Between November 3 and 5, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) celebrated its bicentennial with a series of events. The program of jubilee initiatives included a festive concert, an international conference entitled “Past, Present, and Future of Learned Societies: The Changing Role of Academies in the 21st Century,” an exhibition entitled “Treasures of the 200-Year-Old Academy,” a workshop co-organised with ALLEA which discussed the integrity of scientific research; a symposium in collaboration with Academia Europea “From Barriers to Bridges: Towards a More Cohesive European Research Area”; and others.
The leadership of BAS represented by Vice-President Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov was invited to the celebrations for the jubilee of the partner Academy. He took part in all the events and met with Prof. Tamás Freund, President of HAS. At the meeting, Prof. Moutafov presented the renowned Hungarian neurobiologist with a congratulatory address on the occasion of the jubilee from the President of BAS, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, and a copy of an ancient silver vessel found during archaeological excavations in the Golyama Kosmatka Thracian mound. They discussed the state of cooperation between the two academies and the prospects for its deepening.
During his visit to Budapest, the Vice-President of BAS also met with H.E. Hristo Polendakov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to Hungary, with whom they discussed opportunities for joint initiatives. Mr. Polendakov and Prof. Moutafov visited the Bulgarian Educational Center, the Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, the Cultural Center of the Bulgarian minority in Budapest as well as ELTE University where Bulgarian language is taught. They discussed how BAS could support the activities of our compatriots in preserving their Bulgarian identity.
