site.btaCabinet Allocates BGN 21.6 Mln for Antarctic Research, Developments in Computer Science

The Council of Ministers approved BGN 21,648,730 to finance some of the sites in the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructure. The funds are earmarked for research at the Bulgarian Antarctic base St. Kliment Ohridski and for developments of the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) at Sofia University.

The Bulgarian base in Antarctica operates seasonally. It offers infrastructure that creates conditions for research in disciplines such as climatology, geology, physics, biology, medicine, etc. An important element that complements the Bulgarian Antarctic infrastructure is the naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421), which serves as a mobile platform for marine research.

The funding required in 2024 of BGN 8,818,762 is provided to cover the costs associated with the annual and recurrent maintenance of the base, repairs to structural elements, telecommunications services and equipment, phased overall refurbishment, purchase of specialized research equipment.

INSAIT's funding of BGN 12,829,968 for 2024 will be used to develop a research group in the field of natural language processing, to increase the number of young researchers, to attract renowned professors and leading scientists in the field of computer science and AI to join the work process at INSAIT in Sofia.