For about 30 years, the EU has funded the Erasmus programme, which has enabled approx. 10 million mobility participants to spend part of their training in another higher education institution or organization in Europe.

Erasmus+ provides such opportunities for:

Students / PhD students. Studying abroad is a key part of Erasmus+ and has been shown to have a positive effect on job prospects. It is also a chance to improve your language skills, gain self-confidence and independence, and immerse yourself in a new culture. BAS teaches only PhD students. From 91 to 365 days.

Internships (training). Erasmus+ helps you gain valuable workplace experience by supporting internships abroad. BAS trains Master, Bachelor and PhD students and recent graduates. From 61 to 365 days.

Staff (lecturers). Erasmus+ offers opportunities to spend time teaching in an educational institution abroad. These opportunities are available both for employees working in the education sector and for people working outside the sector invited to share their knowledge and experience. From 2 to 365 days.

Staff (training). With Erasmus+ there are opportunities for training of employees working in the field of education, both in teaching and non-pedagogical capacity. Periods of study abroad can consist of job-shadowing, participation in seminars or other types of training. From 2 to 365 days.

The new Erasmus+ programmme cycle (2021-2027), simply called Erasmus or EPLUS, continues the development of the previous one with a budget of 26.2 billion euros – an increase of approx. 80%. The Erasmus programme now aims to build a European educational area by 2025. The vision contained in this policy is that across the EU:

  • spending time abroad to study and teach should become the norm;
  • higher education qualifications must be recognized throughout the EU;
  • proficiency in two languages ​​in addition to the mother tongue must become the standard;
  • everyone must have access to high-quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background;
  • people must have a strong sense of their identity as Europeans, of Europe’s cultural heritage and its diversity.

Priorities:

Erasmus+ aims to contribute to achieving the goals of Europe’s Digital Decade by digitizing the administrative processes of mobility management, in line with the technical standards of the European Student Card Initiative.

The priority of the Erasmus+ programme is to promote environmental practices in all activities related to the programme. The European Green Pact / Green Deal expresses the desire Europe to be the first continent to be climate-neutral. The European Union is focusing on sustainable, innovative and climate-friendly growth in the coming decades, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The goal of transforming the EU economy and reducing the carbon footprint has been set by the Commission with a horizon of 2050.

The Erasmus+ programme promotes equity and inclusion by facilitating the access of disadvantaged participants and those with fewer opportunities for reasons such as: disability (ie participants with special needs): people with mental (intellectual, cognitive), physical, sensory or other disabilities; economic barriers: people with low living standards, low incomes, dependence on the social assistance system or homeless; young people in long-term unemployment or poverty; people in debt or with financial problems; cultural differences: immigrants or refugees or descendants of immigrant or refugee families; people belonging to a national or ethnic minority; health problems: people with chronic health problems, severe or psychiatric illnesses; social barriers: people facing discrimination on the grounds of sex, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc .; people in an insecure situation; (former) drug or alcohol abusers; young and / or single parents; orphans; geographical barriers: people from remote or rural areas; people from urban problem areas; people from less served areas (limited public transport, poor facilities)

Encouraging the civic engagement of learners and staff by involving them as active citizens before, during and after their participation in mobility.

Documents

Download all

Incoming Erasmus

TitleSizeDate added
Course Catalogue 2022-20233.88 MB14.04.2022 в 18:18
Course Catalogue 2021-20224.33 MB13.04.2021 в 6:50
Cost of living database11.41 KB26.03.2021 в 17:25
Bulgaria discovered4.01 MB26.03.2021 в 17:09
Erasmus+ Course Catalogue 2020-20219.68 MB06.03.2020 в 16:42
Erasmus+ Course Catalogue 2019-2020 V29.36 MB31.05.2019 в 16:35
Erasmus+ Course Catalogue 2019-20209.36 MB30.04.2019 в 18:30
Course Catalogue 2017-20181.58 MB12.01.2018 в 13:25
Erasmus Office12.22 KB12.01.2018 в 13:25
BAS Guide951.71 KB12.01.2018 в 13:25
Grading System30.50 KB12.01.2018 в 13:25

Institutional Coordinator

Prof. Evdokia Pasheva, DSc
Vice-President of BAS
Phone: +359 2 979 52 31
E-mail: eva@bio21.bas.bg

Erasmus+ Office

BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Erasmus code: BG SOFIA30
Erasmus office: 1, 15 noemvri Str, room 103, 1040 Sofia
E-mail: erasmus@cu.bas.bg

Institutional Coordinator:
Prof. Evdokia Pasheva, DSc
Vice-President
Phone: +359 2 979 52 31
E-mail: eva@bio.21.bas.bg

