Bankruptcy Looms for Bulgaria Academy of Sciences

The BAS Chair, Nikola Sabotinov, is desperate over the lack of State funding for the Academy. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is near bankruptcy, the BAS Chair Nikola Sabotinov said Monday.

Sabotinov announced that the Academy can afford to pay their electric and heating bills only for February and the money has been collected through BAS own savings.

“The State only pays the salaries. Urgently look for research projects and resources so that we do not have to stop work,” Sabotinov appealed to the Directors of the different BAS institutes.

BAS has a BGN 74 M budget and they are wired 12 times a year, in monthly installments.

“All business trips, all international activities, even those that have been agreed on the government level, are frozen,” the BAS Chair said in desperation.

Meanwhile, the BAS General Assembly decided to vote a declaration against the intentions of the Education Minister, Sergey Ignatov, to “shut down” the Academy, as they say, by merging BAS institutes with colleges and universities.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!