From July 15 to July 25, 2025, the Scientific Research Association organized its 32nd Summer Field Project. The project involved 25 members of the association, including 22 students from the Faculty of Pharmacy in Skopje. The primary location of the project was Shar Planina National Park, while part of the activities also took place within the territory of Mavrovo National Park. The project was conducted under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Gjose Stefkov.

The field activities were divided into three stages:

1. Assessment of the annual production of bilberry and juniper within the territory of Shar PlaninaNational Park

2. Field surveying using digital technologies – drones equipped with multispectral cameras and a handheld spectrometer

3. Collection of medicinal and aromatic plants, their identification, and subsequent phytochemical analysis (post-field laboratory activities). This part of the project was carried out at two locations: Popova Shapka (Shar Planina National Park) and the village of Zhirovnica (Mavrovo National Park).

The first stage of the field activities—the assessment of bilberry and juniper resources—is a long-term SRA project aimed at contributing to the sustainable use of these natural resources. In 2024, fenced plots were established for the annual assessment of bilberry and juniper resources, and as a continuation of the project, these plots were further analyzed.

As an extension of the project, the field sites were additionally surveyed using drones with multispectral cameras and a handheld spectrometer in order to correlate remote sensing data with field measurements. Through dedicated training, young researchers were given the opportunity to become familiar with modern technologies for field data collection.

The project gallery can be viewed here.