Erasmus Coordinator:
Tomina Galibova, Chief Expert
Agreements, Staff mobility, Incoming mobility
Phone: (+359 2) 979 5387
E-mail: erasmus@cu.bas.bg

Erasmus Assistant:
Tsvetomir Yonchev, Juniour Expert
International Relations
Phone:(+359 2) 979 5235
E-mail: erasmus@cu.bas.bg

Visas and insurances:
Plamen Stefanov, Seniour Expert
Phone: (+359 2) 979 5238
E-mail: stefanov@cu.bas.bg

Psychological support for participants in mobility:
Prof. Katya Stoycheva, PhD
Department of Psychology
Institute for Population and Human Studies
Email: kstoycheva@iphs.eu

Psychological support for participants in mobility:
Prof. Dr. Katya Stoycheva
Department of Psychology
Institute for Population and Human Studies
Email: kstoycheva@iphs.eu

Calendar

  • 1 October – beginning of academic year

  • 30 September – end of the previous academic year. All grants must have been transfered and all mobility participants must have returned by then.

  • April-May – application of PhD students, lecturers and staff for mobilities during the next academic year. The invitations are announced on the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences web site, in the Erasmus column or in the News section and are sent on paper to all units of the Academy.

  • September – possibly a second call for PhD students

  • mid-April – June: deadlines for submitting the applications of the PhD students approved by BAS to host universities, different for each of them, for the first semester or the whole year

  • mid-October – December: deadlines for submitting the applications of PhD students approved by BAS to host universities for the second semester (different for each HEI)

Impressions

My Erasmus+ mobility began in September 2015 and ended February 2016. I was in Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland. I had the opportunity to do a lot of work on my dissertation and to meet new people. As a whole, administration at the University helped and responded quickly. The library was relatively rich (English), and it was amazing for me that there were books in Bulgarian published last year. The courses were in English but there were are also in Polish for those who spoke the language well. In this line of thinking, teachers were also very helpful and quick to react.

Regarding the city – it is nice, there is what to see especially during the spring-summer season. There are many museums, parks and gardens. It’s actually a pretty green city. But I definitely recommend a trip to Krakow – an exceptional city. And in general – a travel to Poland. Even if you have already done so – visit the neighboring countries of Poland (and not only them). For this purpose, there is fast and cheap transport. And another recommendation – be careful with mentors! I wish a nice and fruitful trip!

Emiliya Tihova

My name is Karekin Esmeryan, and I’m currently a research associate at Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. Here I deal with the development of readily available and inexpensive methods for the synthesis of superhydrophobic and diamond-like carbon coatings for applications in anti-icing systems, shipbuilding, medicine and so on. My touch with Erasmus program was in the academic year 2012/2013 when I realized there was opportunity for specialization in different European research institutes and universities. After a brief search on the Internet, I myself found the host institution, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, and after a conversation with Professor Glenn McHale, we reached an agreement for me to leave for 6 months. I was provided with full co-operation by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and by Prof. Barlieva and Mrs. Tomina Galibova in particular who worked extremely professionally on all my desires and claims.

For me, the participation in the Erasmus program, purely personally, was an adventure. I saw what it was like to be a member of the international academic community, and I also touched on the different lifestyle in North England. Professionally, the Erasmus program was one of the main driving forces for my further development, as in Newcastle, under the guidance of Professor Glenn McHale, I became familiar with the methods of synthesis of superhydrophobic surfaces (also known as super water-repellent surfaces) and their practical applications. On the basis of what I had learned, I made a preliminary defense of my doctoral thesis within the 3-year legal term which earned me a prize of 1000 leva, and then I received my doctoral degree in just 3 months which brought me a prize of another 1000 BGN. Outside of the financial side, however, the Erasmus program helped me to achieve the necessary qualifications to continue my work as a researcher and to get the names of an American and a Bulgarian institution standing side by side. In this line of thinking, I recommend to everyone who hesitates to participate in the program to stop these doubts and take advantage of the opportunities. True, Erasmus also has some minor shortcomings, for example, a grant that is a bit below the standard of host countries but with good motivation, organization and purposefulness, one overcomes these obstacles.

I have the best feelings about these past days, and I wish success to all colleagues who will be participating in the program.

Karekin Esmeryan

As a PhD student at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, I was seconded to Venice, Italy under the Erasmus+ program in the period June-August 2015. During my mobility, I worked on my dissertation at Ca’Foskari University. The coordinator at the host institution who was responsible for me, Prof. Iliana Krapova, was one of the most prominent generational syntaxists in the world.

Due to the specifics of life and infrastructure in Venice, university resources are scattered across multiple libraries in different parts of the city. Prof. Krapova, besides advising me on the topic of my doctoral’s work, also directed me to the most useful sources. Although summer is not among the most active academic periods, libraries and electronic resources were available almost all the time except for a short vacation in August. Staying in a foreign university offers great opportunities for academic contacts; for me, for example, it was very useful to communicate with Prof. Rodolfo Delmonte, a specialist in computer linguistics.

