za visoko šolstvo,
znanost in tehnologijo
Republike Slovenije
dr. Jure Zupan l.r.
Za Ministrstvo
za izobraževanje
in znanost
Republike Bolgarije
dr. Daniel Valtchev l.r.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria, hereinafter referred to as the “Parties”,
on the basis of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Culture and Science signed in Ljubljana on 21 March 1994, and in accordance with article 3 of the Program of Cooperation in the Fields of Science, Education and Culture between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2006-2008 signed in Sofia on 10 May 2006,
considering the importance of international scientific and technological cooperation for the national economy development and prosperity of both countries,
desiring to encourage and promote cooperation in the sphere of science and technology,
have agreed as follows:
Article 1
1. The Parties shall develop and promote cooperation in the field of science and technology in accordance with this Agreement and the legislation in force of the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Bulgaria.
2. The Parties shall encourage and support the scientific and technological cooperation, by establishing direct contacts between scientific institutes, scientific societies, universities, government agencies and other research and development organizations, in compliance with the respective national legislation.
3. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria are “Responsible authorities” for the implementation of the provisions of this Agreement.
Article 2
1. Under this Agreement, cooperation in the field of science and technology shall comprise:
a) Joint research on specific projects and programs according to mutually agreed upon priorities in science, technology and innovations;
b) Exchange of scientists, specialists, researchers and experts for the purpose of carrying out programs and projects for scientific and technological cooperation;
c) Exchange of scientific and technological information, documents, as well as laboratory samples and equipment;
d) Organization and holding of joint scientific conferences, symposia, workshops, exhibitions, etc;
e) Other forms of cooperation as may be mutually agreed by the Parties.
2. The Parties shall encourage collaboration in the sphere of science and technology among entrepreneurs.
3. Financial terms of cooperation and implementation of joint projects shall be defined by the Parties in each particular case.
Article 3
1. The Parties shall encourage and support cooperation and participation in multilateral scientific, technological and development programs and projects.
2. The Parties shall exchange information on their priorities regarding the scientific and technological cooperation and shall encourage their cooperating organizations to initiate joint participation in R&D projects within the EU Framework Programs, etc.
Article 4
1. For the purpose of achieving the goals of this Agreement, a Joint Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (hereinafter: “Joint Commission”) shall be established, composed of equal number of representatives of the Parties.
2. The Joint Commission shall meet once a year, unless agreed otherwise, alternately in the Republic of Slovenia and in the Republic of Bulgaria at mutually agreed times.
3. The Joint Commission shall formulate rules for the implementation of the Agreement.
4. The Joint Commission shall reach decisions by full consent of all its members.
Article 5
1. The Joint Commission shall:
a) Create favorable conditions for the implementation of this Agreement;
b) Determine the priorities for cooperation;
c) Assist and support the implementation of joint projects and programs;
d) Initiate and approve programs of cooperation;
e) Review the general conditions of this cooperation and make recommendations for achieving better results;
f) Provide a report annually to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia and to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria on the results of carrying out the provisions of this Agreement and on other results related to the cooperation.
Article 6
1. The intellectual property rights arising from the cooperative activities under this Agreement shall be regulated by agreements among the cooperating institutions indicated in the second paragraph of Article 1 of this Agreement.
The protection of intellectual property rights shall be subject to the international agreements on intellectual property, to which both the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Bulgaria are parties, as well as to the legislation in force of both countries.
2. Scientific and technological information of a non-proprietary nature resulting from the cooperation under this Agreement shall be possessed jointly by the Parties and/or the institutions in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Slovenia or the Republic of Bulgaria. Such information may not be the property of a third party, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties and/or the institutions in accordance with the legislation of the Parties.
Article 7
1. In accordance with the present Agreement, and in conformity with the existing international laws and regulations, each Party reciprocally shall facilitate entry to and exit from the territory of the country of work of personnel and equipment engaged in or used in projects and programs of the Parties under the present Agreement;
2. The personnel referred to in Article 2, paragraph “b” sent by one of the Parties to the other, respectively shall be subject to the provisions of the legislation of the receiving country in the territory of this country.
Article 8
Costs for the exchange of researchers referred in the Article 2, Paragraph “b” of this Agreement, who participate in the implementation of programs and projects, unless agreed otherwise by the Parties, shall be covered as follows:
1. The sending country shall cover travel costs between the capitals of both countries, or – if more convenient – between the sending and receiving institution.
2. On its territory, the receiving country shall cover lodging, meal and local transportation costs necessary for carrying out the programs and projects.
3. The Parties shall provide for adequate medical insurance for their own scientists, specialists, researchers and experts for the time of their stay in the receiving country, prior to their arrival to the receiving country.
Article 9
Researchers, experts and representatives of institutions of third countries or international organizations may be invited to participate in projects and programs under the Agreement, upon consent of the institutions cooperating under this Agreement. The costs of such participation shall be covered by the interested institution of the third country, unless the two countries responsible for the implementation of the Agreement agree otherwise.
Article 10
1. The provisions of this Agreement may be modified or amended only by consensus of both Parties. Modifications and amendments shall be drawn up in a separate protocol, representing an integral part of this Agreement.
2. Any disputes related to the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement shall be settled through consultations within the Joint Commission or by the persons responsible for the implementation of this Agreement.
Article 11
This Agreement does not affect the rights and obligations arising from other international agreements concluded by either Party.
Article 12
1. This Agreement shall enter into force upon an exchange of notes confirming that the Contracting Parties have completed their legal internal procedures required for its entry into force. The date of the entry into force shall be the date of the receipt of the last note.
2. This Agreement is concluded for a period of five years. It shall be automatically prolonged for another five-year period, unless either Party notifies the other Party in writing of its intention to terminate the Agreement, at least six months before the date of its expiration.
3. The termination of the Agreement shall not affect the carrying out of any project or program undertaken under this Agreement and not fully executed at the time of the termination of this Agreement, unless agreed otherwise.
Done in Sofia on 20th day of March 2007
in two original copies in Slovenian, Bulgarian and English languages, all texts being equally authentic. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
For the Ministry
of Higher Education,
Science and Technology
of the Republic of Slovenia
dr. Jure Zupan (s)
For the Ministry
of Education
and Science
of the Republic of Bulgaria
dr. Daniel Valtchev (s)