BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN
MEMORANDUM ON SCIENCE AND
HIGHER EDUCATION ISSUES IN BULGARIA AS MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN
CONTENTS
BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN
Science
in
Rate
of development of the country…………………………………
Commitments
to the European Union ………..................................
Framework programmes and
funds of the European Union……..
“Knowledge-based”
economy……………………………………….
1. WHAT IS NECESSARY IS CLEAR AND CONSISTENT
GOVERNMENT
POLICY………………………………………………
2. INTENSIFICATION OF EFFICIENCY OF RESEARCH……...
3. MODERNISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION……………………..
4. FUNDING OF UNIVERSITIES AND SCIENTIFIC
ORGANISATIONS……………………………………………………….
5. PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC
POTENTIAL IN
6. SCIENCE, HIGHER EDUCATION AND BUSINESS………………...
7. CIVIL SOCIETY IN SCIENCE AND EDUCATION………………….
THE WAY OUT – CONSENSUS AND ENERGETIC JOINT
ACTIONS…………………………………………………………………
BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE-BASED
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN
(MEMORANDUM on science and
higher education issues in
In the course of
many years, the scientific community in Bulgaria and its most representative organisation
– the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria (USB), has insisted on putting an end to
the isolation of this community from solving the problems of the country’s
economy and has continuously motivated the necessity of increasing the governmental
support for science and higher education as a pivotal prerequisite for
overcoming problems of the transition. At conferences and symposia, public
discussions and national forums scientists offered scientific solutions to the
most vital problems but governments turned a deaf ear. The example of some
small European countries, the size of Bulgaria, that have achieved enviable
economic results placing them high in world rankings thanks to fronted
investment in science and education, did not change the situation.
Only on the threshold of Bulgaria’s
accession to the European Union (EU) did executive authorities begin,
reluctantly and strenuously, to overcome their alienation from the problems of
research, modern technology, innovation and education, the latter being the
decisive factors for the social and economic prosperity in our time.
At the beginning of 2006 USB
adopted and disseminated a Memorandum on science and higher education issues
relevant to the coming integration. The Memorandum received wide support from
the scientific community and elicited a number of initiatives of various
institutions and organisations. Only the official authorities involved with
these problems remained silent.
Finally, at the
beginning of 2007, the Ministry of Education and Science demonstrated activity
by publicising accents of a Strategy for Development of Higher Education
presenting as new facts repeated for years not only by USB but also by other
analysts – aging of scientists and university lecturers, low social status of
scientists, small number of young people choosing a career in science,
unfavourable students/teachers ratio, etc.
The major positions
formulated in the aforementioned Strategy of the Ministry of Education and
Science concern important issues but, as a whole, they focus mainly on the
relations between universities and government institutions with the view of
enlarging the scope of influence of the state. This is in flagrant
contradiction to the democratic process and good practices in European
countries. The Bologna Declaration for creating a common European education
area, which outlines the necessity of extending the independence and autonomy
of universities parallel with the growth of their responsibility, is entirely
disregarded. Only a few days after publicising the Strategy the Ministry
corrected some formulations in it after protests that the scientific community
was utterly unaware of it and came up with well-founded criticism. The main accents in the Strategy relate to
solving everyday situations and isolated problems but offer no strategic
decisions. They disregard European requirements for universities as centres of
knowledge and for research holding the key to a knowledge-based economy and
society.
Economists and politicians
launched in the media the idea of education as a market industry and not as a
“social sphere”. The idea is for business to replace the state in the
universities and the rate of student fees to become the sole criterion of
competition between the universities. The Ministry of Education and Science was
not able to avoid this wrong thesis, not applied in any other country in the
world. It involved the idea of increasing the funds for higher education only
within the limits of inflation rate and linking this increase with student fees,
paid education and the good will of business. It is absolutely unacceptable to turn universities and schools of
higher education, public institutions of major importance, entirely into
market-based establishments. This may be convenient for some government
officials and interest groups but it cannot relieve the state from its social
functions, cannot invalidate the implementation of recommendations by European
experts and the commitment to allocate progressively growing funds to science
and higher education.