Along with specialized professional contacts, I have to mention the presence of the so-called Buddy program. Under this program, students from Ca’Foscari are helping newcomers which is extremely useful in getting to know the life in an unknown university and a city as a whole. Venice is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and the cost of living is high even in comparison to other well-known Western European cities. During my mobility, I was staying at the College of Jejuites, one of the many religious institutions offering dormitories to students while such a form of accommodation allows for longer stays at more reasonable prices. Also, the presence of a student canteen and the possibility of using student cards for water transport contribute significantly to reducing daily expenses.

The exceptionally rich cultural program in Venice is far from concentrated around the Venetian carnival that takes place in the winter months. In the summer, within the traditional “Biennale”, there are numerous festivals with separate weeks dedicated to literature, dance and fine arts and many others. In the field of humanities, the “Shylock” festival dedicated to Shakespeare’s work and his play “The Venice Trader” were particularly interesting. As part of this festival, talks with actors and directors from the Royal Shakespeare Theater were held. All of this was complemented by a student marathon in Venice and the Redentore Festival which is traditionally accompanied by spectacular fireworks at the Bay of San Marco and a temporary pontoon bridge linking Venice and the island of Giudecca. Of course, not only Venice but also the entire lagoon is a source of exciting experiences – Murano (the island of Venetian glass), Burano (famous for its exclusive lace and multicolored houses), Lido (with its beaches on the Adriatic) and Torcello (the island from which has stemmed the historic beginning of Venice). And as the culmination of the summer, the International Film Festival in Venice can be accepted with premieres of world film productions in the presence of prominent actors and directors.

The three months in Venice under the Erasmus+ program became a true scientific expedition that was very fruitful to my research and enriched me with many positive emotions and experiences.

This was my second participation in the Erasmus program, and this time I had to combine regular studies at a foreign university with research work at a foreign scientific institute as well. This gave me the opportunity to enrich my scientific knowledge twice and to go back to the university bench but under completely new conditions.

I had the opportunity to study in one of the newest and best equipped university campuses across Central Europe. I also participated in a number of university initiatives that allowed me to travel, get to know new people with similar interests and learn more about other cultures. The Erasmus + program is an inexhaustible source of knowledge, full of many possibilities, dynamics and prospectives for the development of a young scientist!

Sending institution: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Center for Phytochemistry
Host institution: Masaryk University and Institute of Biophysics at the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
Academic stay: Winter (autumn) semester of the academic year 2015/16 (4 months)

Yordan Georgiev, Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry

I am Ralitsa, and I am a PhD student at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics at AS. During the academic year 2012-2013, I studied for three months at the Department of Genetics at the Faculty of Biology of Silesian University, Katowice, Poland.

I learned about the opportunities provided by the Erasmus Program from a colleague of mine, a PhD student, who explained to me the application procedures and the required documents in detail, and also enthusiastically inspired me to visit another European country and to see what was the academic, social and cultural life around the world.

My first impression of Poland in the face of Katowice and its inhabitants was amazement by the immense differences in architectural, cultural and traditional aspects such as numerous red buildings, the large, well-maintained green areas, well-organized public transport, clean streets and numerous churches and others.

For the three months of my training in Katowice, I was accommodated in a dormitory at Silesian University. The conditions were good. The only thing that surprised me was that even though the block I was housed was primarily designed for foreign students, janitors rarely spoke a language other than Polish which sometimes caused problems.

The local organization of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN Katowice) organized meetings of the Erasmus students from different universities in Katowice every two weeks. There I had the opportunity to meet with students who had come from different parts of Europe under the Program and exchange with them ideas and impressions on various topics. ESN Katowice also organized a fun and pleasant outing to Polish Beskid Mountains as well as a trip to one of the coal mines near Katowice. They were also the main coordinator of the traditional week of the Silesian Days where various opportunities for further development of Erasmus students were presented by local firms and institutions. Of course, the useful was combined with the pleasant in the form of different games, competitions and entertainments.

PhD students and scientists from the Department of Genetics at Silesian University were very kind and willing to help at any moment with whatever they can. Weekly seminars were held to discuss results obtained by different PhD students. Seminars were held in English not only so that I could understand them but also to train the very PhD students to deliver presentations in English by themselves. Besides, I had the opportunity to attend lectures given by visiting scientists. In general, the working atmosphere at the Biological Faculty of Silesian University was very creative.

Overall, these three months in Poland were an incredible experience. I made new friends, learned new methods to apply in my scientific work, I immersed myself in a different culture.

I would recommend for the Program to be more widely promoted and for everyone to take advantage of its potential.