site.btaInitiative for Regional Innovation Valleys for Bioeconomy and Food Systems Kick-starts in Plovdiv

The European Commission and the Agricultural University of Plovdiv kick-started the initiative for Regional Innovation Valleys for Bioeconomy and Food System, said the University Monday. The initiative will contribute to the New European Innovation Agenda and its flagship action in building 100 regional deep-tech innovation valleys.

The official launch was a hybrid event with some 500 online and off-line participants from across Europe, including officials of the EIT Food European Institute of Innovation and Technology, EU and Bulgarian university professors, Bulgarian startups and youth opinion makers. The event is organized jointly by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and the Agricultural University of Plovdiv, in close cooperation with the BIOEAST Initiative.

Regional Innovation Valleys for Bioeconomy and Food Systems have significant potential to support and accelerate the deployment of the bioeconomy in regions where people live and work. They also address the innovation gap within the EU, with a particular attention to countries from Central and Eastern Europe.

The participants were addressed by EU Innovation and Research Commission Iliana Ivanova and Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov. The Prime Minister said that the government can support the establishment of an interagency commission for development of bioeconomy and a special programme for partnership with the BIOEAST countries in the area of biotechnologies, bioeconomy and bio-based industries

Senior representatives of the European Commission and the European Investment Bank presented the EU instruments that are essential for the creation of a network of valleys and highlighted the specific characteristics of the valleys. They also dwelled on the opportunities for investment support for innovation projects of companies, startups, universities and research centres through participation in the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking - CBE JU.

Prof. Dr. Vladislav Popov, Deputy Rector of the Agricultural University, emphasized that the opportunities of the bioeconomy in Bulgaria and Central and Eastern Europe go through strengthening education and skills development in the field of bioeconomy. He also announced that the Regional Innovation Valley in Plovdiv will partner with the Agrarian University.