IIASA delegation visits Slovak Academy of Sciences

The primary objective of the visit was to present IIASA's extensive body of work to the Slovak research community, fostering deeper connections with institutions in Slovakia. By sharing research interests between IIASA and the Slovak research community, IIASA hopes to pave the way for future collaborations and shared goals.

Martin Venhart, Vice President of SAS, and Barbara Kreissler, Head of Communications and External Relations at IIASA, opened the meeting and delivered an overview presentation of IIASA's impactful work and its collaboration with the Slovak scientific community. Key representatives from across IIASA including Biodiversity and Natural Resources (BNR) Program Director, Petr Havlik; Cooperation and Transformative Governance Research Group Leader in the Advancing Systems Analysis Program, Nadejda Komendantova; Senior Research Scholar in the BNR Program, Juraj Balkovic; Senior Research Scholar in the Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Senior Research Scholar, Peter Rafaj; and a researcher in the Population and Just Societies Program, Guillaume Marois, presented insights into IIASA research covering topics from systems analysis to biodiversity, agriculture, and demographic modeling. The presentations provided an in-depth understanding of IIASA's contributions to diverse scientific domains and its work with global stakeholders and policymakers.

The meeting saw active in-person and on-line participation from representatives of multiple Slovak institutions, contributing to a diverse exchange of ideas during the open discussion session. This dialogue aimed to foster a collaborative spirit and lay the groundwork for further potential joint research ventures. Lubica Lacinova, a Member of the SAS Presidium, emphasized the importance of continued collaboration between IIASA and Slovak research entities and highlighted the meeting as a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to enhance scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange between IIASA and Slovakia.