On October 21, 2025, Blagoevgrad hosted the sixth and final event of the “Dialogue Innovations.bg 2040” initiative. The forum brought together leading experts, entrepreneurs, representatives of the scientific community, state administration, and the financial sector from across the country. The initiative was implemented in partnership with the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria and Sofia Tech Park.
The event focused on the development of regional innovation and technology hubs for growth in Bulgarian regions, with leading experts and representatives of institutions involved in Bulgaria’s innovation ecosystem participating in the discussion:
- Georgi Kosev, Senior Expert at the Ministry of Innovation and Growth
- Alexandra Parashkevova, Senior Incubation Expert at Sofia Tech Park
- Zhoro Kotev, Managing Director of the Elevate Accelerator Program at the American University in Bulgaria
- Yordan Ginev, Chairman of the Board, Association for Innovation, Business Services and Technologies.
The discussion was moderated by Ruslan Stefanov, coordinator of Innovations.bg, Applied Research and Communications Fund.
The event was introduced by Boryana Shalyavska, Deputy Mayor for Education, Business Development, Social and Health Policy at the Municipality of Blagoevgrad, and Yordanka Chobanova, Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria.
Ms. Shalyavska shared that Blagoevgrad has high potential for innovation and needs to build stable links between education and business.
Ms. Chobanova stated that Bulgaria’s scientific and technological potential remains far below the EU average. However, the country is developing well in the field of critical technologies and also has a strong flow of young entrepreneurs who are developing start-up companies.
During the discussion, the panel reached several key conclusions about the innovation ecosystem in Bulgaria:
- Although Bulgaria is an “emerging innovator,” it already has a dynamic startup ecosystem and a strategic advantage in the field of artificial intelligence.
- More innovation intermediaries are needed—technology transfer offices and regional hubs.
- The share of young entrepreneurs is growing, but they need support in creating sustainable, market-oriented products.
- There is still a lack of critical mass of funds for high-risk companies to accelerate technology transfer from the laboratory to the market.
- Bulgaria is increasingly attracting the interest of international companies as a technology destination in the field of AI and data centers.
The event concluded with a presentation of the activities and contributions of Sofia Tech Park and JA Bulgaria to the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in Bulgaria.
See the full schedule of the event here.
