In June 2026, at the invitation of the Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF), a DFG delegation attended a Humboldt Kolleg in Sofia and held talks with the leadership of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as visiting a centre of excellence and the country’s leading university.

The DFG’s return visit followed an initial meeting with the Bulgarian National Science Fund in Bonn in the spring. The two funding organisations took the opportunity offered by this year’s Humboldt Kolleg in Sofia to strengthen their institutional ties. Entitled “Excellence in Science and Global Challenges Today”, the regional interdisciplinary conference was opened by BNSF Director Professor Dr. Yuri Kalvachev, who provided an overview of Bulgaria’s research landscape and current developments in its research system. The event was organised by the Humboldt Alumni Association of Bulgaria and supported by the Humboldt Foundation. More than 70 researchers from Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and Serbia gathered in Sofia to explore new prospects for collaboration in a range of research fields. 

The DFG delegation presented the Excellence Strategy and relevant DFG funding programmes for international cooperation. Given the lively discussion that followed and the numerous questions concerning funding and cooperation opportunities, there was clearly a keen interest in bilateral cooperation.

On the sidelines of the conference, the delegation held talks with the BNSF leadership. One of the main topics was the BNSF’s recent accession to the European umbrella organisation Science Europe, which opens up new opportunities for institutional cooperation. The talks followed on from initial discussions held with Yuri Kalvachev at the DFG Head Office in Bonn in February 2026.

The DFG delegation also visited the headquarters of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where participants explored ways of strengthening relations in discussions with Academy Vice President Professor Dr. Emmanuel Moutafov. Cooperation between the DFG and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has a long tradition: the two institutions concluded their first cooperation agreement as long ago as 1975.

The programme also included a meeting with Professor Dr. Tony Spassov, Vice Rector of Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, and a visit to the Bulgarian Centre of Excellence “Mechatronics and Clean Technologies”. DFG Physics and Chemistry programme officer Dr. Djawed Nauroozi spoke to researchers in the field of chemistry about current research projects and opportunities for future cooperation. With a budget of €35 million, the centre of excellence is Bulgaria’s largest research hub in terms of its capacity and research potential. It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Operational Programme “Science and Education for Smart Growth”. 

Bulgaria is a key partner to the DFG in Southeast Europe, and the organisation has funded projects involving Bulgarian researchers across a wide range of research fields for many years. The visit to Sofia highlighted new prospects for bilateral cooperation. Direct dialogue with the German Embassy was particularly valuable, and the latter will continue to actively support the DFG’s efforts to strengthen research and institutional cooperation in Bulgaria.