Bulgaria Academy of Sciences Plans to Create Own University

The BAS President, Nikola Sabotinov, says the new BAS University will be one of the largest ones in Southeastern Europe. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is planning to establish their own university, the BAS President, Nikola Sabotinov, informs.

The new Research University will issue Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees and will enroll both Bulgarian and foreign students.

According to the BAS Chief Science Secretary, Stefan Hadzhitodorov, the institution has the necessary equipment for the new university; its library is second in the country after the one of the Sofia University, while 15% to20% of the BAS staff can serve as educators.

Sabotinov further says the future university will be one of the largest ones in Southeastern Europe, but the concrete details of the plan are still forthcoming.

In addition, according to the planned new BAS structure, the current 69 institutes will be reduced to 42 and the changes are to be approved by the Parliament within the next month. BAS aims at keeping the quality of their research despite the reform, Sabotinov says.

The BAS Head further informed he is expecting the opinions on the reform from the President, the Parliament, and the Education Minister.

Currently, 400 scientist and researchers have received retirement notices while 10% of those positions have already been filled by younger people.

The GERB cabinet of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, led by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov declared earlier their intention to reform the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in order to do away with old methods of work and to make Bulgarian scientific products more marketable.

BAS is supposed to present at the end of January 2010 their Reform Plan, per the directive of Education Minister, Sergey Ignatov.

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