After the publication “Pollsters Have Absorbed Millions for “Research” through Manipulated Reviews”… Mind the horns!

In a letter to the editors, Krasimira Krastanova, Associate Professor, Dean of the Philosophy and History Department of the University of Plovdiv rejected claims of Professor Emil Horozov that she took part in a research project stained by suspicions of abuse. The project in question is this one, described in the publication “Pollsters Have Absorbed Millions for “Research” through Manipulated Reviews”:

“Allegro Plus” Ltd., owned by Atanas Gogov, Andrey Raychev and Kancho Stoychev, registered at 23 James Bourchier Blvd. These are the same “Kanchos”, which both, as the investigation of Bivol showed, brazenly usurped the American brand “Gallup” and do not accept the rule of the court that prohibits them from using it. With their company for advertising and “public relations” services, they have participated in project TC – 09-0375 and have received 147 500 levs for the first stage. The project manager is Associate Professor Krasimira Krastanova, Dean of the Philosophy and History Department of the University of Plovdiv. She is involved in other projects, all of which have received funding. She is also a reviewer of her rival bidders and a member of the committee that evaluates her projects.

“In your publication “Pollsters Have Absorbed Millions for “Research” through Manipulated Reviews,” it is written that I have participated in project TC – 09-0375. That is not true. I even gave up on this project before it was considered by the Committee and funded, for which have documents. If Professor Horozov wrote this in his book, he obviously did not fully verify the case and was guided by the initial documents,” Associate Professor Krastanova is firm.

“There is official information that I am not part of the team of the aforementioned project,” Associate Professor Krastanova wrote to Bivol. She refers to the list of approved projects for 2009 (project TK 09-0375): http://www.nsfb.net/?id=1319 TK_09_0375 Bulgarian genealogies and value attitudes in the collective memory. The site of the said project: http://www.genealogy-almanach.eu/scientific.php

She also rejected the claim that has been involved in many other projects of this type.

Contacted for comment on the rebuttal and for more detailed information, Prof. Emil Horozov defended what he has written in the book. We are publishing his response and will give Associate Professor Krastanova the right of reply to the point.

The decision to change the project (totally illegal, which will become clear below) was made on November 5, 2009. The Bulgarian reviewer, who is a member of the Committee together with Associate Professor K. Krastanova, has SUBMITTED his review on October 19. The review of the Committee has been SUBMITTED on January 26, 2010, secretly from me, because at that time I was the Head of the Fund for Scientific Research, and the bidding procedure has been completed the previous year.

And here are more substantial arguments.

Here’s what one reviewer wrote after “the withdrawal of the manager of the project” (the review is in English – editor’s note):

2.1. “The Head of the project, Assoc. Prof. PhD Krasimira Krastanova, has a rich research experience in the project field (memory, cultural identities and cultural communication, cultural policies and educational strategies). Her professional background proves that she is capable not only of managing the project, but also of taking part in drawing up the basic theoretical model as well as in operationalizing and analyzing the data.

As a member of BEA (Bulgarian Ethnological Association), EPACTE (Echange, Patrimoine, Culture Technique) and IANA (International Academic Network on Anthropology), she is very well placed in order to link the foreign and Bulgarian specialists who will be involved in the project.”

After which he gave the maximum points – 5

2.2. “The Head of project as well as all the team members have international training, teaching and/or research experience, have taken part in national and international projects, conferences and congresses and are members of several national and international associations. Assoc. Prof. PhD Krasimira Krastanova has a good managerial and team work experience, within national and European frame.”

5 more were given here

And here is what wrote Bulgarian reviewer, who did not understand that there was a new manager either:

“The project leader, Dr. Krasimira Krastanova and the entire scientific team have considerable scientific expertise, which can be seen clearly from the attached professional references.” – 5points.

And he is a member of the Committee himself!

I will not pile more evidence, but it appears that “the withdrawal from the project” is a fact that had no consequences whatsoever. It is a simple cover-up in order to deceive the public.

No way there will be consequences. The only consequence, according to the rules, is to annul the project. It becomes a different project when there are other participants and, on top of everything, a new manager. And it has been submitted after the deadline. As you see, one project was reviewed, but for some purposes (fraud) another project was used and, again, on top of everything, it does not exist in electronic format or on paper, as required.

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