The last amendments to the
Law of Higher Education made by the National Assembly solved some long-standing
problems. But they are far from solving the problems of higher education, from
improving the quality of education and its conformity with the labour market of
tomorrow, the mobility of teachers and students, the development of research,
etc.
The thesis that the
state is unable to exert influence on the management of state universities,
spread by politicians and economists, is untenable. Practically the state
predetermines the policy of state universities by means of laws and sub-normative
acts, by means of fixed funding and state regulations. Instrumental in this
respect are also the National Agency of Evaluation and Accreditation, the
Supreme Attestation Commission, the Chamber of Accounts, financial and
juridical institutions. The contention that university authorities put their
interest first and disregard the interests of students and business is even
more untenable. The propagator of this thesis is the Minister of Education and
Science himself. He managed to impose the establishment of a supervisory
council, which practically achieved the only goal of including a representative
of the Minister in it.
Science in
Bulgarian science is left on
its own to find ways of survival. As early as 2003 the Law of Stimulating
Research defined science and research as national priority but solved none of
the problems. Practically, the policy of the government authorities did nothing
to implement this priority. The Law contained the obligation of creating a
National Strategy for the Development of Research. Today there is no trace of
such a strategy. The Law re-established the Research Fund but the regulations
of this fund remain unfulfilled, i.e. it does not function as a legal entity
and there is no cooperation with the National Innovation Fund. The newly
established National Research Council exists only formally and does not
function despite the serious goals attributed to it. Measures for the preservation
and development of the infrastructure of viable and promising scientific units
in biotechnology, genomics, information and communication technologies, aeronautics,
food quality, defence, etc. are highly insufficient. The decapitalisation of
the whole sector is in progress.
The European Union
strives to create and implement a kind of knowledge that leads to the creation
of new nano-, bio-, micro-, laser and space materials and technologies. This
presupposes the mobilisation of considerable resources and the joint efforts of
the European science elite.
The funds for research and development in
the country are about 4 times less than the average in leading European countries.
The larger part of them go for operational costs – salaries, social security
and the keep up of equipment. There is almost nothing for the improvement of the
infrastructure of science. Only about 12 million levs from the state budget
for 2007 go to the National Innovation Fund for small and medium enterprises,
which constitute more than 90% of the total number in the country.
The lack of capital
for starting investments is a grave problem for scientific organisations and
universities. European governments offer various forms of support for research
and the realisation of scientific projects. Unfortunately such ideas are almost
unknown to Bulgarian political elite. One cannot detect even the smallest
effort to re-direct state orders to innovative products.
The growing
tendency in our country to rely for research and innovation primarily on
European money received on a competitive principle speaks of the total lack of a
scientific policy that the state is expected to carry out through the
instruments of the budget and taxation laws.
Rate of development of the
country
In the preparation for
admission to the EU Bulgaria achieved many good results and was recognised as a
country with market economy. The unemployment rate dropped and is now below 8%.
The rate of development remains relatively stable which ensures about 6% annual
increase in the GNP and the private sector forms about 2/3 of the GNP.
Despite all this,
The foreign trade
balance is highly negative. There are just a few branches of industry like
textile and clothing production which export 86 % of their production to the
EU. Besides, this export constitutes 27, 6 % of the total export of
Productivity of
labour in
The financial
stability and sustainable economic growth in
Commitments to the
European Union
In the process of preparation
for accession to the EU chapter 17 “Science and Research” was amongst the first
to close. However, the scientific community is still in the dark about the
commitments of the country, the measures taken to meet these commitments and
the respective results. There is no official stand and no measures undertaken
to implement the directives and recommendations of the European Commission
concerning science and higher education.
