Participants of the First European Small Mammal Conservation Conference, held from 21 to 25 September 2026 in Sofia, have officially submitted a joint position paper and declaration to the European Commission. In the document, leading European experts raise the alarm over serious monitoring gaps concerning species such as rodents, shrews, moles, dormice, and hedgehogs, which play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning and the survival of numerous protected predators. The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS) organized the conference together with the Habitat Foundation, hosted by the Faculty of Biology at Sofia University. The most captivating part of the program was the presentation of results from the breeding and release of the Romanian hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni) - a [...]

The first edition of the SCION Spin-Off Forum took place on 23 September in the “Prof. Marin Drinov” Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The forum brought together scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and representatives of institutions to discuss how scientific research can be put into practical application and reach the market. The event was opened by SCION co-founder Ms. Sasha Bezuhanova and Prof. Ina Aneva, Scientific Secretary of BAS. In her welcome address, Prof. Aneva emphasised that the Academy employed researchers of exceptional calibre whose achievements received international recognition and reinforced the standing of Bulgarian science. She pointed out that BAS scientists were developing promising technologies and innovative solutions capable of addressing important social and economic challenges but that the path from scientific discovery to [...]