Forty-one young scientists from nine scientific divisions received certificates for successful implementation of projects under the Program for Supporting Young Scientists and PhD Students at BAS. The honors were awarded for achieved results with a particularly significant scientific contribution. The ceremony was held on 2 October at the National Archaeological Museum as part of the events marking the 150th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
The Ministry of Education and Science has provided a targeted subsidy of BGN 2 million for the implementation of the Program. 184 contracts were concluded with young scientists in 2017 with an implementation period of 18 months.
The award ceremony was opened by Prof. Rositsa Nikolova, Chairwoman of the Commission for Young Scientists at the General Assembly of BAS. Young scientists need a good foundation on which to build their new ideas, and we need their critical eye, said Prof. Nikolova. She added that all the projects funded had been successfully implemented, which made it difficult for the commission to identify the distinguished ones. The President of BAS, Prof. Julian Revalski, described the Program as a step in the right direction towards retaining young people in science.
The Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev congratulated the winners on the achieved results and used the opportunity to get acquainted with the outcomes of the projects. The loss of young people is the biggest waste of resources in our country. We need to find a mechanism for stronger support for young scientists, and this program is only a step towards ensuring good conditions for their work, said Minister Valchev.
Dr. Karekin Esmeryan of the Institute of Solid State Physics and Valentin Voskresenski of the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum thanked for the opportunity to fund their research under the Program for Supporting Young Scientists and PhD Students at BAS. Dr. Esmeryan said that his project had purchased specialized equipment to study human reproductive potential which was directly related to in vitro procedures. He appealed on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences the funding for Bulgarian science to be raised significantly, which would stimulate young people and bring back Bulgarian science in the time of Academician Georgi Nadjakov.
You can get acquainted with the awarded projects, the video presentation, and the recording of the ceremony.
