Science over Coffee 2025: Six Meetings, a Hundred Participants and One Shared Mission – Bringing Science Closer to Everyone

The Science over Coffee initiative, run by the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ANNT) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in BiH (UNDP BiH), brought together 150 participants across six themed meetings in 2025, confirming that there is a strong need in Bosnia and Herzegovina for accessible, open and relevant conversations about science. Set in the informal atmosphere of the Sarajevo café “Club Špica”, these events showed that scientific dialogue can take place outside traditional academic spaces, over coffee and open conversation.

Science in a Café as a New Platform for Learning and Dialogue

Science over Coffee was conceived as an educational and social platform that makes science accessible to the wider public, strengthens scientific literacy, encourages critical thinking and connects experts and citizens through conversations about the topics that shape the present and the future.

Each meeting was devoted to a single current topic – from robotics and artificial intelligence, through light and high technologies, to biodiversity and quantum security.

The programme's creator, organiser and ANNT member Ajla Karajko says that popularising science is her personal mission, because we live in a time when disinformation travels faster than facts. She adds that if researchers stay silent, the space is filled by those who speak loudly, but not necessarily accurately.

"I started Science over Coffee because I want to give science back to people — without complicated language, without distance, in an atmosphere where every question is welcome. I see an enormous impact: people relax, ask questions, learn and connect, and science stops being ‘elitist’ and becomes everyday, practical and socially important. It is a small contribution to greater scientific literacy, critical thinking and more active civic engagement," said Karajko.

Overview of the Six Meetings in 2025

1. Robotics and AI in Manufacturing – “Smarter Factories”

Speaker: Asst. Prof. Dr Senka Krivić

The first event opened the door to topics of automation, industrial robotics and digital transformation. Particular interest was sparked by the discussion on the applicability of advanced technologies in the local industrial sector and on where Bosnia and Herzegovina stands in the global Industry 4.0 process.

2. AI in Business – “Smart Algorithms, Smart Decisions”

Speaker: Dr Lemana Spahić

The second lecture offered practical insights into how artificial intelligence is changing business decision-making. Participants raised key questions: how to begin implementing AI, how to work with data we do not have, and where local companies can position themselves in the coming technological wave.

3. Light and the Technologies of the Future

Speaker: Asst. Prof. Dr Benjamin Fetić

The third meeting took the audience through the world of lasers, femtosecond physics, photonic technologies and quantum computers. The discussion showed how, as early as the 1980s, Bosnia and Herzegovina was among the pioneers of laser research, raising the question of the potential to revive this technological tradition.

4. Biodiversity and the Role of the Private Sector

Speaker: Dr Adla Kahrić

The fourth edition addressed the links between science, environmental policy and the business sector. The topic of carbon credits and their potential application in Bosnia and Herzegovina attracted particular attention. The audience raised a number of questions about sustainable development mechanisms and the role of local businesses in global environmental processes.

5. “Coopetition” – When Cooperation and Competition Come Together

Speakers: Prof. Dr Selma Kadic-Maglajlić and Prof. Dr Maja Arslanagić-Kalajdžić

The fifth gathering presented the concept of coopetition – a contemporary business strategy in which competitors simultaneously compete and cooperate. The discussion emphasised that digital transformation and AI are erasing the traditional boundaries between market roles, while trust and knowledge sharing are becoming key resources.

6. Quantum Security – “The Secrets of Quantum Cryptography”

Speaker: Dr Miralem Mehić

The sixth meeting was the best attended so far, with an audience that filled every available space. The conversation covered quantum cryptography, communications security and the readiness of Bosnia and Herzegovina for technologies that are arriving faster than ever. Questions about training skilled personnel, motivating young researchers and the country's scientific capacity resonated particularly strongly.

What Did All the Meetings Have in Common?

• Strong audience interest – the number of participants grew month by month.
• Open dialogue – questions came from students, professors, engineers and managers, as well as from citizens who want to understand the world around them.
• Connecting science and the community – each meeting showed how important it is to offer a space for conversations about knowledge outside formal institutions.
• Current topics – the focus was always on what is shaping the future: AI, robotics, light, biodiversity, business strategies and cyber security.

The Importance of the Initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina

In 2025, Science over Coffee established itself as one of the few platforms that brings together the academic community, young researchers, industry experts and interested citizens.

With the support of UNDP, through this project ANNT has contributed to developing a culture of public conversation about science, promoting interdisciplinarity and strengthening scientific literacy in society.

What's Next?

As we enter the last month of 2025, the organisers have announced that the programme will continue next year with new topics addressing key challenges of contemporary society.

The growing audience interest, the increasing number of questions and the fact that the last meeting needed “one more chair” show that Bosnia and Herzegovina has an active, curious and motivated scientific community. It just needs to be given the space.