site.btaInnovation Minister Karadimov, EU Commissioner Ivanova Discuss Innovation Development in Bulgaria

Caretaker Innovation and Growth Minister Rosen Karadimov and Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, discussed the development and funding of innovation and research to grow Bulgaria’s economy and increase the competitiveness of businesses in the country, the Innovation Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

Karadimov stressed that his ministry focuses on attracting investment for the development of industry, regions and human resources. "We believe this will also encourage the development of more innovations and the creation of innovative enterprises," he said.

Ivanova stressed that research and innovation are highlighted as priorities in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s new political guidelines.

The meeting at the Innovation and Growth Ministry was attended by the Ministry’s Head of Political Office Mariya Petrova, acting Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Bulgarian Development Bank Delyana Ivanova, and Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria.

Karadimov added that his Ministry is working to establish Bulgaria as a good investment destination with predictable conditions. "The focus of our work is to promote the interaction between science and business to develop products and services with high added value," he said.

Ivanova stressed that the recently adopted Scientific-Research and Innovation Promotion Act is key for Bulgaria if the country wants to achieve these goals. It aims to create a better regulatory framework for the use of innovation. In this regard, Karadimov said that the establishment of a National Innovation Fund under the Innovation and Growth Ministry is also planned. The idea is to make this fund a key unit for the implementation of innovation policies in Bulgaria.

During the meeting, Karadimov and Ivanova also discussed the need to prioritise the development of innovations in sectors such as space, defense, microelectronics, and biomedicine.

Ivanova emphasised that the highly skilled workforce in Bulgaria gives this country a serious advantage and the state should create conditions to keep it here. She pointed to the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Technology (INSAIT) as a good example of this.