Acad. Nikola Sabotinov, President of BAS (2008–2012), was awarded the title of “Honorary Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences” during a ceremonial session of the 9th General Assembly of BAS which took place in the “Prof. Marin Drinov” Hall on 28 September. He was awarded the title in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of Bulgarian science, his internationally recognised scientific and applied scientific achievements and his many years of dedicated service to BAS and the Bulgarian scientific community. The Chair of the General Assembly of BAS (GA), Prof. Vassil Kirov, presented him with the honour and read out the decision of GA which had been adopted at a meeting of the General Assembly held on 14 September. Prof. Kirov recalled that [...]

A round-table discussion on “Security and Safety in the Black Sea” took place on 25 September in Varna. The event was organised by the Centre for National Security and Defence Research at BAS (CNSDR-BAS) in collaboration with the Institute of Oceanology and the Centre for Hydro- and Aerodynamics at BAS. The forum took place at the Centre for Hydro- and Aerodynamics and forms part of the initiatives under the “Security and Defence” National Scientific Programme. The main aim of the round table was to encourage dialogue and cooperation between the scientific community, the state administration and the business sector to enhance security, stability and sustainable development in the Black Sea region. The discussions focused on opportunities for integrating the scientific results obtained by BAS research [...]

  On 17 September, Prof. Nikolai Spassov from the National Museum of Natural History gave a lecture at BAS entitled “The first bipedal hominids originated in the Balkans, not in Africa”. The lecture took place as part of the academic seminar “Current Issues in Science”. Prof. Spassov is a zoologist, palaeontologist and palaeoanthropologist. He is the author of more than 280 scientific publications, many of which have appeared in leading international journals. His main contributions are in the fields of mammalian systematics and evolution, palaeozoogeography and early human evolution. During his lecture, Prof. Spassov examined one of the key issues in the field of palaeoanthropology which has long been the subject of serious debate: the time and place of the origin of the first bipedal [...]

A specialised seminar as part of the “Security and Defence” National Science Programme was organised on 16 September by the Center for National Security and Defense Research (CNSDR-BAS) and the Joint Innovation Centre of BAS. The main theme of the forum centred on opportunities for collaboration and cooperation in the fields of defence and high technology, and it attracted considerable interest amongst representatives of Bulgarian scientific organisations, universities, defence industry firms and innovative companies. The seminar was opened by Mr. Kamen Iliev, Director of CNSDR-BAS, who highlighted the importance of the event for deepening cooperation between the institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and international high-tech companies with a view to the transfer of knowledge and technology in the fields of defence, national security [...]

Academician Bogdan Petrunov is one of the most distinguished and leading scientists in the field of allergology and immunology – a highly erudite scholar with a wealth of general and medical knowledge who has safeguarded the health of thousands of people and gained widespread national and international renown. Throughout his remarkable professional career, Acad. Petrunov has established himself as the founder of modern Bulgarian allergology. As the long-standing director of the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD) and an active member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, he has devoted decades to the development of Bulgarian science, to the creation of unique Bulgarian allergens for diagnosis and treatment, and to the training of generations of leading medical specialists. His immense scientific contribution has [...]