{"id":69180,"date":"2026-10-12T10:30:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/?p=69180"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:32:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:32:43","slug":"157-years-of-the-bulgarian-academy-of-sciences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/?p=69180&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"157 years of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Academician Va<\/em>ssil Nikolov has been awarded the Grand Prize for Science <\/em>of BAS for 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences marked the 157th anniversary of its foundation with a ceremonial gathering held today in the \u201cProf. Marin Drinov\u201d Hall. This year, the focus of the celebrations is on the reorganisation of the Bulgarian Learned Society into the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 1911, announced the Vice-President of BAS, Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov, who chaired the event. \u201cOn days like this, we also reflect on the present and try to chart our future course,\u201d he noted.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The President of BAS, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, delivered a speech dedicated to this significant date in the Academy\u2019s history \u2013 the 115th anniversary of the transformation of the Bulgarian Learned Society into the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In her address, Corr. Memb. Evelina Slavcheva remarked:<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than a century after its reorganisation, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences continues to uphold high standards of scientific quality, objectivity and academic integrity. It is an institution with a special responsibility for the development of Bulgarian science and for establishing its authority within the European and global scientific community. The history of BAS is the history of Bulgarian science itself. It is linked to the development of mathematics and physics, chemistry and biology, medicine and engineering, astronomy and Earth sciences, as well as linguistics, literature, history, archaeology, philosophy and economics. This diversity is one of the Academy\u2019s greatest strengths. BAS is the place where different scientific disciplines meet, interact and create new knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd let us not forget that behind the institution stand, above all, the people \u2013 generations of Bulgarian scientists who, through their knowledge, talent and dedication, have built Bulgaria\u2019s scientific reputation and continue to contribute to the development of global science,\u201d emphasised the President of BAS in her address. \u201cFor all of us, the scientists at BAS, the Academy has been and continues to be not merely a place of work, but a scientific community. Buildings may change, laboratories may be modernised, and technologies may evolve,\u201d said Corr. Memb. Slavcheva, noting that \u201cthe Academy\u2019s most valuable assets remain knowledge, scientific culture and the people who create and develop them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Acad. Georgi Markov of the Assembly of Academicians and Corresponding Members of BAS delivered an academic address entitled \u201cThe Transformation of the Bulgarian Learned Society into the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 1911\u201d. \u201cThe beacon of the National Revival has illuminated and guided the path of future generations for 157 years despite the storms and high waves of fateful events. We must be grateful to our forebears for their enduring achievements for without them we would not be here today, in this historic hall of the ancient building with the tricolour flag flying which stands as an unshakeable symbol of Bulgarian science,\u201d said Acad. Markov.<\/p>\n

Acad. Vassil Nikolov was awarded the Grand Prize for Science of BAS for 2026 in the field of social sciences and the humanities. Acad. Ivan Granitski, a member of the Award Selection Committee, announced the winner whilst the President of BAS, Corr. Memb. Evelina Slavcheva, presented the award.<\/p>\n

Academician Vassil Nikolov is an archaeologist and prehistorian renowned both in Bulgaria and abroad. He has worked for 40 years at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at BAS. His field of scientific interest covers late prehistory (6th\u20133rd millennia BC) in the Bulgarian lands, South-Eastern Europe and North-Western Asia Minor. His significant scholarly contributions have been made in the study of Neolithic culture in the Eastern and Central Balkans, Neolithic pottery and prehistoric architecture, as well as specialised production. He devoted many years of work to the study of primitive society and the religious-mythological system of the ancient farmers with their prehistoric pit sanctuaries and the first stone fortresses in Europe. Acad. Nikolov puts forward the thesis that the first European civilisation originated and developed in the Balkans, including in what is now Bulgarian territory. This view has been accepted by a number of foreign scholars owing to the wealth of compelling evidence for its existence.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Academician Vassil Nikolov, together with his team, discovered and studied Europe\u2019s earliest prehistoric salt-producing and urban centre, Provadia \u2013 Solnitsata, as well as the earliest stone fortresses. Significant scientific findings have emerged from many years of field research at the settlement mounds of Karanovo, Kapitan Dimitrievo and Kran, and at the Neolithic settlements of Sapareva Banya, Kovachevo, Eleshnitsa and Mursalevo. Of particular significance are the excavations of the Early Neolithic settlement in Sofia, dating back 8,000 years, which distinguishes our capital as having the most ancient roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honour for me that my academic contributions and work in the field of archaeology have been so highly recognised,\u201d said Acad. Vassil Nikolov. \u201cI accept the Academy\u2019s Grand Prize with gratitude and excitement, but also with the clear realisation that major discoveries in archaeology are not the work of a single person; that scientific research is a team effort, and this is the foundation of scientific discoveries. I am delighted that, over the past 40 years or so, I have been working alongside younger colleagues who are making their mark in the field of prehistoric science,\u201d added the Academician. He spoke of the importance of passing on knowledge to younger generations and thanked the people who had guided him over the years \u2013 his family and teachers. \u201cI also accept this award as recognition for Bulgarian prehistoric science,\u201d said Vassil Nikolov.<\/p>\n

To mark the occasion, congratulatory messages were read out from President Iliana Iotova, National Assembly Chair Mihaela Dotsova and Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Congratulations were also sent by ministers, MPs, university rectors and partners.<\/p>\n

Students from the National Academy of Music performed a musical tribute.<\/p>\n

===============<\/p>\n

The Grand Prize for Science <\/em>of BAS was awarded for the first time in 2024. The recipients of the award were Acad<\/em>emician Vass<\/em>ya Bankova (natural, mathematical and engineering sciences) and Corresponding Member Tsvetalina Tankova (life sciences). The Award<\/em> of BAS is presented annually in one of the following three fields: natural, mathematical and engineering sciences; life sciences; and social sciences and humanities. The procedure for selecting the <\/em>Academy\u2019s Grand Prize for Science <\/em>recipients is organised and overseen by the Assembly of Academicians and Corresponding Members of BAS (<\/em>AACM) and is awarded to a scientist from a Bulgarian scientific organisation or a Bulgarian higher education institution for outstanding achievements in the field of science that have received high international recognition. The statuette was designed by Assoc<\/em>. Prof<\/em>. Emil Bachiyski of the National Academy of Art.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Academician Vassil Nikolov has been awarded the Grand Prize for Science of BAS for 2026. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences marked the 157th anniversary of its foundation with a ceremonial gathering held today in the \u201cProf. Marin Drinov\u201d Hall. This year, the focus of the celebrations is on the reorganisation of the Bulgarian Learned Society into the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 1911, announced the Vice-President of BAS, Prof. Emmanuel Moutafov, who chaired the event. \u201cOn days like this, we also reflect on the present and try to chart our future course,\u201d he noted. The President of BAS, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, delivered a speech dedicated to this significant date in the Academy\u2019s history \u2013 the 115th anniversary of the transformation of the Bulgarian Learned […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":69125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1485],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-selected"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69180"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69181,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69180\/revisions\/69181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/69125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bas.bg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}