THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AS PART OF THE INNOVATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN BULGARIA

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes in people’s thinking of finding new job opportunities, directly related to innovation in organizations. A prerequisite for their implementation is the performance of R&D, which implies the engagement of researchers, as well as the provision of financial resources for conducting their research. An important place in these processes is taken by the Higher Education sector, which provides the necessary specialists, as well accommodates favorable conditions for research and development activities. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to characterize the state of personnel engaged in R&D in higher education institutions in Bulgaria, as well as the funds they have invested in research for the period 2018-2020.