The motivation of the new generation of scientists to achieve excellence and professional results, as well as their image in society are the highlights of the newly launched innovative project “Investigation of the motivation of personnel for career development in a regional cluster for plant breeding”.

The project is financed by Тhe Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF) and it was presented during a press conference organized by the coordinating organization – CPSBB. The aim of the project is to investigate staff motivation for career development by analyzing data from an empirical study. The attention of the academic team will be directed to an objective and accurate survey of the attachment of the employees to the organization in which they work, as well as to their social image.

In order to carry out the scientific research, CPSBB cooperates with a wide range of scientific organizations from the country and abroad. On the basis of partnership relations and work on national and international projects, a regional plant breeding cluster will be formed as an object of the present study. The regional cluster will include partners of CPSBB – scientific organizations and universities.

“In January 2023, we launched the project. The duration of the study is 36 months and it concentrates the efforts of an academic team of 10 scientists in the fields of Biology, Agricultural Sciences, Economics and Information Technology. “Scientist is the key to the future we want and the basis of innovation” is the motto of the project”, explained the Project Supervisor, Associate Professor Dr. Vesela Kazashka. “The obtained results will be summarized and provided to the Ministry of Education and Science and other interested parties, accompanied by a proposal with guidelines for policy development in this direction,” added Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesela Kazashka.

The change in the individual’s life in the context of the global health crisis, caused by COVID 19, is enormous. Economic changes, problems of a psycho-physiological nature have a serious impact on the human being. At the same time, the society gave clear signals and high expectations to researchers. The stereotype of scientists is constantly changing, moving in both poles – from increasing trust and appreciation for their work to extreme denial. Society’s attitude towards people of science inevitably affects the motivation of researchers, and changes the attitude of managers in science.

“The research is significant as it is in line with the current priorities of the national policy in the field of science for the development of Centers of Excellence, observing the principles of partnership, open access, and opportunities for the career development of researchers. We hope to gain new knowledge that will help professionals in solving problems related to education, social processes and human resources”, said Prof. Dr. Tsanko Gechev (Director of CPSBB) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vessela Kazashka.