The strategic programme “Bulgaria 2030”, approved by the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, aims to stimulate the publication activity of domestic scientists. How does this initiative work? Who is it designed for? Can researchers receive financial payments for publications in international journals? Read about this in today’s article.
What does the National Support Programme provide?
The National Programme “Stimulating publication activity in reputable international journals and open access to scientific information” is one of the initiatives of the direction “Innovative and Smart Bulgaria” within the implementation of the development strategy “Bulgaria 2030”, which we talked about in one of the previous articles.
It is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy through knowledge and smart growth, strengthening the role of science, and increasing the visibility of research results in international registers.
Main directions of the programme
The programme covers two main strategic directions of development, which are aimed at strengthening the scientific sphere of Bulgaria. In particular, the initiative implements measures from the Operational Plan of the National Strategy for the Development of Scientific Research and the National Plan for the Development of the “Open Science” initiative. What do they consist of?
The first direction is dedicated to stimulating publications in journals indexed in the Web of Science or Scopus databases. In addition, special attention is paid to the quartiles of these publications. This is a special system for ranking scientific journals in a specific subject area. In total, there are four categories (that is, quartiles), namely: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.
Priority for this programme is given to articles in journals of the first and second quartile, since the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences provides funding exclusively for publications in these two categories. This makes it possible to increase the international visibility and citation of Bulgarian scientific results.
The second direction of activity is the active promotion of open science. It provides for ensuring free access to the results of research financed with public funds, as well as self-archiving of materials in specialised repositories. Among the key platforms are the Bulgarian Open Science Portal (BPOS), the national repository NACID, as well as institutional or international repositories that meet the standards of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and OpenAIRE.
These two directions work in a comprehensive manner: financial stimulation of publication activity is combined with the requirement to ensure open access to results. This approach not only increases the visibility and citation of the works of Bulgarian scientists, higher education institutions and scientific organisations, but also contributes to the development of international cooperation, exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary research. In the long term, this helps to integrate Bulgarian science into the global context and strengthen its impact on the economy and society.
Who can take part in the National Support Programme?
The programme is focused on non-profit scientific organisations of Bulgaria, as well as researchers from higher education institutions. It provides for granting them bonuses or other financial incentives for publications in international journals indexed by the Scopus and Web of Science databases.
Scientific organisations and educational institutions applying to participate in the programme must have:
- accreditation for the educational and scientific degree “Doctor” from the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation
- a profile in the Bulgarian Open Science Portal (BPOS)
The distribution of funds among participants takes place on the basis of an assessment of the publication activity of institutions and HEIs. For this purpose, special coefficients are used, which are multiplied by the number of publications in a journal of a specific quartile.
- In publications of the Q1 category: coefficient a1 = 6.
- In publications of the Q2 category: coefficient a2 = 4.
- In publications of the Q3 category: coefficient a3 = 2.
- In publications of the Q4 category: coefficient a4 = 1.
Publications in which the share of authors from the relevant organisation is less than 10% are counted with a coefficient of 0.5; if the share is less than 1% – with a coefficient of 0.05. Only articles indicating the address of the relevant institution in Bulgaria are accepted for consideration.
Expected results of the National Programme
- Increase in the number and quality of publications by Bulgarian authors in WoS/Scopus, especially in Q1/Q2.
- Improvement of the rankings of higher education institutions in international rankings.
- Promotion of open science.
- Increase in citation and participation of scientists in international projects.
- Increase in the competence of researchers and the quality of higher education in Bulgaria.
The National Programme for stimulating publication activity contributes to the dissemination of knowledge among citizens and business, the rapid practical application of research results, increasing the transparency of public investment in science and the international authority of Bulgaria.
The company Scientific Publications is ready to help successfully go through all stages of the publication process. Our managers will help you choose a journal, format the article in accordance with its requirements, and will accompany you up to the indexing stage. Would you like to receive a free consultation? Fill in the form below, and our manager will contact you as soon as possible. Together to the new scientific achievements!
