New Horizons for Cooperation with Canada
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Martin Venhart, welcomed Karen Elisabeth Mollica, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Slovakia, at the SAS. The Ambassador was accompanied by Dušan Pastorek, Officer for Political and Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Canada. The meeting was also attended by Zuzana Panczová, Vice President of SAS for International Relations; Ivana Janíková Stavrovská, Head of the SAS International Cooperation Department; and František Fundárek, representative of the Department for Bilateral Cooperation within the International Cooperation Department.
In her opening remarks, Ambassador Mollica highlighted the exemplary cooperation between Slovakia and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also emphasised that Canada’s association with the Horizon Europe programme has created new opportunities to strengthen scientific collaboration between the two countries in areas of shared interest, particularly the social sciences and humanities, minority studies, climate change, and nuclear energy.
Martin Venhart noted that, through his membership in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Grants Committee, he has had the opportunity to participate in decisions on funding Canadian basic research through innovative grant schemes in subatomic physics. He also informed the Canadian delegation about the SAS’s active role in preparing the strategic document Vision of Slovakia 2040, which focuses on four key development areas, with particular emphasis on energy. Following international peer review and approval by the Government of the Slovak Republic, the document is expected to be published at the end of August 2026.
Zuzana Panczová provided an overview of the past and current cooperation between the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Canadian scientific institutions. She highlighted the strong potential for expanding partnerships with Canadian universities, particularly through the exchange of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Ambassador Mollica expressed her willingness to facilitate contact with selected Canadian universities to accelerate the establishment of cooperation agreements with the SAS.
Text: František Fundárek, International Cooperation Department SAS
Photo: Martin Bystriansky