In May 2025, the University of Sarajevo welcomed representatives of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), researchers Dr. Tadeusz Kurtyka and Dr. Claude Charlot. On behalf of the University of Sarajevo, Rector Prof. Dr. Tarik Zaimović extended a warm welcome to the CERN delegation. The meeting was hosted by Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Dr. Naris Pojskić. Participants on behalf of the University of Sarajevo also included Prof. Dr. Azra Gazibegović-Busuladžić and Nina Begović, Head of the University’s Research Support Office, that are members of B&H IFIGENEIA team.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss possibilities for strengthening long-term cooperation between CERN and the University of Sarajevo. As Bosnia and Herzegovina is not member of CERN, projects that facilitate collaboration between UNSA and CERN has special importance to UNSA. Ongoing initiatives and activities were presented, including a new collaborative effort in physics through the Horizon Europe project IFIGENEIA, coordinated by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. It was emphasized that the IFIGENEIA project is the international community’s response to the need for more economical and environmentally sustainable particle accelerators for medical applications, with a special emphasis on the South-Eastern European region.
Focus of the meeting was placed on enhancing opportunities for doctoral students from the University of Sarajevo to participate in CERN programs and on establishing schemes for joint cooperation programs or dual supervision arrangements. Participants also discussed expanding cooperation through student mobility programs, participation in CERN summer schools, masterclass workshops, and technical training programs. Special gratitude was expressed for the support provided by the “Three Physicists” Foundation to the University’s collaboration with CERN.
This meeting marks another step toward building stronger ties with a shared commitment to advancing scientific research and creating greater opportunities for young talents in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
