Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS Sofia)

The Centre for Advanced Study Sofia is an independent institution with strong international and interdisciplinary orientation, promoting freedom of research, scholarly excellence, education and intellectual creativity in the humanities and the social sciences. CAS attracts young talents and outstanding senior scholars by offering institutional conditions conducive to free pursuit of knowledge and dialogue in the framework of individual research fellowships or collaborative multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural enquiries. In partnership with other Institutes for Advanced Study, universities, scholarly and cultural associations, it works to re-establish the tradition of intellectual communities and to facilitate open critical debate and exchange of people and ideas on national and trans-national levels. With its transparent, lean and flexible management, CAS has been, since its inception in 2000, a reliable partner for donors and scholars alike.

The CAS vision is rooted in the belief that:

• Enhancing the freedom of education and research and the responsibility of the researcher are crucial for creating important new knowledge;
• Scholarship in the contemporary world is an increasingly transdisciplinary, interactive and global endeavor;
• The exchange of people and ideas in an inspiring environment is a precondition both for the improvement of scholarship and for its public impact;
• Exerting constructive pressure “from outside” on the academic establishment, on the regional academic traditions by radiating a new type of institutional culture and standards for equal exchange of ideas, people and values within Europe, the Balkans and the neighbouring regions.

OUR ROLE

While being a member of the network of Institutes for Advanced Study, CAS’ development has been attuned to specific national and regional needs. A “brain gain” institution, it serves to propel the standards of academic performance by fostering high-quality research and generation of new knowledge. CAS also sees its role in re-establishing the scholarly agency of the local research community on a European scale, in fostering international cooperation well beyond the region, and in creating more encompassing European and global visions. In the process it acts as a bridge between the local scholarly community and the Bulgarian academic diaspora working abroad. Finally, CAS provides platform for critical debates on contemporary societal issues and works to bring national and regional academic elites to bear on fostering civil society, civic engagement, and cultivation of proficient leadership.

CORE ACTIVITIES

CAS pursues its mission via two modalities: independent fellowships granted to brilliant researchers and collaborative projects bringing together scholars from various fields and regions to explore important topics. Building upon its accumulated experience in intra-regional and cross-regional comparative research, CAS is now expanding towards other areas in and beyond Europe. The Centre seeks to partake in the advancement of contemporary internationalized social and human sciences by effectively incorporating “local knowledges” into global analyses, by fostering cross-disciplinary scientific communities, and by contributing to the conceptual improvement in these fields.

OTHER ACTIVITIES AT CAS

In addition to granting fellowships and coordinating research projects, CAS encourages the dissemination of knowledge through public events, publications and discussion forums. It organizes fellow lectures, guest-lecture series, workshops, international conferences, deliberative clubs, as well as cultural events, literary readings, exhibitions, etc. A special service is offered by the CAS Academic Gateway and the PhD Student Database – online academic communities and databases of scholars and doctoral students. CAS reports on its activities through electronic publications and disseminates information via its up-to-date reference library and access to quality full-text databases.