The EU member states are
obliged to inform the European Commission about measures taken to comply with the
recommendations of the EU regarding the European Charter of Research Scholars
and the Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers. The scientific
community in
The Green Paper of
the European Commission about the new perspectives in the European Research
Field, adopted in the beginning of 2007, contains a requirement to strengthen
research institutions in each country, to develop the existing infrastructure
of contemporary scientific units, to concentrate resources in units that have
achieved considerable results, to mobilise research, education, training and
innovation for the accomplishment of the economic and social goals of the EU.
These priorities of
the EU have not been implemented by the governmental authorities. It is no
wonder then that
The scientific
community declares the need for serious, fundamental changes in the
organisation, managements, funding and normative provision of science and
higher education so that
Framework programmes and
funds of the EU
Framework programmes are an
important factor for the development of the country. The participation of
Bulgarian scientific institutions in the 5th and 6th
Framework Programme has been very successful. The money invested as
participation fee in the common fund of the programmes was refunded and sizable
additional funds were received. The information campaign for the 7th
Framework Programme is carried out on the expected high level and the number of
new projects is growing every day.
In the process of preparation of the
operational projects for implementation of the strategic funds of the EU science
and higher education were completely disregarded. The signal for this state of
things came from the
The National Referential
Framework adopted by the government and statements about reforms are necessary
prerequisites for implementing the EU funds. The information campaign for their
use is successful. At the same time preparations for participation in it are
lagging behind mainly due to the slow process of securing the normative regulations
and the sluggish operation of the organisational scheme. The unfavourable
tendency of not being able to use the funds allotted for the present year is
already a fact. But even if all allotted funds are rightly implemented, this
cannot solve the problems of the country in its stable development in the
context of global economy, of the dynamic and unforeseeable economic situation
in the world. We must not forget that the foundations of the European Union
contain the subsidiary principle which envisages that instruments of the
The opportunity to
make use of almost 7 billion ˆ for the period 2007-2013 by means of approved
projects through the European funds is vital and if realised, could contribute
considerably to the development of Bulgaria. However, compared to the GNP of
the country for the coming 7 years, the funds amount to about 6 %. This percentage
will grow to 8 % if we add the necessary co-funding by the state. In other
words, the help from the EU is welcome but the country’s internal potential and
its policy are decisive for its speeded development. In addition, the great
part of the funds for operational programmes is allocated for infrastructural
projects, mainly in transport, communications and the environment.
Municipalities and government structures are the major beneficiaries of more
than half of the money. About 1 billion ˆ are allocated to the competitiveness
of Bulgarian economy during these 7 years, which is the smallest portion of the
operational programmes. The basic regulations of the operational programme
allot less than 15 % of them to research. What is more, universities and
scientific institutions lack the necessary funds for co-financing the programmes
and this limits even more their participation in projects.
There are
mechanisms envisaged for ensuring co-financing for the municipalities. A
Guarantee Fund to aid the access to the financing of small and medium
enterprises was set up. Scientific units are again left without support. Only
100 000 levs were set apart in the “Research” Fund for preparing projects
of Bulgarian scientists exclusively for participating in competitions within
the 7th Framework programme. The maximum sums allowed for that purpose
will benefit only 16 projects only on the basis of projects evaluated by
international experts.
Scientific units
can have access to co-financing only if they are in cooperation with major
beneficiaries. This is a necessary and important condition. But on the other
hand, there are no requirements and criteria related to innovativeness of
project resolutions in operational programmes, to the implementation of new
technologies and the scientific validation of efficiency and expediency.
Beneficiaries in the programmes have no obligation to look for support or
inform about the nature of the projects prepared by them so that scientific
units and the scientific community could offer their cooperation.
“Knowledge-based Economy”
This term is comprehended in
a very simplified way in society. One very important point is disregarded – the
criterion of the level of knowledge. The concept of a knowledge-based economy relies
on novelty, on innovation. For example, the motto of the social programmes “The
greater the number of job positions the bigger the growth” sounds disturbing.
