The event highlights the long-standing, sustainable, and active scientific ties between the two institutions.
On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the signing in 1965 the first framework agreement between the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, a scientific event was held in the “Prof. Marin Drinov” Hall dedicated to the history of the two leading research institutions in Bulgaria and France and a review of their current cooperation. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the French Institute in Bulgaria are the organizers of the conference. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the French Institute in Bulgaria are the organizers of the conference.
The Vice-President of BAS Corresponding Member Evdokia Pasheva opened the event by describing the anniversary as a remarkable one. “Science is what can transcend political boundaries,” Corr. Memb. Pasheva said. She quoted the first sentence of the speech delivered after the signing of the agreement: “This agreement, signed between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the National Center for Scientific Research, is a result of the good relations between the Bulgarian and French peoples.”
The President of BAS, Corr. Memb. Evelina Slavcheva, welcomed the participants and said that the agreement was fundamental in terms of its long history and the time when it was signed. She emphasized the increased activity and contacts between the two countries over the past 60 years as well as the trust that had been built, and explained that the established scientific areas of mutual interest over the years continued to develop. “I would be delighted to continue this fruitful cooperation because, according to statistics, 80% of the scientific publications of the CNRS with Bulgarian scientists are with researchers from BAS,” Corr. Memb. Evelina Slavcheva said.
The Ambassador of France to Bulgaria, H.E. Marie Dumoulin, began her speech by saying that this anniversary was not just a symbolic date. She emphasized that at the time of the first signing, scientific research was one of the few areas in which dialogue between East and West could take place. “This event is an opportunity to pay tribute to those who, for six decades, have promoted dialogue and cooperation between researchers in our two countries,” she said.
Two lectures presented the development of the CNRS and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, delivered by Denis Guthleben and Prof. Iliyana Marcheva. A detailed overview of the current forms of cooperation and the instruments that support them was presented, ranging from the bilateral Rila program to European mechanisms such as Horizon Europe, COST actions, and the Erasmus+ program.
The scientific event was attended by the Presidents of BAS, Acad. Nikola Sabotinov (2008-2012) and Acad. Julian Revalski (2016-2024), the Chairman of the General Assembly of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Vassil Kirov, members of the Academy’s leadership, members of the Assembly of Academicians and Corresponding Members, and scientists from institutes of BAS.
