At the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics of BAS, the first of its kind for Bulgaria Practical Training Course on Nanopore Barcoding and Genome Analysis was held. The training took place in the period 7-9 July and was aimed at undergraduate students, PhD students and young scientists. The aim of the training was to build scientific capacity in the field of DNA barcoding and nanopore sequencing and their application to the study of biodiversity. The event was organised by the Bulgarian DNA barcoding unit (Bulgarian Barcode of Life - BgBOL) with the support of the European project initiative Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE). Six expert lecturers from Greece (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Poland (Lodz University) and Bulgaria (National Museum of Natural History, BAS) participated in [...]

Prof. Dr. Valya Vassileva, Director of the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics at BAS, is among the eight scientists and innovators from around the world selected to participate in the prestigious international Malmö Residency 2025 programme. Besides personal success, this is also a recognition of the high scientific level and international commitment of the Bulgarian academic community. Malmö Residency is an initiative of more than 70 institutions, universities, companies and public organisations in the Swedish city of Malmö. The programme is funded by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), Malmö City and the Swedish Institute. It offers a one-month stay, full logistical support and collaboration opportunities for international experts working on current topics such as green transition, artificial intelligence and emerging [...]

The International Earth Day was celebrated today by scientists from the Geological Institute of BAS with a conference which was held in the "Prof. Marin Drinov" Hall of the Academy. The director of the institute, Assoc. Prof. Svetoslav Georgiev, opened the forum which was attended by representatives of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology, the Ministry of Energy, the Embassy of Finland, scientists from the country and abroad. "Despite Bulgaria's traditions in mining and deposits development, our country is not on the map of European deposits of critical raw materials. Bulgaria is also not on the list of 47 priority strategic projects for the European Commission for the extraction of critical raw materials," Assoc. Prof. Svetoslav Georgiev said. According to him, the topic of [...]

The 45th Conference of the International Association for Danube Research (IAD) was officially opened today and brought together representatives of the scientific community, institutions, NGOs and partner projects from the Danube region. The Forum, which will run until 12 April, is jointly organised by the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at BAS (IBER-BAS), the Climate, Atmosphere and Waters Research Institute at BAS (CAWRI), the IAD General Secretariat, the Danube Invasive Alien Species Network (DIAS) and the Union for Conservation of Nature. The conference was opened by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Teodora Trichkova (IBER-BAS) - National Representative of IAD for Bulgaria, Dr. Bernd Cyffka, President of IAD, Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Vladimirov, Director of IBER-BAS, and Corr. Memb. Ekaterina Batchvarova, Director of CAWRI-BAS. Assoc. Prof. Ina Aneva, [...]

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ina Aneva, Scientific Secretary of the Biodiversity, Bioresources and Ecology Division of BAS visited the "Prof. John Atanasov" 4th Primary School on February 4 and introduced the 4th grade students to the activities of the Academy and the importance of scientific research. During the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Aneva talked about the history of BAS focusing on the key moments in the establishment of the institution and the work of scientists in various scientific fields. Special attention was paid to the work of scientists who research the rich biodiversity and contribute to its conservation. The students learnt interesting facts about various medicinal plants, their distribution, medicinal properties and the efforts of scientists for the conservation of this natural wealth. An important focus was [...]

The exhibition "Bats of Vietnam" opened on January 7, 2025 at the Earth and Man National Museum. The exhibition reflects the research carried out within the framework of the agreement on bilateral scientific cooperation between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. The organizer of the event is the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research of BAS, and the main drivers are Assoc. Prof. Dr. Heliana Dundarova (project leader) and Mr. Ladislav Tsvetkov (photographer and multimedia reporter BTV). The exhibition takes us into the magical world of bats - key representatives of biodiversity and an important component in maintaining the balance of nature. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dundarova shared her first steps in science, the exciting encounters with bats, the [...]