site.btaEducation Minister: Research and Innovation Will Be Increasingly Important for European Competitiveness

During an informal meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council focusing on research which took place in Warsaw, Poland, Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev said that research and innovation will be an increasingly important factor for the competitiveness of the European Union and the framework programme will be one of the main tools for achieving European goals, said the Ministry of Education and Science on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the strategic role of the next European Union Framework Program for Research and Innovation for the competitiveness of Europe and the future European strategy for start-ups and scale-ups were discussed.

During the first discussion, Minister Valchev welcomed the European Commission’s intention to develop a European Strategy for Start-ups and Scale-ups, and stressed the need for easier access to talent, funding, markets and targeted support. The Bulgarian government prioritizes quality education, including STEM initiatives, dual training and the modernization of higher education, in order to prepare personnel for the needs of the economy. Efforts are aimed at strengthening cooperation between business and academia, increasing access to modern scientific infrastructures and increasing participation in programmes such as Horizon Europe. Minister Valchev called for targeted measures and investments across the EU to reduce the innovation divide and counteract the brain drain.

During the meeting, Bulgaria confirmed the importance of the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for economic and social development, and increasing the competitiveness of the European Union, emphasizing the importance of fundamental scientific research in the long term.