The Patriarch of the Bulgarian Church, Daniel, congratulated the polar researchers on Livingston Island with the opening of a new scientific laboratory and gifted them an icon of the Mother of God with the Child, according to the news agency BTA.

The new laboratory, construction of which began in 2021, consists of three departments: Earth sciences, biological sciences, and a general laboratory. A military ship delivered 160 tons of building materials to Antarctica for the construction, and an environmental operation was carried out to clean the coastline. The opening of the new laboratory will allow for on-site research, eliminating the need to transport samples to Bulgaria. The laboratory is expected to begin operations in the next polar season.

The laboratory's opening took place on February 13, 2025, at the scientific center on Livingston Island, named after Saint Clement of Ohrid—one of the most revered saints in Bulgaria. He was one of the closest disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius and a continuer of their educational mission. Saint Clement founded the first Slavic school in Ohrid and left behind many students, including future saints and writers. Saint Clement is considered the patron of the Bulgarian Church and made significant contributions to the development of church literature, liturgical books, and the spread of the Cyrillic alphabet.