The BAS central headquarters in downtown Sofia. Photo by BGNES
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) should not be closed, but needs to undergo a serious reform, according to a poll of the National Center for Study of Public Opinion (NZIOM).
The poll has been conducted between March 5 and 12.
91% of the respondents believe BAS must exist while the number of its institutes needs to be reduced and their work optimized.
Over 50% say the BAS reform is a complex process that needs to be supported while 41% think that BAS scientists are the people who know best the Academy's problems and possibilities thus they need to plan and carry out the reform without external input.
38% see the negative attitude towards BAS as a consequence of the lack of public knowledge and consider such attitude to be against the real interests of the country. Another 25% believe the “attack on BAS” is due to lack of knowledge about the European examples.
64% think that reducing funding for science is unacceptable even in times of crisis, but the other 36% are of the exact opposite opinion. The latter are mostly people without education degrees and people who live below the poverty line.
The strong optimists about the BAS future after the reform represent 34% of the people polled. The majority of them are between 40 and 49 years of age, live in the capital Sofia and enjoy higher living standards. 42% are moderate optimists, thinking that BAS would become a winner under certain conditions such as adequate selection of institutes and sound management. This group includes people 59 and older. Only 17% say the discussed reforms would not lead to any positive outcome.