The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; bg, Българска академия на науките, ''Balgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated ''БАН'') is the

National Academy A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but also the hu ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

, is autonomous and consists of a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members. It publishes and circulates different scientific works, encyclopaedias, dictionaries and journals, and runs its own publishing house. The activities are distributed in three main branches: ''Natural, mathematical and engineering sciences''; ''Biological, medical and agrarian sciences'' and ''Social sciences, humanities and art''. They are structured in 42 independent scientific institutes, and a dozen of laboratories and other sections. Julian Revalski has been the president of the BAS since 2016. As of 2021, its budget was 117,8 million leva (€60,2 million).

History

As Bulgaria was part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, Bulgarian émigrés founded the ''Bulgarian Literary Society'' on 26 September 1869, in

Brăila Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud-Est (development region), ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila. According to the 2011 Romanian ...

in the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

, on the model of the Romanian Literary Society, that had been established in 1866. The first Statutes accepted were: Board of Trustees * Nikolai Tsenov – President * Vasilaki Mihailidi * Petraki Simov * Kostaki Popovich * Stefan Beron Acting members: * Marin Drinov (1838-1906) – Chairman * Vasil Drumev (1840-1901) – Member * Vasil D. Stoyanov (1839-1910) – Secretary The following year, the Literary Society began issuing the ''Periodical Journal'', its official publication, and in 1871 elected its first honorary member - Gavril Krastevich. In 1878, shortly after Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule, the General Assembly voted to move the headquarters of the Society from

, and on 1 March 1893 the BLS moved into its own building, right next to where the

Bulgarian Parliament The National Assembly ( bg, Народно събрание, Narodno sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria. The National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution. Ord ...

is seated. The BLS headquarters were completed in 1892. The building was designed by architect Hermann Mayer and was expanded during the 1920s. The Bulgarian Literary Society adopted its present-day name in 1911, and Ivan Geshov became the Academy's first president. The BAS became a member of the Union of Slavonic Academies and Scientific Communities in 1913 and was accepted as a member of the

International Council of Scientific Unions The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the advancement of science. Its members ...

in 1931. The BAS was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for their contributions to promotion of mutual understanding between Bulgaria and Japan on 1 December 2020.

Departments

The BAS has 9 main sections, more broadly united under three main branches: ''Natural, mathematical and engineering sciences''; ''Biological, medical and agrarian sciences'' and ''Social sciences, humanities and art''. Each consists of independent scientific institutes, laboratories and other sections.

Mathematical Sciences

* Institute of Mathematics and Informatics * Institute of Mechanics * Institute of Information and Communication Technologies * National Laboratory of Computer Virology

Physical Sciences

* Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy * Institute of Solid State Physics * Institute of Electronics * Institute of Astronomy * National Astronomical Observatory - Rozhen * Astronomical Observatory Belogradchik * Central Laboratory of Solar Energy and New Energy Sources * Central Laboratory for Applied Physics - Plovdiv * Central Laboratory of Optical Storage and Processing of Information

Chemical Sciences

* Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry * Institute of Organic Chemistry with a Centre of Phytochemistry * Institute of Physical Chemistry * Institute of Catalysis * Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems (IIES) (former Central Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources) * Institute of Chemical Engineering * Central Laboratory of Photoprocesses * Institute of Polymers

Biological Sciences

* Institute of Neurobiology * Institute of Molecular Biology * Institute of Genetics * Institute of Physiology * Institute of Plant Physiology * Institute of Microbiology * Institute of Experimental Morphology and Anthropology * Institute of Botany * Institute of Zoology * Forest Research Institute * Institute of Experimental Pathology and Parasitology * Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction * Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering * National Museum of Natural History * Central Laboratory of General Ecology

Earth Sciences

* Geological Institute * Geophysical Institute * National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology * Central Laboratory for Geodesy * Central Laboratory of Mineralogy and Crystallography * Institute of Oceanology * Geographical Institute * Space Research Institute * Central Laboratory of Solar - Terrestrial Influences * Central Laboratory for Seismic Mechanics and Earthquake Engineering * Institute of Water Problems

Engineering Sciences

* Institute of Metal Science * Central Laboratory of Physico-Chemical Mechanics * Institute of Computer and Communication Systems * Institute of Information Technologies * Institute of Control and System Research * Central Laboratory of Mechatronics and Instrumentation * Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Centre

Humanities (Division 'Cultural-Historical Heritage and National Identity')

* Institute of Bulgarian Language * Institute of Literature * Institute for Balkan Studies and Centre for Thracology * Institute for History Studies * Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, comprising the former ** Institute for Folklore Studies ** Ethnographic Institute with Museum * Institute for Arts Studies, comprising the former ** Centre for Architectural Studies ** Institute of Art Studies * National Archaeological Institute and Museum * Scientific Centre for Cyrillo-Methodian Studies

Social Sciences (Division 'Man and Society')

* Institute for Economic Studies * Institute for the State and Law * Institute for Population and Human Studies, comprising the former ** Institute of Psychology ** Centre for Population Studies * Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge, comprising the former ** Institute of Sociology ** Institute of Philosophical Studies ** Centre for Science Studies and History of Science

Specialized and Supporting Units

* Central Administration of BAS * Central Library of BAS * Scientific Archives of BAS * 'Prof. Marin Drinov' Academic Publishing House * Botanical Garden * National Centre on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology * Bulgarian Encyclopaedia Scientific Information Centre * Social - Utility Service * Centre for National Security Research * Research Development and Implementation Association 'Scientific Instrumentation' * Laboratory of Telematics * Ph.D. Research Career Development Centre

Honours

Academia Peak and Camp Academia on

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

are named for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in appreciation of Academy's contribution to the Antarctic exploration.Academia Peak. Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica.
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References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Scientific organizations established in 1869 1869 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1869 establishments in Bulgaria Members of the International Council for Science Members of the International Science Council Buildings and structures in Sofia Organizations based in Sofia