It can be true only if these job positions are not connected with elementary
use of energy, raw material and human resources, with manual labour and
unmarketable products. It is no accident that the EU not only aims at creating
job positions but also at their being more effective and productive, which can
be achieved by means of new technologies and innovations.
If the government
places knowledge in the foundation of economy and society, a new kind of
management comes to the fore – management of knowledge. Connecting it with the
application and development of information and communicative technologies is
not enough. Management of knowledge is in its essence management of the entire
cycle - from the creation of knowledge and its dissemination up to its
realisation in material, financial and intellectual assets. Here we must point
out at least four important goals of this management:
·
Turning “brain drain” into a
well-regulated system for “brain circulation”;
·
Optimisation of the number and
structure of state institutions in higher education and science;
rationalisation of interrelations between them; involving them in solving
problems of society and economy; formulation of their role and functions in a
strategic perspective;
·
Development of horizontal
innovative networks and clusters accelerating the process of creation,
dissemination, acquisition and realisation of knowledge;
·
A better legislative system and
guarantee for protection of intellectual products.
In the newly published International Index of Property,
first of its kind,
The immediate goal of the National Assembly, the
government, political parties and other governing institutions is to attribute
an entirely new meaning to the role of knowledge in the development of the
economy of the country and build up a national system for coordinating all
activities in research, education, training and innovations in the country.
The formation and implementation of a strategy for the
development of Bulgarian economy and Bulgarian society based on knowledge as a
major resource and a major means of production and development cannot be
postponed any more. It is not only important to fix the real strategic goals
but also to formulate the branches and activities which are to be developed
with the assistance of the state, the forms and resources for their realisation
and the fields in which to concentrate public material, financial and
intellectual resources.
1. WHAT IS NECESSARY IS CLEAR AND CONSISTENT
GOVERNMENT
POLICY
The situation in science and
higher education in the country, the problems accompanying them, the goals
following from the innovated Lisbon strategy of the EU, the Bologna Declaration
and the Green Paper for the new perspectives in the European field of research
require the immediate formulation of a state policy regarding higher education,
research, technologies and innovations as central factors in economic growth
and making Bulgaria an equal member of the EU. It is necessary that executive
and legislative authorities in the country:
1.1 Work out and adopt a
long-term national strategy (doctrine) for the
development of the country, based on preliminary strategies in
various fields and activities
The priority must be the development
of a Strategy for the Development of Research, Technologies and Higher Education
in 2007 and its adoption after a wide discussion in the scientific community
and business.
1.2 The Council of Ministers
must prepare and the National Assembly
must adopt:
1.3 Executive authorities must
take the necessary measures for:
·
Preparing an annual report of
the government before the National Assembly and civil society about the state
and development of research, new technologies, innovations and higher
education;
·
Optimisation of the existing
overdeveloped and ineffective structure of state universities through a decree
of the National Assembly, transforming them into scientific educational and
cultural regional centres;
·
Assign to the regional and
local authorities and other educational and public organisations functions,
commitments and rights in supporting research, higher education and
innovations, for using the scientific potential in its maximum capacity in
developing and implementing programmes and projects resolving regional
problems;
·
Formulation of a state policy
in the qualification and retraining of people of all ages, which must provide
incentives in this respect coming from the state and the private sector;
aggregate the professions and set up new qualification ranks; formulate
principles for determining the needs of the market which is highly necessary in
outlining the directions in life-long learning.
1.4 Admission of organisations
of civil society to the preparation and discussion of programmes, projects and
legislative initiatives which requires that:
·
Projects tabled for approval in
the Council of Ministers and the National Assembly include detailed motivation
and assessment of the consequences of their adoption and the opinion of NGOs in
the respective sphere;
·
NGOs and trade unions have
equal access to government institutions and organisations.
