Promotion of Young Scientists in Central and Eastern Europe

On 21 August 2023, the call for project proposals under the component “Promotion of Young Researchers in Central and Eastern Europe“ (PROMYS) was officially launched.

The component is implemented jointly by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Science.

The Swiss side is providing nearly 2 million Swiss francs, with the objectives of this component being to increase the competitiveness of the participating researchers, improve their integration into international research networks and promote major scientific achievements.

The Swiss-Bulgarian Research Programme is the first officially approved and signed programme under the Second Swiss Contribution to the enlarged European Union, which includes 15 EU Member States.

With a budget of almost 12 million Swiss francs, the programme will support joint work and exchange of experience between Bulgarian and Swiss researchers. Another important part is to maintain the interest of young and promising researchers in the scientific profession and their career development in Bulgaria.

The programme provides support (“MJRP”) for multilateral joint research initiatives and the establishment of sustainable partnerships in the field of research between scientists and research organisations from Bulgaria, Switzerland and other EU countries.

Through scientific exchange (“SCIEX”), the work of Bulgarian higher education institutions and research institutes will be improved by developing the scientific potential of promising young scientists, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers, and through mobility that will enable them to visit Swiss research institutions.

The “PROMYS” component is aimed at promoting young researchers from the European Union and Switzerland who have studied in Switzerland and wish to pursue an academic career in Bulgaria. The programme will be implemented until the end of 2029, with calls for proposals to be published for each of the individual components.

On 20 September 2022, Bulgaria became the first country among the Member States to sign a bilateral framework cooperation agreement with Switzerland.

By signing the agreement for the “Research“ programme, Bulgaria is also the first country to start the actual implementation of an active measure. The Programme Operator for the Programme is the “External European Programmes“ Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Science, and the “Science“ Directorate and the Swiss National Science Foundation will coordinate the implementation.

You can find the call here: http://bitly.ws/SEix

More information about Promys here: http://bitly.ws/SEnS

Deadline for preliminary registration: 29 September 2023.

Deadline for application: 30 November 2023.