site.btaInnovation Minister: Defence Industry Innovation Can Make Europe World Leader in Security and Technology

At the Growing Demand for Defence Industrial Support and Innovation Opportunities  conference, held in Sofia Tech Park on Tuesday,  Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva said that by investing in research and development, using emerging technologies, encouraging cooperation and developing innovation, a defence industry can be developed that serves not just for protection, but that will make Europe a world leader in security and technology.

The Ministry of Innovation and Growth is a co-organizer of the conference together with the Ministry of Defenee and the Ministry of Economy and Industry. The aim is to popularize the initiatives and projects of the EU and NATO in the field of defence. This is the first event on the calendar to mark the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to NATO, said the Ministry of Innovation and Growth on its official page.

Minister Stoycheva stressed during the conference that her ministry  is concentrating on areas with high potential for development, among which are the space, microelectronics, hydrogen technologies and dual-use innovations sectors.

Minister Stoicheva said that her ministry’s active participation in the North Atlantic Defense Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) and the NATO Innovation Fund shows efforts to meet the challenge of implementing high technologies in defence. The joint work will support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector, as well as the interaction between emerging enterprises and larger companies in the defence.

"Innovation is a horizontal activity that covers all sectors. We need to work together, as one ecosystem, to deal with the world's challenges," said the Minister of Innovation and Growth.

She also added that there are currently two innovation procedures open for applications for companies under the Competitiveness Programme with a total budget of over BGN 400 million. The funds will be used to finance the implementation of product innovations (goods or services) or innovations in business processes , development of product innovations such as in the field of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, communication networks, development of ICT approaches, etc.

"Innovation has an important role to play in ensuring the protection of citizens. Foreign policy risks are increasing, as is the risk of military conflicts. The need for innovative solutions in the field of defence is also increasing. Europe has done a lot to strengthen the capacity of the defence industry, but there is a need from a comprehensive approach and consolidation of activities," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel.

"I think that both in NATO and in the EU we consider the possibilities of the defence industry not just as a separate sector, but as a basis for building an effective defence policy. As for Bulgaria, we should pay attention to what we can produce, but it is of extreme importance and to guarantee the security of the supply chains, as well as our faster integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic defence, technological and industrial base," said Defence Minister Todor Tagarev.

Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth Georgi Angelov participated in the second panel of the event, titled "Science, innovation and emerging technologies for the development of the defence industry".

The conference was also attended by Minister of Education and Science Galin Tsokov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Irina Shtonova, parliamentary Committee on Defence Chair Hristo Gadzhev, Director-General for Defense Industry and Space Timo Pesonen, NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Emerging Security Challenges David van Weel, NATO Support and Procurement Agency Director of Life Cycle Management Allan McLeod and NATO Communications and Information Agency Antonio Calderon. More than 250 representatives of the Bulgarian defence industry, scientific organizations, the state administration and the Bulgarian army participated in the forum.