On the occasion of France Alumni Day 2026, the French Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the French Institute gathered more than 60 participants on June 19 at the French Residence in Sarajevo. The gathering included former students of French higher education institutions, researchers, academics, and partners, under this year’s theme: “Scientific Talents: Networking, Innovating, and Entrepreneurship.”
The event featured the first Bosnian and Herzegovinian edition of the “My Thesis in 180 Seconds” competition, where eight young doctoral students faced the challenge of presenting years of research in just three minutes before a jury composed of representatives from the Universities of Sarajevo and Banja Luka, and the French Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first prize was awarded to Melisa Ničević for her presentation “Antibiotic Resistance of Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Animals in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” which is the product of her research conducted in collaboration with the universities of Sarajevo and Paris-Saclay in France.
The second prize went to Marija Runić, while the audience award was given to Damir Androšević.
The first-prize winner, Ničević, expressed her special gratitude to the French Embassy for enabling her to connect with a top-tier university and experts, emphasizing that this is of great importance for her research on antibiotic resistance. She stressed that although the topic is extremely significant, it still rarely makes media headlines, and it is necessary to speak about it much more.
This event confirmed the vitality of the France Alumni network, which currently brings together more than 600,000 members in over 130 countries. This community in Bosnia and Herzegovina is growing, with more than 100 alumni already registered on the connected platform.
Numerous excellent careers of former students from Bosnia and Herzegovina educated in France were highlighted at the meeting, alongside the role of alumni in strengthening scientific, academic, economic, and cultural ties between France and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The statement from the French Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina also announced that the France Alumni network in our country will organize other events throughout the year.
