CPSBB in Plovdiv was officially announced by the European Commission as a finalist in the prestigious international competition REGIOSTARS Awards 2025. The initiative has been organized annually since 2008, honoring the most innovative and impactful projects in Europe, funded through the EC’s Cohesion Policy.
CPSBB was established within the PlantaSYST project in 2015 and it is the only Bulgarian project finalist in the “Competitive and Smart Europe” category in this year’s edition of the competition. The project is implemented under the Horizon 2020 program and is co-financed under the Operational Programme “Science and Education for Smart Growth”. The sustainable development of CPSBB for the new programming period is funded under the Programme “Research, Innovation and Digitalization for Smart Transformation” 2021-2027 (PRIDST), co-financed by the EU.
The criteria by which the project was selected among a record competition of 266 projects from all over Europe are the establishment of a world-class scientific Center of Excellence in Bulgaria, successful retention and attraction of talents, implementation of research with real economic and environmental impact, synergy with scientific institutes from all over the world, engagement with educational and doctoral programs, etc.
CPSBB is a research institute equipped with modern technology and infrastructure, which provides opportunities for professional development for postdoctoral researchers, young scientists, undergraduates and PhD students. The Center retains researchers in Bulgaria, attracts foreign specialists, enhances Bulgaria’s international impact on global science with publications in prestigious journals and partners with leading institutes, universities and companies worldwide. Over the past 10 years since its establishment, CPSBB has positioned itself among the leading research institutes in Bulgaria and the region with over 410 publications with medium and high impact factor, over 15 thousand citations and the highest h-index among other scientific institutes in Bulgaria, specialised in plant sciences.
The scientists at CPSBB, led by the founder and director of the Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology – Prof. Dr. Tsanko Gechev, conduct fundamental and applied research on sustainable agriculture and human health – plant breeding and development of new varieties of economically important crops with improved tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress, development of priming technologies, organic biostimulants and natural products for longevity, photoprotection and obesity prevention, etc. These are just some of the achievements that outlined the PlantaSYST project among hundreds of applications as one of the five most successful projects that make a significant contribution to a competitive and intelligent Europe.
In October 2025, an official ceremony will be held to announce the winners in all five categories of the international competition REGIOSTARS Awards 2025.
In September, a procedure for citizens to vote for the special audience award will also be initiated. Voting will be available at the following link:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/regio-stars-awards_en#inline-nav-1