20 Jun 2025
Enhanced Dialogue between Commission and Bulgaria aims to strengthen R&I policies and discusses PSF country review
On 17-18 June 2025, representatives of the European Commission and of Bulgaria met in Sofia for an Enhanced Dialogue meeting. Nicolai Vitanov, Deputy-Minister for Education and Science, and Georgi Angelov, Deputy-Minister for Innovation and Growth hosted the meeting, with the EC delegation being led by Marc Lemaître, Director-General in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
The meetings centered around the development of Bulgarian research and innovation in the European context. The discussions covered the new ERA Policy Agenda, the Start-up and Scale-up Strategy and the preparation of the next Framework Programme. Increasing participation in Horizon Europe and retaining and attracting talent are especially pertinent for Bulgaria so they got special attention.
The Enhanced Dialogue was combined with the dissemination event of the Policy Support Facility Bulgaria exercise, which provided an independent expert review assessing the Bulgarian R&I system. The experts provided a comprehensive set of recommendations in eight policy areas guiding Bulgaria to reform the national R&I system. Requested by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, the review identifies key structural challenges, including institutional fragmentation, low levels of public R&D investment, and limited career prospects for researchers. To address these issues, the expert panel recommends a strategic consolidation of research institutions, increased and stable public funding aligned with national priorities, and stronger support for research careers and collaboration across sectors. Improving governance, clarifying institutional roles, and enhancing performance-based funding mechanisms are also central to the proposed reforms.
For more information:
Enhanced dialogue with EU countries