The “Branko Radičević” Elementary School in Banja Luka is officially the largest elementary school in the Republika Srpska. The Chemistry Department is pleased that several of our students come from this school. Also, in the activities to promote chemistry to young people, through international projects that we have implemented, students from this school have stood out and presented themselves with creative ideas in Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia and Estonia.
This time, we had the honour of being hosted by chemistry teachers Jelena and Marela from this school, in their classroom, where we held a creative workshop supported by the project of the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education “Knowledge BriefCase 2.0”. Teacher Jelena comes from the second generation of students at our Department, which was an interesting fact for us.
The students were very active in the workshop, where we drew their attention to the importance of water chemistry and the presence of different ions in water, and demonstrated some of the colourful titration methods for proving different ions in water. Many of them took part in the experiment and tried their hand at handling a burette and a magnetic stirrer for the first time.
We are particularly pleased with the excellent media promotion of the workshop through the podcast of this school, for which we send them our sincere compliments.
We hope that we have tickled their imagination for “our” science and that we will not miss the best chemistry talents from this generation of 8th grade students who have been hanging out with us. We are waiting for them at the entrance exam in the summer of 2031!
From November 12 to 13, 2025, the 9th International Scientific-Professional Symposium “Environmental Potentials, Sustainable Development and Food Production – OPORPH2025” was held in Tuzla.
The symposium gathered a large number of participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balkan countries, and the European Union. Prof. Dr. Dijana Jelić from the Chemistry Department at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics had an invited lecture titled ”Advancing Food Fortification with Kinetics: Vitamin D3 Encapsulation on Calcium Carbonate – based vehicles” Together with her team, Prof. Jelić has been conducting research in the field of vitamin D stability for many years. On this occasion, she presented software-based kinetic modeling as a modern approach for kinetic prediction of the stability and shelf life of food and dietary supplements, with a special focus on vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency represents a global challenge among populations worldwide, making this topic highly relevant, and Prof. Jelić’s lecture therefore attracted significant interest from the symposium participants.
As part of international cooperation and student exchange programs, master’s student Rosalinda Dominguez Ramon from Mexico is currently spending time at the Chemistry Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Banja Luka. In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Dijana Jelić, the academic coordinator for international student and staff exchange at the Chemistry Dept., a presentation was organized, giving Rosalinda a great opportunity to introduce herself, present the institution she comes from (Center for Research in Applied Chemistry – CIQA, Mexico), discuss the topic of her master’s thesis, as well as the research she is conducting in the laboratories of the Chemistry Dept. under the supervisor of Prof. Dr. Suzana Gotovac–Atlagić. At the end of the presentation, Rosalinda also reflected on life in Banja Luka, emphasizing how impressed she is with the natural beauty of our city and the Republic of Srpska. She especially highlighted the hospitality of her colleagues, professors, and the entire staff at the Chemistry Dept.
Prof. Pero Dugić, PhD, full professor visited the Chemistry Study Program of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Banja Luka after his retirement. As a long-time professor of the subjects I and II of the study cycle, Industrial Chemistry 2, Analytical quality control of raw materials and finished products of inorganic and organic origin, Standards and standardization, Alternative fuels and lubricants and Surfactants, his knowledge and dedication marked the work of the Chemistry Study Program.
His visit was a wonderful opportunity to talk about different topics. In a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, memories of joint work and numerous generations of students inspired by the professor were evoked. Professor Dugić also shared his valuable experiences and advice with the audience this time, showing once again his commitment to science and the community, but also the simplicity and approachability that graced him throughout his working life.
Regardless of his retirement, we hope for further cooperation, exchange of experiences and knowledge, as well as nice socializing with a dear and respected professor.
Authors of the text: prof. dr Dijana Jelić and prof. dr Dragana Blagojević
On 1 October 2025 the reception of the new generation of students was held in the amphitheater of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Prof. Goran Trbić, PhD, full professor and Prof. Mira Mandić, PhD, full professor from the Geography Department, as well as the president of the Student Organization of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Valentina Knežević. After that, the students were directed to the enrolled study programs.
Students enrolled in the Chemistry Department visited the chemistry laboratory and the rooms intended for classes. Then there was a reception in the classroom where they were addressed by professors and assistants led by the head of the Chemistry Department Prof. Milica Balaban, PhD, full professor. Students had the opportunity to hear briefly about the subjects and the organization of classes, as well as the possibilities of participating in the student exchange program and improving knowledge.
As a small token of appreciation and welcome, the students were presented with symbolic gifts.
We wish all students successful studies and a happy start to a new period of life!
As part of the bilateral project “Circular Economy: Application of Waste Raw Materials in Zeolite Synthesis”, the Chemistry Study Program team, led by Prof. Dr. Saša Zeljković, visited the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana from September 28 to October 1. On this occasion, young researcher Aleksej Vučić presented the results of syntheses of selected oxide materials.
The visit provided an excellent opportunity for bilateral meetings and further progress in the finalization of the research. The team from the Republic of Srpska also actively participated in the “1st Summer School TCM Friends Academy”. The summer school is organised by the National Institute of Chemistry Slovenia within the EERA JP Energy Storage – Thermal Energy Storage sub-programme.
The bilateral project is supported by the program of joint research projects within the framework of scientific and technological cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Slovenia for 2024 and 2025 (contract number: 19/6-020/966-13-1/23).
From September 15 to 19, 2025, the University of Mostar hosted the “8th Central and Eastern European Conference on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (CEEC-TAC8).”
The conference brought together 147 participants from 26 countries around the world, including renowned scientists from Europe, Japan, China, Peru, and Turkey. Over the course of the four-day program, there were 5 plenary lectures, 12 invited lectures, 40 oral presentations, and 96 poster presentations.
