In 1980, Sector for Research Activities was founded by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Statute, organised in a laboratory complex. The full-time employees at the complex were researchers, associates, students and business experts. Research projects within the complex were implemented for the needs of business and social entities, financially aided by the Self-Management Community of Interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, research branch. The Sector for Research Activities was also tasked with cooperation with other research institutions. Until the 1992-1995 war, eight laboratory complexes were founded, each covering the broad fields of power engineering, automatics, computer science and information technology and telecommunications.
Initially, those were:
- Laboratory Complex for Electric Machines and Electromotor Plants (ELMA),
- Laboratory Complex for System Analysis (LASA),
- Laboratory Complex for Software Develop ment and Application (RIPS),
- Laboratory Complex for High Voltage and Electrical Networks (VINEM),
- Laboratory Complex for Electrophysical Measurements and Electromagnetic Fields (LEFEMP),
- Laboratory Complex for Electronics and Computer Technics (LERT), as well as
- Laboratory Complex for Telecommunications (LABTEL) and
- Laboratory Complex for Automatics (LAT), founded later.
Research conditions in the pre-war period were optimal. In such a surrounding, the faculty’s employees and associates partici pated in the creation of over 20 patents available throughout the world. Their research significantly contributed an accelerated development of the global industrial giant – the “Energoinvest” company, for many of them were also engaged in the company, and the results of their research were used on a daily basis in the products of the company. Research departments, that is, the “Energoinvest” laboratories, were also considered faculty laboratories, which bares witness to an inseparable connection between the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and he “Energoinvest” company. Apart from that, the development of other BiH industrial companies was significantly enhanced.
After the war, research activities have been renewed, and the projects started in 1996. Until today, the facukty has participated in over a hundred projects, both research and commercial.
Cooperation with international partners has also been initiated, hence, in the past five years only, the faculty had participated in six international projects:
- Boosting the telecommunications engineer profile to meet modern society and industry needs (BENEFIT), Erasmus+ Project BENEFIT, 585716-EPP-1-2017-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP, 2017 – 2020.
- i-MareCulture: Advanced VR, iMmersive serious games and Augmented REality as tools to raise awareness and access to European underwater CULTURal heritage, Horizon 2020 Project, H2020 RIA CULT-COOP-08-2016, 2016 – 2019;
- MORUS, Unmanned system for maritime security and environmental monitoring, FER Zagreb - Croatia, University of Limerick – Ireland, University of Dubrovnik – Croatia, 2015 – 2018;
- QUADRIVIO-PRO, ATV path planning on partially known rough terrains, 2014 – 2017, partnership with Politecnico di Milano; V-MusT.net - Virtual Museum Transnational Network, FP7 Network of Excellence 270404, 2011 – 2015.;
- Tackling the “Digital Divide” in SEE by using the capacity of DTT networks, South-East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme, 2012 – 2014.
- OPENQKD – Open European Quantum Key Distribution Testbed, Horizon 2020 Project, H2020 SU-ICT-04-2019, 2019 – 2022.
The gross fund for the implemented research projects in the past 10 years exceeded 1200000 KM (613106,98 EUR). Several commercial projects have been implemented in this period, valued at over 650000 KM (332099,62 EUR). Currently, there are over six research projects financed by different authority levels in BiH, as well as three international projects, implemented at the faculty.
Since the foundation, employees of the faculty have published over a thousand scientific and professional papers; many have been published in prestigious journals or presented at prominent international conferences.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering has signed business and technical agreements with a number of industrial partners, such as: “Elektroprivreda BiH”, “Energoinvest”, “Željeznice FBiH”, “Radio-televizija FBiH”, “Microsoft Corporation”, “Bosna-S”, “Elektroprivreda HZ HB”, “Schneider Electric”, etc.
Research and commercial projects have greatly contributed the development of scientific thinking, as well as the professional advancement of the staff and students, and the development of educational and research capacities. Inclusion of students into such projects is an important engagement in the development of a bright future of the BiH society.
The faculty can be proud of a number of employees and associates who have significantly contributed to the development of BiH science, and some of them have confirmed that through he membership at the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the highest scientific and artistic institution in the country. Seven academicians have so far been employed at the faculty, two of them were also elected President of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of BiH.
Employees of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering have been awarded for their achievements, including: the AVNOJ Award, the 27 July Award, the Golden Wreath for Exceptional Work, the 6 April Award of the City of Sarajevo, the “Veselin Masleša” Award, etc.
Fields of scientific research and development areas covered by specific departments are given, in more detail, on the departmental web pages.