Bulgarian and Swiss scientists will work together on scientific projects for 12 million Swiss francs

The program agreement for the Swiss-Bulgarian research program, part of the Second Swiss contribution to the enlarged European Union, was signed by the Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev, the Minister of Education Prof. Galin Tsokov and the Ambassador of Switzerland H.E. Raymond Fuhrer.

With a budget of almost 12 million Swiss francs, the program will support joint work and exchange of experience between Bulgarian and Swiss researchers. Another important part is maintaining the interest of young and promising researchers in the scientific profession and their realization in Bulgaria. The program operator is the "External European Programs" Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Science, and the "Science" Directorate together with the Swiss Foundation for Scientific Research will coordinate the implementation from the Bulgarian and Swiss sides.

The Swiss-Bulgarian research program is the first officially approved and signed program within the framework of the Second Swiss Contribution to the enlarged European Union, which includes 15 EU member states. The signing of the agreement coincides with the national holiday of the Swiss Confederation, which is celebrated on the first of August.

The program consists of three components:

· Multilateral Joint Research Projects ("MJRP") will support multilateral joint research initiatives and the creation of sustainable research partnerships between scientists and scientific organizations from Bulgaria, Switzerland and other EU countries;

· A program component for scientific exchange (“SCIEX”) aims to improve the work of Bulgarian higher education institutions and research institutions by developing the scientific potential of promising young scientists, doctoral students and postdoctoral students and providing mobility allowing them to visit Swiss research institutions;

· "PROMYS" - support for the promotion of young researchers from the European Union and Switzerland who have studied in Switzerland and want to develop an academic career in Bulgaria.

The program will run until the end of 2029, and calls for proposals will be published for each of the individual components. It is expected that the call for project proposals under "PROMYS" will be published in the second half of August 2023.

On September 20, 2022, Bulgaria became the first member state to sign a bilateral framework cooperation agreement with Switzerland. With the signing of the agreement on the "Scientific Research" program, Bulgaria is also the first country to start actual implementation of an active measure.