As one of the invited speakers, Prof. Dr. Dijana Jelić from the Chemistry Study Program at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Banja Luka, delivered a highly regarded lecture titled “Formulating Vitamin D Supplements: Insights into Chemistry, Kinetics and Bioavailability.”
The conference provided an excellent opportunity to establish scientific collaboration with researchers from the region and across the globe.
The Chemistry Department has so far participated in as many as 7 projects from the funding program of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology. The 8th project in which we are participating, called RM SLO PLUS HUB, has just started. The project is coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens, with coordinator Prof. emeritus Katarina Adam. The consortium also includes the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Leoben (Austria), the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the LUT University from Finland, and several associations and companies from the raw material supply chain, more details of which are available on the project’s official website.
In its content and objectives, the project refers to the European Union document called “Critical Raw Materials Act“, which encourages the re-acquisition of sustainability of European raw materials chains, which have been neglected in the past few decades. Chemistry as a natural science and chemical technologies play an important role in achieving these goals and our country has numerous resources to which it can contribute.
It is particularly significant that through the project, which will last for the next 12 months, our two excellent graduated students found temporary employment, who will gain experience in project methodology and international communication, and the project will also enable a significant number of activities, especially in contact with applied chemistry in industry, for current year students as well.
As part of the Erasmus+ partner project ChemTeach, at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Banja Luka, from August 25 to 29, 2025, a chemistry summer school was held for secondary school students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The summer school was also attended by representatives of the Slovak Technical University from Bratislava, which is also the coordinator of this project.
The topic of the summer school was environmental chemistry, within which the focus was placed on the chemical analysis of water. International teams of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and the Czech Republic worked with different water samples, applying the acquired theoretical knowledge to the practical performance of various laboratory analyses.
In particular, the importance of the synergy of this year’s summer school of the ChemTeach project with the “Materials without borders” conference, organized by the Chemistry Department of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Banja Luka, and as part of which a competition of high school teams for the best idea in the field of innovative application of modern materials was held. In addition to the competitors, the conference was attended by representatives of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the University of Banja Luka, as well as the consul of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Patrik Turošík.
During the conference, the students and their professors visited the company Roundliner BH d.o.o., which deals with the production of plastic packaging intended for industrial use.
The last day of the summer school was dedicated to work in the laboratory, after which the teams presented their results and experiences.
Students had the opportunity to communicate with each other in English, which further developed their language and communication skills, teamwork and critical thinking.
The next activity within the ChemTeach project will be the meeting of the Project Steering Committee, which is planned for the end of the year in Pardubice, Czech Republic, where the results so far will be reviewed and a plan for the next activities will be made.
For the fourth year in a row, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Chemistry, has hosted the, now traditional, international conference “Materials without borders”.
As in previous years, the basis of the conference was a competition of high school student teams for the best idea in the field of innovative applications of modern materials. It is with great pleasure that we highlight that this year’s conference is organized in synergy with the summer camp “Summer School for Students in B&H Focused on Environmental Chemistry”, held as part of the “ChemTeach” project, under the auspices of the ERASMUS+ programme. In addition to our study program, universities from the Czech Republic and Slovakia are also participating in this project.
The competitive part of the event was opened by the team “Assasino Plasticino” from the Gymnasium in Banja Luka, who did a detailed research on the trends in the production of biodegradable plastic, its properties, but also the potential dangers that its degradation products bring to all ecosystems. The fight to reduce pollution in the environment was also in focus of the team “Ozren” from the Gymnasium in Doboj. This team has introduced us to an innovative method for fixating CO2 from the air in peridotites, a type of igneous rock found in large quantities on Ozren Mountain.
Students from School of Technology in Banja Luka in their presentation highlighted the potential that secondary products from the mining processes have in the development of the circular economy, while the team from Banja Luka’s School of Medicine presented the possibilities of applying domestic raw materials in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Finally, the winner of this year’s edition of Materials Without Borders was the second representative of Banja Luka Gymnasium, the team “ELEMICA”, with the topic named Electrical Mica for Europe. Their innovative idea is based on the use of mica, a silicate mineral that is present in BiH in significant quantities, for the production of biocompatible sensors.
In addition to five teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina, students from chemical high schools in Pardubice (Czech Republic) and Bratislava (Slovakia) also participated in the competition. Two teams from the Czech Republic presented their research on the topic of carbon materials and finding alternative resources for the extraction of pharmacologically active compounds, while representatives from Slovakia presented us some of the contemporary trends in the application of biodegradable medical materials.
Support for the conference was provided by the iMERMAID project, through the H2O PEOPLE organization from Netherlands. Their spokesperson, Naomi Timmer, promoted the importance of water conservation through an interactive workshop, using the Kahoot! platform.
On the second day of the conference, also supported through the iMERMAID project and its cascade subproject BRIDGEWAT, the students and their professors visited the company Roundliner BH d.o.o., which is engaged in the production of plastic packaging for industrial use. During this visit, the students had the opportunity to get acquainted with modern methods of processing and application of polymer materials. This factory uses 100% recycled polyethylene as a raw material and is a good example of the fight against plastic pollution. Students learned more about the growing threats of water pollution from micro- and nanoplastics. Prijedor was a good location for this education, given the beauty of the River Sana and the importance of its preservation.
We are very pleased to have gathered exceptional young people who are already showing great interest in the materials chemistry, but also in current challenges in the field of ecology and environmental protection. It is our job to bring them closer to the natural sciences through events like this.
Finally, we would like to thank the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education, which, for the fourth year in a row, supports the realization of our conference.
