Published on
17.10.2025. u 09:18h
University College “CEPS – Center for Business Studies” in Kiseljak was a partner of the first international thematic scientific professional workshop on forecasting, responding to, and managing crises caused by natural disasters, which are increasingly affecting Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the entire regioN.
One year after the catastrophic floods that struck Bosnia and Herzegovina, CEPS in Kiseljak was hosted a five-day workshop titled "Candor" (Complete Situational Awareness for Natural Disaster Overcoming and Response) from October 5 to 9, 2025. The event will bring together renowned experts from eleven countries — the United States, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This thematic scientific-professional workshop is the result of a joint multidisciplinary team composed of: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amer Smailbegović – U.S.-based NGO DTCare, Sarajevo Office; Prof. Dr. Mirjana Laban – Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mirzo Selimić – CEPS Kiseljak; Prof. Dr. J. Pete Blair – Texas State University; and Dr. Beata Randusová – Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute in Bratislava (SHMU).
The workshop is organized by the U.S.-based non-governmental organization DTCare – Sarajevo Office, the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, and CEPS Kiseljak. Workshop partners include Texas State University, the ALERRT Center, and the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute in Bratislava.
The workshop was opened with an introductory lecture by Dr. Lidra Zegali – Special Advisor to NATO in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Support to Security Institutions (NATO-HQSA Security Institutions Building Advisor), Ambassador of Slovenia Damijan Sedar, and Prof. Dr. Vladimir Cvetković from the Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade. The opening ceremony, expert lectures, and roundtable discussions will be attended by both domestic and international experts, as well as representatives of embassies and foreign missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Representatives from Texas State University (ALERRT Center) — Prof. Dr. Pete Blair, Prof. Dr. Hunter Martindale, and Prof. Dr. Jeff Bumgarner — will also participate in the workshop as part of the continuation of the ALERRT program. This program aims to provide law enforcement and crisis response agencies across the country with a simple, standardized set of skills that enable them to save as many lives as possible when responding to critical incidents.
The workshop is organized with the support of NATO’s "Science for Peace and Security" program. This is the first international workshop of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aiming to present new technologies, approaches, as well as practical skills needed to manage natural disasters and other crisis situations.