2. INTENSIFICATION OF
EFFICIENCY OF RESEARCH
The acceleration of the
general economic growth of the country, the restructuring of the branches of
industry aiming at high productivity, the increase in employment and the keep
up of high competitiveness are unthinkable without serious changes in the
management and financing of research. This requires that science, as a priority
proclaimed by the government, receives the support of state authorities,
political parties, business and the scientific community.
Special attention
must be attributed to a number of issues in the field of science, the
resolution of which will be decisive for the achievement of the strategic goals
of the country.
2.1 The independent
structure dealing with the development of science,
technologies and innovations must become
an active and operative
structure which:
2.2 Transforming the
“Research” Fund into a stable, competent and
strong institution for the stimulation of
research. For that purpose it
is
necessary:
2.3 Setting up a national,
independent, interdisciplinary councils of
scholars, researchers, lecturers and
managers which has the task:
·
To offer short-term and
long-term priorities for science and economy based on the analysis of
scientific achievements and the resources of business and in the context of the
European integration;
·
To develop programmes for
fundamental research and interdisciplinary projects;
·
To analyse the implementation
of strategies and programmes for research;
·
To discuss before the general
public the problems of the country originating from globalisation of economy,
to guarantee its stable development.
2.4 To discuss with the
scientific community and develop further the
National Strategy for Research deposited
in the National Assembly.
This strategy must:
·
Re-evaluate and broaden the
formulated priorities in accordance with the strategy for economic development
and the available scientific potential;
·
Determine priority fields which
need programmes funded with the integrated efforts and resources of public and
private institutions on a national and a regional level;
·
Create favourable conditions
for the support of existing and the setting up of new technological parks,
business incubators, centres for transfer of innovations and knowledge, etc.
2.5 Work out for the
government a strategic programme for
fundamental research, providing suitable
funding and coordination
within the EU
The involvement of government
institutions in fundamental research is absolutely necessary since it is out of
the scope of business in general and even large companies in the country are
not able to support it. Neglect of fundamental research has serious and
long-term negative consequences. It is not accidental that, with the setting up
of the European Technological Institute and the European Council for Research,
the EU aims at coordinating strategic (fundamental) research on a European
level, providing monitoring and assessment of results through unified criteria
of the highest scientific level.
3. MODERNISATION OF HIGHER
EDUCATION
The building of
knowledge-based economy requires special attention to the mission of
universities and their fundamental role in the creation, dissemination and
application of knowledge. The diversity of approaches in the development of
educational systems in the EU countries offers the possibility to build up a
renovated model of Bulgarian higher education that corresponds most closely to
present-day conditions and the global competition in all spheres of life.
The major goal for
universities is to improve perceptibly the quality of education. This is entirely
within the competence of the academic staff. What is necessary is to overcome
the school-like approach to teaching and assessing students. University
students must think, collect, process and use information, apply knowledge in
projects, and bear personal responsibility for their own training. The
university offers the suitable conditions and presupposes intense
self-education and development of creative potentials by students themselves.
Broad access to university education is necessary but not at the expense of a
low admission level which is becoming a threat for universities due to the
worsening of the quality of knowledge in secondary schools, the system of their
financing, the lack of specialised schools preparing highly qualified personnel
for industry and services.
To achieve all this
it is necessary:
3.1 To optimise the
network of universities, schools of higher education
and colleges education we need:
3.2 To ensure quality of
education adequate to European standards it is
necessary:
3.3 Modernisation of the
idea of academic autonomy and management
of state universities preserving
regulatory mechanisms of the state.
