site.btaXI Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference Kicks Off in Chile, Delegates from 55 Countries Participate

A total of 1,500 delegates from 55 countries will take part in the XI Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference, which was opened on Monday, August 19, in Pucon, southern Chile, by Chile's Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren and with a special video address by Chile's President Gabriel Boric, the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI) said on Monday. 

Numerous workshops and plenary sessions will discuss coordination and research achievements among scientists involved in Antarctic research, including climate change, biodiversity, mineral resources, and future plans of the global scientific community to study planet-wide issues. The XI SCAR Open Science Conference is taking place between August 19 and 23. 

Participants from Bulgaria will include Prof. Hristo Pimpirev and Dragomir Mateev from the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Assoc. Vesela Evtimova from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Studies of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and Nadezhda Yanakieva from the Institute of Space Studies of the BAS.

Bulgaria is presenting at the conference, in addition to posters and video presentations on some of its research, information about the XIII meeting of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), which Bulgaria will host in 2028. To win the hosting of the conference, Bulgaria competed with four other candidate countries, and for the next one, which will be held in 2030, Sweden, Switzerland and South Korea are currently applying, BAI informed.