The Varna-based Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Center (BSHC) has been praised by a Bulgarian minister for managing to sell its high-level discoveries.

Bulgarian Minister in charge of EU funds absorption Tomislav Donchev has visited the hydrodynamics and aerodynamics institute, which is part of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

"I was impressed by the fact that about one-third of the revenues of the hydrodynamics and aerodynamics center come from the sale of its scientific inventions, and that its clients include the US Navy and prestigious European organizations," Donchev declared.

The Minister promised support to the Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Center (BSHC) with respect to the preparation of applications for funding under EU programs, saying that there are various opportunities for such a research and development institutions to receive money for its projects.

Donchev has explicitly praised the BSHC of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for being one of the few Bulgarian scientific and research centers whose products are marketable, and promised to talk to the Bulgarian ministers of economy and education in order to seek ways to support the institution.

Another promise he made was to present the hydrodynamics center to Prime Minister Borisov and to bring him on there on a visit.

The former head of the institute Kostadin Yosifov told Donchev that Bulgaria's communist dictator Todor Zhivkov "fell in love" with the center back in the days. Zhivkov would always show it off to foreign delegations, and would sometimes sign state papers while on tour in the facility.

The Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Centre (BSHC) is a national research and development Institute to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), performing fundamental and applied researches, tests, numerical modeling and analyses in the field of the ship hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, ocean engineering, coastal engineering, environment protection, water transport, defence etc. in service of the society.

BSHC's personnel falls into the following categories: 40% - scientific, 40% - engineering and technical, 20% - administrative. The scientific and technical personnel is mostly trained in developed maritime countries Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, USA.