At the end of 2025, AIDASCO Reviews reached an important milestone with the publication of its first-ever Special Issue, dedicated entirely to the CONNECT 2025 Conference.
Published on December 29, 2025, as Volume 3, Issue 3, the Special Issue was entitled:
“CONNECT 2025 – Building the Knowledge Society Across Borders”
CONNECT 2025 was held from August 25–29, 2025, in Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing together students, early-career researchers and academics from the Western Balkans and connecting them with colleagues from Germany, Croatia, Turkey and Hungary. The conference promoted dialogue, knowledge exchange and scientific cooperation, with particular emphasis on strengthening connections between the Western Balkans and the European Research Area (ERA).
For AIDASCO Reviews, the Special Issue represented more than the publication of another journal issue. It introduced a new publishing format through which the journal can dedicate future thematic issues to scientific topics, conferences, academic events, institutions and collaborative initiatives.
From a conference to a permanent scientific record
One of the most valuable aspects of scientific meetings is what happens after the formal program ends.
Conferences create discussions, personal connections, new ideas and collaborations. However, many of these experiences disappear from the public scientific record once participants return to their institutions.
The CONNECT 2025 Special Issue was created partly to preserve these experiences.
Rather than consisting exclusively of conventional research papers, the issue collected reflections, experiences and broader perspectives arising from the conference. Particular attention was given to students and young researchers and to topics such as Open Science, academic careers, interdisciplinarity, science communication, artificial intelligence, international mobility and regional scientific cooperation.
This approach was particularly appropriate for CONNECT.
The CONNECT conference model differs from many conventional scientific meetings because it places students and early-career researchers at the center of the discussion. Interactive formats such as World Café discussions, teamwork and interdisciplinary exchange encourage participants to contribute actively rather than remain passive members of an audience.
Articles published in the CONNECT 2025 Special Issue
The complete Special Issue is available through AIDASCO Reviews – CONNECT 2025: Building the Knowledge Society Across Borders.
It contains the following contributions:
Editorial
Authors: Stevan Armaković, Sanja J. Armaković and Maria M. Savanović
The Editorial introduces the first Special Issue of AIDASCO Reviews and explains the motivation for dedicating it to CONNECT 2025.
Read the EditorialCONNECT: A Student-Centered Conference Model for Dialogue, Mentorship and Interdisciplinary Exchange
Author: Stevan Armaković
The article discusses the philosophy behind CONNECT and its student-centered approach to scientific dialogue, mentorship, interdisciplinary exchange and long-term community building.
Read the article8 Years Later: CONNECT 2017 Alumni’s Reflection on CONNECT 2025
Authors: Ajla Nurkanović and Goran Stanić
The contribution reflects on the authors’ journey from participation in CONNECT 2017 toward academic and research careers in Germany, and their return to CONNECT 2025 as contributors to the program.
Read the articleExperiencing CONNECT 2025
Author: Dušica Krunić
Written from the perspective of a young researcher, this contribution describes the value of international networking, World Café discussions, teamwork and exposure to different research environments.
Read the articleScience Communication as a Creative Endeavor
Author: Aleksandar Sredojević
This article examines science communication through the experience of the CONNECT 2025 group activities, emphasizing creativity, teamwork and the challenge of communicating scientific ideas effectively.
Read the articleCONNECT 2025: A Young Researcher’s Perspective
Author: Tina Tadic
The article presents CONNECT through the eyes of a young researcher and highlights networking, interdisciplinary interaction and the supportive environment created for early-career scientists.
Read the articleWhen Science Becomes Both the Impetus to Depart and the Rationale to Return
Author: Nikolina Nikolić
This contribution discusses Open Science, scientific mobility, the European Research Area and the role of international scientific connections in creating opportunities for researchers from the Western Balkans.
Read the articleInterdisciplinarity as a Foundation of Scientific Research
Author: Srđan Jakovljević
The article reflects on why increasingly specialized scientific disciplines also create a growing need for interdisciplinary collaboration, using experiences from CONNECT and its collaborative discussion formats as an example.
Read the article
Young researchers at the center
A particularly important feature of the Special Issue is the prominence given to students and early-career researchers.
Their contributions demonstrate that scientific conferences can provide much more than opportunities to present research results. They can expose young researchers to different academic environments, encourage them to build international networks, improve their ability to communicate science and give them confidence to participate actively in wider scientific discussions.
This was one of the defining characteristics of CONNECT 2025 and is also closely aligned with the mission of AIDASCO.
Supporting scientific collaboration means not only connecting established researchers, but also helping create the conditions in which the next generation of researchers can develop their own international scientific networks.
Open Science, interdisciplinarity and the European Research Area
The Special Issue also reflects several broader themes that shaped CONNECT 2025.
These include Open Science, research careers, gender equality, digital transition and artificial intelligence, widening participation, Twinning and COST programmes, as well as the integration of Western Balkan research communities into the European Research Area.
Although the individual articles approach these subjects from different perspectives, they share a common underlying message: modern science increasingly depends on connections across disciplines, institutions, countries and generations.
Scientific excellence remains essential, but the ability to exchange knowledge, establish trust and create opportunities for collaboration is equally important for building sustainable research communities.
The beginning of AIDASCO Reviews Special Issues
For AIDASCO Reviews, the CONNECT 2025 issue also opened an important new chapter.
The journal’s first Special Issue demonstrated how scientific publishing can be used not only to communicate conventional research results, but also to provide a permanent platform for academic communities, scientific events and collaborative initiatives.
Future Special Issues can build on this model by bringing together contributions around carefully selected scientific topics, conferences and collaborative activities.
The CONNECT 2025 issue therefore represents both a record of an important scientific meeting and a milestone in the development of AIDASCO Reviews itself.
CONNECT continues
The CONNECT community continues to develop, with CONNECT 2026 bringing students, young researchers and academics together again from August 31 to September 4, 2026, this time in Bečići, Montenegro.
The official CONNECT website contains information about the current conference, program and previous CONNECT activities:
Visit the official CONNECT website
As CONNECT moves forward, the first AIDASCO Reviews Special Issue remains a permanent record of the discussions, experiences and connections created during CONNECT 2025—and an example of how a conference can continue generating value long after its final session has ended.