In August, Pensoft welcomed colleagues from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) to the headquarters of the open-access scholarly publisher and technology provider in Sofia, Bulgaria. The visit featured discussions on scholarly publishing, future innovations, current challenges in academia, and potential collaborations.
The meeting’s central moment was the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, Pensoft’s CEO and founder, and Prof. Dr. Thai Hoang, Vice Chairman of the Scientific Council of Materials Science at VAST and Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology.
Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev noted that the MoU represents a key step toward strengthening international collaboration in scholarly publishing and that, by combining the expertise and experience of Pensoft and VAST, the aim is to make research more accessible and innovative for communities worldwide.
He added that he is pleased to visit Bulgaria and work with Pensoft Publishers, noting familiarity with Pensoft and the ARPHA publishing platform for their varied publishing solutions for scientific papers, monographs, academic books, and more, along with professional and efficient work, which he considers prestigious. It was highlighted that, following this MoU, the next step will be to explore ways to use the ARPHA publishing platform for publishing Vietnam’s scientific journals, books, and other research outputs.
Over the course of the visit, the group engaged in further dialogue. Guests from VAST presented details about their publication outlets and shared views on the Vietnamese scholarly publishing landscape, as well as the country’s cultural heritage and natural sites.
Pensoft, in turn, outlined the company’s more than three-decade trajectory, from the launch of its first journals to the continuous development of several publication platforms and solutions, including the end-to-end ARPHA platform. The portfolio now includes over 80 open-access peer-reviewed journals, comprising both Pensoft-launched titles and others owned and run by research institutions, universities, and learned societies worldwide.
The visit extended beyond the office, with the publisher’s management inviting the guests on a several-day trip in Bulgaria that included the cultural and historic centers of Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa.
By the end of the visit, both parties stated that their meeting in Bulgaria reflects a shared goal to advance open, innovative, and accessible scholarly communication. With the MoU in place, they expressed an intention to turn this mutual understanding into specific collaborative initiatives.
With timely coincidence after the visit, one of the VAST delegates, biologist Prof. Dr. Quang Manh Vu (also affiliated with Hoa Binh University, Hanoi, Vietnam), together with Bulgarian and Vietnamese colleagues Dr. Ivailo Dedov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) and Dr. Tuan Trieu Anh (Hung Vuong University, Viet Tri City, Vietnam), published a study in Pensoft’s inaugural and flagship journal in zoological systematics, ZooKeys. The paper lists species of slugs and semi-slugs of the superfamily Helicarionoidea collected by the team in North Vietnam in 2023. Among the specimens, the scientists identified a species of semi-slug new to science and named it after Pensoft’s Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, who has a background as a biologist and taxonomist.
In a news announcement, Dr. Ivailo Dedov explained that, upon recognizing a new species, he immediately chose the name Ostracolethe penevi, saying he had long intended to name an intriguing species after his friend Prof. Lyubomir Penev, whom he credits with elevating the visibility of Bulgarian science and providing personal support over the years.
Prof. Dr. Quang Manh Vu added that the newly described species should bear a name reflecting the generosity of nature, the advancement of science, and the enduring friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria.
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