site.btaOver 450 Scientists, Including Foreign Researchers, Have Worked at Bulgarian Antarctic Base in Past Three Decades

Bulgaria's expanding international cooperation in polar research, scientific achievements in Antarctic studies and plans for future development were presented on Wednesday by Rositsa Yaneva, Head of the Science Department at the National Centre for Polar Studies (NCPS), during a Bulgarian-Romanian Symposium on Scientific Research in Antarctica, held in Constanta, Romania.

Yaneva said international cooperation remains a key priority. More than 450 scientists have worked at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base over the past three decades, including a growing number of foreign researchers. Bulgarian scientists have also taken part in Turkish Arctic expeditions to Svalbard, while cooperation with Romanian researchers continues to expand.

Yaneva outlined the history of Bulgaria's polar activities, which began with the first Antarctic expedition in 1988. The Bulgarian Antarctic Institute was established in 1993 as the national operator for Antarctic activities, while the NCPS was founded at Sofia University in 2008 to coordinate research programmes and expeditions with government support.

Bulgaria is an active member of major international polar organizations, including the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the European Polar Board. Bulgarian researchers also participate in international initiatives such as EU PolarNet, POLARIN and Antarctica InSync, a UN-backed project supporting coordinated scientific observations across Antarctica, Yaneva said.

The Bulgarian programme combines infrastructure development, scientific research and logistical support through funding from the Education and Science Ministry, the National Polar Programme and the National Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructure. Annual calls finance multidisciplinary research projects in fields including geology, biology, environmental monitoring, engineering and medicine, while separate grants encourage the participation of young scientists.

The expert highlighted the importance of long-term environmental monitoring at Bulgaria's Antarctic Base on Livingston Island, one of fewer than five maritime Antarctic sites included in the international Long Term Ecological Research network. The Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) has also expanded opportunities for marine and oceanographic studies.

Since the launch of the current National Polar Programme, more than 50 Bulgarian scientists, along with 15 young researchers and postdoctoral fellows, have carried out research at the country's Antarctic station, Yaneva said. The programme supports about seven major research projects and up to two projects led by young scientists each year, with a strong emphasis on publishing in leading international scientific journals.

Looking ahead, Yaneva said that Bulgaria will host the first Balkan Polar Conference in Aheloy this November, with the call for abstracts remaining open until the end of July. Bulgaria is also preparing to host the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference in 2028 and plans to organize additional initiatives linked to the forthcoming International Polar Year.