site.btaEU Commissioner Ivanova Says Horizon Europe Is World's Largest Public Funding Programme for Research and Innovation

European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova Friday said Horizon Europe is the largest public funding programme for research and innovation in the world. It offers endless opportunities for universities, start-ups, industry and researchers, Ivanova said at the opening of the National Information Day on the EU's Horizon Europe framework programme for research and innovation in the Health; Digital, Industry and Space; and Food clusters.

The forum is part of Day 2 of the second edition of the Spinoff Bulgaria international conference, which opened in Sofia on Thursday. Education and Science Minister Galin Tzokov addressed the participants earlier on Friday.

The EU and Bulgaria share a common trend in terms of innovation and have seen improving results in recent years, Ivanova said.

She noted that spin-offs serve as key links for knowledge exchange, for the expansion of expertise and technology sharing, facilitating the transfer of research and innovation from academia to practical applications in business. This helps to attract the interest of private investors.

The Commissioner said: "I welcome Spinoff Bulgaria's idea to support the start and development of 100 spin-offs. I hope this will be an inspiration for more such initiatives."

With a budget of over EUR 10 billion, the European Innovation Council is a powerful tool for Europe's deep-tech innovators, which allows them to implement innovative activities, Iliana Ivanova said.