around the 2010s, the city of Novi Sad received 10% of the building ownership with the debt conversion from "Dnevnik Holdings", which had a share of the property. In 2017, an agreement was reached to make NOU a Novi Sad children's cultural center, and then the Republic transferred ownership of the building to Novi