Eleven young scholars and post-doctorates of the Institute of Stockbreeding Sciences in the town of Kostinbrod will upgrade their qualifications in a project financed under the Human Resources Development Operational Programme, project manager Maya Ignatova told reporters.

The two-year scheme, under which around BGN 197,000 will be disbursed, is supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.

The project aims to help unlock the scientific potential of the Institute and secure consistency in science, according to Ignatova.

Tapping resources from the European Social Fund (ESF), young scholars will be able to purchase up-to-date equipment for new scientific research as well as gain access to specialized databases and e-libraries. The scheme will also fund trainings at home and abroad, including joint projects with farmers.

The scholars are pinning their hopes on the scheme to get them out of the vicious circle of not having won a single project under an operational programme due to outdated equipment and research methods.