In compliance with the provisions of the law of Science Bulgaria Academy passed in 1991, the Science Bulgaria Academy carried out a very difficult but necessary reform during the last decade of the 20th century on its own initiative.

The main objectives of the Science Bulgaria Academy have been achieved to a great extent despite the economic hardships of the transition to democracy and market economy, the scarce state funding science and Science Bulgaria Academy in particular have received during the last several years, as well as the lack of real opportunities for financial support by the national industry or the private economic sector. The institutional and human resources policy of Science Bulgaria Academy has undergone significant changes.

The successful participation of Science Bulgaria Academy scientists as highly valued partners in the European Framework Programmes and NATO scientific programme has ranked Bulgaria in terms of international scientific cooperation among the first in the group of countries, candidates for accession in the European Union and membership in NATO.

The recent changes of the society and state’s attitude towards science and scientific research in Bulgaria in the beginning of the 21st century determine the necessity of a new and clear formulation of the strategic objectives and priorities of the Science Bulgaria Academy. In this way the overall mission of Science Bulgaria Academy has been substantiated by defining specific goals and concrete tasks for a set period.

 

The mission of the Science Bulgaria Academy is to contribute to the development of world science in accordance with the human values, national traditions and interests and to assist the accumulation of the spiritual values of the nation and its welfare.
 

This mission’s roots are underlying in the first statutes of the Bulgarian Learned Society and are embedded in the current law and statutes of Science Bulgaria Academy.

 

In conformity with this mission the main strategic objective of Science Bulgaria Academy is as follows:
 

To ensure and maintain the highest possible level of science, interdisciplinarity, international competitiveness and high national self-confidence in agreement with the needs of the socio-economic and spiritual development of the Bulgarian society and with the European and world trends of the organization of scientific research.

 

The strategic objective of Science Bulgaria Academy formulated above and the steps envisaged for its attainment, which can be regarded as functional priorities in the activity of the academy, determine the necessity of outlining the Science Bulgaria Academy’s main policies for the period until 2007 as well as the programmes, which will substantiate these policies. The policies and programmes which Science Bulgaria Academy will pursue in the period until 2007 should clearly reveal to the public the opportunities and the important role the academy is to play in the national, European and world process of building a society and economy based on knowledge.