An interview with rising political star Boris Stanimirov

The website cosmos.1.bg published on August 1st an interesting interview with Boris Stanimirov. I liked the interview because it is uncommonly reasonable for a Bulgarian politician talking about science and he makes some good points. Some excerpts below.

Stanimirov is currently in the leadership of the Democrats for Stronger Bulgaria (DSB) party. He holds an MS in molecular biology. Following his graduation (in the late 90s?) he starts working in finance and eventually makes his way into politics. Stanimirov is a big fan of space flight as can be gleaned from the picture of him beaming next to the second Bulgarian cosmonaut, Alexander Alexandrov (right).

From the interview, on the current state of space sciences in Bulgaria:

"It is a pity that from being the 6th country to put a man in space, we are now the only [European] country which is not a member of the European Space Agency. The apathy towards science is a serious strategic mistake and correcting it will be long, hard and costly because we are losing experience, personnel and traditions.... There was one especially stupid and persistent mantra that Bulgaria doesn't need science, and that we need to focus on agriculture and tourism. Science became the victim of mediocre thinking. The existing infrastructure and experience in highly-technological fields were ascribed to the follies of socialism, along with the heavy industry.... But the truth is also that the scientific elite did not react adequately and was unable to defend a serious, well-argued, and, last but not least, attractive strategy for scientific development.... "

On the lack of commercial interest in space flight in Bulgaria:

"Success [i.e. the successful commercialization of space flight] has three components: politics, business and science. I think that before we blame the politicians and the businessmen we need to look at scientists. They don't do enough to popularize their successes, their vision, the results of their projects. Most websites of Bulgarian science institutions are tragic - antiquated, lacking information. The news about science is spread by enthusiasts [like the interviewer]. In this was there is no way to draw the interest of either the business or the society which influences politics." Then he goes on to make an exception for the Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition which makes an enormous effort to promote its work.

Finally, how do we stop the brain drain in Bulgaria?

"In the European cultural and scientific space, the term "brain drain" is an anachronism.  Scientists from all over the world work all over the world. Laboratories from different countries work on joint projects. International programs give real opportunities for high level scientific work in Bulgaria, provide for equipment and supplies. The government needs to prioritize several scientific areas and provide high salaries to scientists. The money spent on education and science are money well spent. It is clear we cannot afford to finance handsomely all areas of basic science. But a few, I mean 2-3, which have traditions and promise can be deliberately developed so that we have leading laboratories comparable with those abroad."

I find this last answer particularly intriguing. I disagree that the "brain drain" is an anachronism. If the flow is open in both directions then there would be no drain - as Bulgarian scientists leave Bulgaria to work abroad, foreign scientists come to work in Bulgaria. But this is not what happens. Bulgarian scientists work all over the world, alongside international colleagues. But in Bulgaria, there is no place for foreign scientists. Laws, regulations, protectionist attitudes, advertisements in Bulgarian only and low salaries are stacked against foreign scientists ever working at Bulgarian institutions. These are major problems that need to be addressed if we can ever hope to have world-level science.

On the prioritization of science disciplines, I am torn. On one hand the number of institutes at BAS is kind-a out of control. On the other hand, axing a whole area of science - say, we are not going to fund biology any more - cuts not only research opportunities, but also educational capacity. If your professor hasn't been in the lab for a decade, how are you going to learn about the most recent techniques and trends in your field? This is already a problem in many areas. Also, 2-3 areas is so very few, building an economy around such a narrow science base can make us very vulnerable.  I would be curious to learn more about science funding in Bulgaria's Eastern European peers.

Overall, a very intelligent interview. Too bad DSB is not a very popular party - during the May 2013 elections it got only 2.9% of the votes which put it below the 4% threshold to enter the parliament. Too bad.