Boosting plant biotechnology research in Bulgaria
The AgroBioInstitute (ABI), which belongs to the Agricultural Academy of Bulgaria, makes an important contribution to the country's agricultural economy through biotechnology. Yet, there is always room for improvement. The EU funded an investigation of the ABI focusing on its research, training and networking potential. Three different experts in the fields of plant biodiversity, plant abiotic and biotic stress, and molecular plant genetics were called in. Excellent cooperation with the staff of the ABI helped ensure a successful outcome to the project. Several recommendations have been made following an analysis of ABI's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). The suggested actions are expected to deliver immediate results and help facilitate ABI's participation in international research programmes such as FP7. This in turn is expected to create new career opportunities. The SWOT findings have been shared not only with the ABI scientists, but also with farmers, journalists and others through a number of different events and media, including a bilingual website (http://www.plantbioserv.com).
