The Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IMI-BAS) is proud to announce the launch of the FOCUS project. This initiative aims to establish a prestigious ERA Chair in “Fostering Digital Cultural Heritage via Open Innovation and Open Science,” addressing a critical gap in current research and leadership within the field.
The FOCUS project is designed to bridge the gap between open innovation and open science, specifically within the domain of digital cultural heritage. By integrating these modern paradigms, IMI-BAS seeks to enhance its research capacity and establish itself as a regional and international leader in the digital preservation and interpretation of culture.
FOCUS aims to create an international team led by Assoc. Prof. Milena Dobreva from the University of Strathclyde, UK, bringing together international and Bulgarian researchers who are developing their own doctoral and postdoctoral research projects and have opportunities to participate in researcher mobility and training activities. The project coordinator for IMI-BAS is Assoc. Prof. Krasimira Ivanova.
Under her guidance, FOCUS will:
- Build a diverse international research team, uniting global and local experts.
- Support doctoral and postdoctoral researchers through dedicated projects and specialised training.
- Facilitate researcher mobility and knowledge exchange.
Through active collaboration with both Bulgarian and international cultural institutions, FOCUS will combine capacity-building with practical research. The project includes comprehensive sustainability planning and stakeholder mobilisation via secondments to ensure long-term impact.
The project is funded by the “Research, Innovation and Digitalisation for Smart Transformation” (PRIDST) Programme (2021–2027). This support is instrumental in improving the quality, impact, and international visibility of IMI-BAS’s scientific output. 
