Sofia Science Festival is celebrating 10 years in Bulgaria and we would like to give the opportunity to two British universities to participate and promote exciting STEM projects they are working on. Our experience in education and student recruitment fairs shows steady increase in interest among Bulgarian students in STEM related degrees at higher education level. STEM is the second most desired field of study; in 2019 alone 24 per cent of our Study UK fair visitors said they would like to study Computer and Mathematical Science and 18 per cent were interested in Engineering and Technology.

The opportunity offer:

• Occupy a stand (2x1 meters) located in our Demonstrations zone 14 and 15 May (when our schools audience visit), 16 and 17 May (when our general audience of parents, students, professionals of all ages and spheres join us).
• The projects must be hands on and presented by the scientist(s) developing them. Usually they will involve some props or activities the audience can take part in or actively observe. If the required equipment is larger than the available space, then we can add an additional 2x1 meters stand.
• We can arrange for our team of excellent science-minded volunteers to translate from English to Bulgarian and vice versa at no cost.
• You will not incur a participation fee, however travel, accommodation, materials and any freight costs must be covered by your institution or sponsor.

The Festival:

The 10th Sofia Science Festival will take place 14-17 May 2020 at the Sofia Tech Park in Sofia, Bulgaria. Here are some facts about this successful science event:  

• The festival was founded by the British Council and major partners are the Ministry of Education & Science, Sofia Municipality, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, alongside many other institutions. 
• To date it is the only science festival in the country modelled on the best of the UK’s examples of engaging society with science to create opportunities for UK professionals overseas. Annually we bring out a range of researchers to speak in front of a growingly international audiences.
• Over the years speakers from the UK have included: Prof. Richard Dawkins, Prof. Robert Winston, Prof. Jim Al-Khalili, Prof. Russell Foster, Prof. Lyn Evans and Prof. Jim Verdee, Turi King, Matt Taylor, Prof. Wendy Hall. We have also hosted a range of science outreach projects, companies and university teams.
• We help link UK scientists with publishers and several book deals have emerged through the festival due to networking opportunities.
• At the most recent edition in May 2019 we hosted 104 events involving 130+ scientists of which 10 were UK based. We had 50+ stands, 4 exhibitions, 89 partners and 78 volunteers. Over 11,500 seats were booked for events, and 18,000 people came through the exhibition spaces.