The President of the SAS and the Spanish Ambassador discussed deepening scientific cooperation
On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, Martin Venhart, President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), welcomed Sofía Ruiz del Árbol Moro, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, together with her deputy, Laura Carratalá Díez. During the meeting, both sides praised the successful cooperation to date and agreed to strengthen scientific partnerships between the two countries further.
Martin Venhart emphasised that the SAS should not only advance basic research but also enhance its societal impact. He noted that the Academy is preparing a vision for Slovakia’s development and presented the IMPULZ programme as an example of a tool supporting excellent scientists, with the potential to become a nationwide system for attracting talent. The President also highlighted opportunities for Slovak–Spanish cooperation in nuclear energy, cybersecurity, digital technologies, and climate research.
The Spanish Ambassador highlighted Spain’s strong ties with Latin America, which could open new international opportunities for Slovak scientists, and expressed interest in intensifying cooperation between the SAS and Spanish research institutions.
Zuzana Panczová, Vice-President of the SAS for Foreign Relations, stated that she is preparing a proposal to increase support for bilateral projects and emphasised the need to enhance mobility for researchers in the social sciences and humanities. She announced that SAS plans to organise working visits by scientists to Spain to deepen cooperation in these fields further.
Denisa Fedáková, Member of the SAS Presidium, highlighted the importance of identifying common research topics. At the same time, Zuzana Panczová specified that areas such as ageing and conspiracy theory research have already been identified.
Pavol Hvizdoš, Vice-President of the SAS for the 1st Department of Sciences, noted that the technical sciences maintain strong relations with Spanish partners but emphasised the need to motivate young scientists and postdoctoral researchers to participate in joint projects. Dana Jurkovičová, Member of the SAS Presidium, added that the Spanish academic environment is attractive and open to young researchers, creating favourable conditions for mobility and cooperation within programmes such as Horizon.
Peter Gömöry, Director of the Astronomical Institute of the SAS, presented an example of successful cooperation in astronomy within the international European Solar Telescope (EST) project, where Slovak teams coordinated a European project for the first time. He also highlighted the potential for involving the Slovak industry in technological activities.
In conclusion, both sides expressed their readiness to continue intensive communication and to develop further Slovak–Spanish scientific partnerships through additional working visits and joint initiatives.
Text: Matej Švec, OMS SAS
Photo: Martin Bystriansky