site.btaBulgarian Academy of Sciences to Focus on Making Young Scientists Remain

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences to Focus on Making Young Scientists Remain

Sofia, January 30 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is launching a 2.0 million leva programme aimed to support and make young scientists remain in the country, Academician Julian Revalski said in an interview for BTA. Revalski was elected President of BAS with a four-year mandate on December 1, 2016.

Young scientists are classically defined as those under 35, Revalski said. There are some 240 young scientists at BAS and 620 doctoral students.

Scientists at BAS number 2,700 but the share of the young ones is not large, the BAS President said. One of the reasons for this is material because their payment is low. That is why BAS will launch a programme in support of young scientists similar to last year's. In addition to the need of supporting young scientists with additions to their salaries, this one will also target their participation in conferences and the provision of necessary equipment and consumables for R&D.

The programme is expected to be launched in February, Revalski said. He expects about 200 young scientists to be able to avail themselves of this step.

There are differences in the basic salaries at BAS, but now an assistant professor, who has to be a master of sciences and usually has a doctoral thesis, receives slightly over 500 leva (about 240 euro). Active BAS scientists also work on additional projects from which they can receive additional payment, Revalski said. Over 40 per cent of the academy's total budget comes from projects, he added. This year there is additional specific funding for certain tasks related to education, demographic processes, seismic risk and energy strategy.