For that purpose it is necessary:
4. FUNDING OF UNIVERSITIES
AND SCIENTIFIC ORGANISATIONS
Underestimation and
non-compliance with the experience of the EU countries, with the
recommendations of the EU concerning development and funding of research,
higher education and innovations will inevitably bring about serious economic
and technological backlog. At this stage the government shows no signs of
increasing the share in the budget allotted to research and education and in
this respect we rank far behind the EU. There is no visible tendency of
increase in the yearly allowance for one researcher or student, which is
several times lower than those in the EU. Only 5 % of the budget funds for
science go for the modernisation of the equipment of institutes and
universities which is hopelessly outdated. There are no tax deductions for
firms and companies which reinvest their profit in research and new
technologies. Universities and scientific organisation are badly in need of
financial stabilisation in order to apply their efforts to satisfy the needs of
economy and the labour market.
4.1 Drastic change in the
approach of state institutions to the evaluation
of
the results of research and university education, to scientific
organisations and their funding
This means in the first place
to take practical steps to realise the officially declared national priority of
science and higher education. To correct mistakes in this respect it is
necessary:
·
To stop funding state
universities and scientific organisations as ordinary budget institutions on
the ground of the budget classifier adopted for them (number of faculty,
average salary, limitations on increase of salaries, allotment of only 90 % of
the budget, etc.) and start funding based on programmes for research and
education; budget money given to science and education is an investment and not
an expenditure;
·
To increase every year the
share of funds given for science and education so that criteria of EU can be
covered by 2013;
·
To adopt a programme for the
improvement of research infrastructure (equipment, resources, information
technology), to stabilise regional scientific units and centres by introducing
new technologies and innovations;
·
To set up guarantee funds,
which will support the crediting of research and be instrumental in attracting
initial investments necessary to co-finance projects with EU funding;
·
To stimulate life-long learning
for permanent growth and renovation of knowledge, professional competence and
practical skills;
·
To adopt in very short terms a
system for student credits as a major instrument of supporting students, which
will increase responsibility for their own education;
·
To grant preferences to firms
offering jobs and practice periods to students, which can combine with diploma
theses connected with the field and interests of the firm;
·
To introduce till the end of
2007 a system of grants and vouchers for gifted students, which will simplify
the search for the university offering the best conditions for their creative
potential and participation in projects;
·
To create more favourable
conditions for legal and physical bodies to make donations, sponsor and support
research and the education of students and for organisations of the scientific
community with contributions to the development of science and higher
education.
4.2 Elimination of legal
and administrative obstacles, which hamper
scientific organisations and universities
in applying and using
market mechanisms. They must have the freedom to:
4.3 The development of
science and higher education presupposes
permanent and active interaction with
public and private
institutions and formations, which will
offer moral, material and
financial support to scientific and
educational structures, express
the opinion of society and business
about results from their activity
and
discuss the status and development of investments. For
that
purpose it is
necessary:
·
To set up at universities and
scientific organisations voluntary public formations (consulting councils) with
the participation of businessmen, prominent Bulgarian and foreign scholars,
public figures, sponsors, former rectors and directors;
·
To creature normative
regulations for setting up foundations and funds for support of research in
specific fields;
·
That universities, on their own
or in cooperation with the Union of Employers, found centres for monitoring the
labour market to keep up relations with graduates of the university, to
establish contacts with firms, which take care of the practical training of
students before graduation.
5. PROTECTION AND
DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL IN
The underestimation of science by the government and the
political parties during the entire period of transition had its strongly negative
effect on the status of scholars and academic staff. Dealing with science
receives no due public and media attention and is not the domain for
professional realisation. Equipment for research is hopelessly outdated, which
does not allow even fields of science in
5.1 A concrete long-term
policy for the professional development of scholars and
university staff is necessary. The Programme
for the Development of Scientific
Potential,
adopted by the National Assembly in March 2005, is only a promising
beginning which, unfortunately, does not solve
the most important problems of
scholars. This Programme must be revised and
expanded this year and must
receive financial back-up. We find it necessary:
5.2 Wide discussion and
adoption of a law, resolving the whole complex of problems
related to career development and mobility of
scholars which corresponds to the
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