Science Festival Opens

The Science Festival, held over the next two days at the University Campus and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Banja Luka, was officially opened on 15 May 2025, in the presence of numerous pupils, students, teachers, and science enthusiasts.

The Rector of the University of Banja Luka, prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, stated that, in addition to an exhibition of experiments, the Festival will offer visitors an opportunity to visit the Institute of Genetic Resources, the Botanical Garden, the planetarium and terrarium at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, as well as to attend various workshops at several faculties.

“Some of the workshops are Diplomat for a Day and How to Manage Time, followed by Calligraphy and Preventing Violence on Social Media, as well as a foreign language competition”, Gajanin noted.

“Our goal is to encourage young people to think, explore and discover their potential in different fields”, the Rector emphasised.

The Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, Assist. Prof.. Željko Budimir, PhD, stated that the true purpose of science is to be shared and disseminated, as knowledge knows no boundaries.

“With this festival, we awaken curiosity among primary and secondary school pupils, our tomorrow’s students. The number of experiments and workshops presented at the Science Festival best demonstrates the high quality of our academic staff”, Budimir said.

He emphasised that the Science Festival is one of the most inspiring events organised by this line ministry.

This is the 13th edition of the Festival, and it includes more than 20 faculties of the University of Banja Luka and the University of East Sarajevo, as well as the Institute of Genetic Resources, the Police Training Administration, the RS Hydrometeorological Institute, the RS Public Health Institute, and several primary and secondary schools from Banja Luka.

Over the two festival days, visitors will have the opportunity to experience more than a hundred experiments, scientific demonstrations, workshops, and interactive activities, all designed to promote science in an engaging and accessible way.

Photo: D. Desnica