site.btaARC Fund Chair: Innovation Policy Will Determine How Bulgaria, Europe Will Emerge from Global Economic Crisis

The way Bulgaria and Europe emerge from the global economic crisis will depend on innovation policy, said Applied Research and Communications Fund Chair Ognian Shentov in his opening speech at the Nineteenth National Innovation Forum "Innovations and Sustainable Growth" in Sofia on Tuesday.

"We are on the threshold of the 20th anniversary of laying the foundations of the modern, market-oriented and innovation-based national economy, which were laid in 2004 with the first National Innovation Forum," Shentov noted. "We are still waiting for an independent, backed by long-term, national financial resources, innovation policy at national and regional level to start working in Bulgaria."

“I hope that next year, when Enterprise Europe Network will celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Bulgarian government will find an opportunity to create a national funding mechanism for one of the most successful hubs in Bulgaria,” he added.

Shentov said that the formula for success is to build on the country’s strengths. He pointed out that the most important elements are Sofia (as an engine of innovation growth and innovation collaborations), the system of Bulgarian hubs, and the many opportunities provided by Bulgaria's EU membership.