BAS becomes an honorary member of the revived Plato’s Academy

 

Plato’s Academy – mosaic from the excavations in Pompeii, National Archaeological Museum of Naples, photographer: E. Moutafov

A symposium for the inauguration of the International Community of Academies was held on February 9-10, 2026, in Athens, Greece. The community, called Κοινὸν τῶν Ἀκαδημιῶν in Greek, is also referred to as Koinon in English.

The Koinon initiative carries on the legacy of the late philanthropist Panagiotis Aristofron who bequeathed his estate to the creation of an international organization dedicated to global cooperation among academies, distinguished scholars, artists, writers, and academic and cultural institutions. The property is located on the archaeological site of Plato’s ancient Academy in Athens (Ἀκαδημία Πλάτωνος). The Academy of Athens, in collaboration with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Municipality of Athens, is working on a project to continue the excavations and build a complex that will serve both as an archaeological museum and as the headquarters of Koinon. Until its permanent premises are completed, the Community will be housed at the Academy of Athens, and it may also open satellite offices in Athens or other cities in Greece and abroad.

Koinon is a non-profit organization with the mission to revive the spirit of Plato’s Academy. The collective bodies of the “Community” are the General Assembly of full members and the Board of Directors, and the bodies for cooperation are the Committee of Honorary Members and the Executive Committee. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is a member of the Committee of Honorary Members, and its delegate is Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov, DSc, Vice-President of the BAS, who attended and took an active part in the first symposium of the community. The Committee of Honorary Members includes representatives of 38 academies from around the world, and three are observers – the British Academy, the Leopoldina, and the Royal Society. The inaugural Koinon forum in Athens was attended by and featured lectures from prominent figures from the academic, political, and intellectual elite, such as Jeffrey Sachs, Prokopios Pavlopoulos, Prabhakar Raghavan, Lucas Papademos, and others.

The founding of the International Community of Academies coincides with the centenary of the founding of the Academy of Athens, as well as with World Greek Language Day.

On the occasion of the celebrations in Athens, Mozart’s violin was brought from Salzburg for the first time, and several of his works were performed on it.

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