IANUBIH and Kurjak's Reaction: We are not undermining ANUBIH, we want to cooperate closely

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The International Academy of Sciences and Arts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (IANUBIH), headed by academician Asim Kurjak, reacted to Patria's article "Academicians 'overnight' are undermining ANUBIH, pro-Bosnian forces must protect it".

The International Academy of Sciences and Arts states that they did not originate from BANU, but are an indigenous multi-ethnic academy that is the only one with clear admission criteria based on scientometrics, even in the field of art where there are no scientometric analyses.

"Also, in your article, you state that the formation of new academies is a consequence of unfulfilled goals of individuals. If there are such individuals in other Academies, it is not possible with us due to the high criteria set for election as regular members of IANUBIH. Only a regular member of the Academy can be called an academician," the reaction states.

"To put the president of IANUBIH, academician Kurjak, in the same sentence and the same context as the presidents and members of other Academies is simply not possible. Unlike all the presidents of Academies operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina, academician Kurjak is an honorary doctor of science at 13 reputable world universities (but not Sarajevo), which no one else from Bosnia and Herzegovina has. He is a member or holds leadership positions in 8 scientific professional academies, and with almost 14,000 citations, he is the most cited clinician in the former Yugoslavia and beyond," the academy states.

The International Academy also rejects the claims that new academies are an attempt to undermine ANUBIH.

"IANUBIH, its president, vice-presidents, general secretary, and executive director categorically reject such a claim. Accusations of this type are truly serious and unfounded. In one of the first articles of our statute, it is stated that we highly value the oldest umbrella academy ANUBIH and that we will cooperate closely with it, exactly as much as it wants. This cooperation has already begun with concrete actions. One of them is a significant scientific conference in Tuzla, which will be held from September 17 to 19 this year. Other actions are planned, such as academic diaspora, sustainable development, discovering young talents, and strengthening scientific leaders in BIH. For your information, IANUBIH has 108 members (and several in the process of admission) literally from all parts of BIH and from all ethnic groups. Among them are 14 former rectors, 12 former deans, 7 former ministers, 7 former ambassadors, and the like. In scientific production (which is produced by impartial and ruthless machines - computers), it has 252,000 citations and is by far the strongest intellectual unit in BIH in this regard. We would like other Academies to also present to the public the results of their scientific production based on scientometric parameters, which modern science exclusively respects, not 'authorities'.

Everything we do and will do is an attempt to strengthen ANUBIH, not weaken it. Healthy competition in all areas of human activity stimulates even the weaker ones, and our academy cooperates only with the strong because that is how it becomes stronger. It has 4 departments that ANUBIH does not have: diaspora, religion, young scientists, and sustainable development," the reaction states.