A great number of researchers and specialists in the Balkan region have been engaged in mineral processing research for several decades. The goal of this research has been the establishment of concentration processes in industry, capacity enlargement, process optimization, increasing the energy efficiency of processes and equipment, and the introduction or development of new machines and innovative processes. Based on these activities, Balkan mining and mineral processing have been continuously developing and operating to this day.
As a result, a significant number of successful researchers in the field of mineral processing have emerged in the Balkan countries. They founded the first Balkan Mineral Processing Committee (BMPC) in 1973, followed by the Balkan Academy of Science on Mineral Technologies (BASMT).

The Balkan Congress on Mineral Processing has been held for more than 50 years. The first conference was held in Varna (Bulgaria) on November 12–15, 1973. At the last session of the conference, the Balkan Scientific Committee for Mineral Processing Conferences was established. During its first sessions, the Committee agreed to hold a Balkan Mineral Processing Conference every two years in a different Balkan country.
Participation in the work of the Committee serves as a strong link between the development of science and the profession in line with global trends, providing opportunities for direct contact between researchers, designers, equipment manufacturers, and investors from the region and around the world.
It has already become a tradition to hold the event biennially as an international gathering, attracting participants not only from the Balkan countries but also from all over the world.
Since then, 19 congresses have been organized by various Balkan countries, namely Albania (2), Bulgaria (4), Bosnia-Herzegovina (1), Greece (1), Kosovo (1), Macedonia (1), Romania (3), Serbia (3), and Türkiye (3).

The XXth Balkan Mineral Processing Congress (BMPC 2026) will be held in Istanbul on April 9–11, 2026, organized by Istanbul Technical University – Faculty of Mining – Department of Mineral Processing Engineering and the Turkish Mining Development Foundation (YMGV).
BMPC 2026 will bring together a large number of senior officials from Türkiye and other countries, as well as representatives from companies operating in the mining and mineral processing industry, creating an opportunity to evaluate the future of the sector.
In this context, BMPC represents a technical platform for promoting the safe and sustainable future of the mining and mineral processing industries in the Balkan countries.
Important topics such as Mining Operations (Open-pit, Underground, In-situ) related to Mineral Processing, Material Analysis and Mineral Characterization, Comminution and Classification, Coal Processing, Processing of Industrial Minerals, Physical Concentration Methods, Dewatering, and Wastewater Treatment will be evaluated during the congress.